the simultaneous processes of developing a market economy, designing new political and social institutions and redistributing social assets have created fertile ground for corruption. Many governments throughout the region have made combating corruption a priority and have turned to the World Bank for assistance in designing feasible antiicorruption strategies.
The closing of state industries and excessive urbanization have left cities impoverished in many of the former socialist countries. With poverty reduction as the Bank's main mission, focus on urban poverty in transition economies is imperative. This paper examines the effects of the past socialist policies on the way cities in transition economies function today. It considers the principal concerns for city management and proposes action plans to achieve a more equitable, sustainable economic environment.
Drawing on the experience of the World Bank , this study proposes a strategy for assisting the rural, environmental and social development of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It is intended to invite discussion and suggestions for improvement of the Bank's strategies.
This paper examines the interlinkages between vehicles, fuel quality and air quality in eight countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.Urban traffic is increasing, the vehicle fleet still uses low-quality fuel, and the inherited monitoring and enforcement systems are not adequate for dealing with the new challenges. The greatest cost of air pollution is to human health.
In contrast with developing countries, maintaining rather than expanding access to utility services is the main challenge facing governments in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for the evaluation of utility subsidy mechanisms, and applies this framework to the mechanisms currently in use in transition countries.
addresses the policy actions needed to reduce poverty and create inclusive societies. The first priority is to foster institutions at the community, local, and national level that are accountable to and inclusive of all parts of society. These institutions provide the foundation for functioning democratic societies, good governance, and shared economic growth.
The objective of this paper is to summarize the Bank's strategy for assisting our client countries in Europe and Central Asia with sustainable use of natural resources, within the overridingobjectives of poverty reduction and economic growth.
This study seeks to clarify the administrative requirements of accession for selected Central and Eastern European countries. Throughout the study, the author tries to determine the level of performance countries will need to attain on a range of administrative tasks in order to reach a minimal threshold for European Union membership, and each countries ' state of administrative readiness for accession in light of the standards applied.
This book reviews the progress from a command financial system to a market-based one, identifying some of the key characteristics of the financial transition. The chapters were primarily written by people who have lived through, and played active roles in, the economic and financial transformations . They cover a wide range of country experience , as well as the experience of partners such as the IMF and the EBRD.
Why has economic growth in some transition economies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union been stronger than in others? If economic reforms bring clear benefits for countries in transition, why have some governments been so reluctant to accept them? How should policy advice offered to these countries be modified in the light of experience and today's conditions?
This digest of research work seeks to present the latest factual trends on labor issues in accession countries, reviews exisiting labor market policies and social protection mechanisms, and discusses alternative strategies for employment creation in Central and Eastern Europe.
While the welfare of women appears to have declined as compared to that of men in Central Asia, the burden of transformation has fallen disproportionately on men in the European countries of the former Soviet Union. The Central and Eastern European countries present a more mixed picture, with no obvious patterns in gender inequality emerging over the last decade.
The region's cold climate, the legacy of central planning, and the drop in household incomes over the past 10 years, influence profoundly the design of heating strategies for the urban poor. This paper provides new insights into how much energy people demand for heating, and how much they pay for it. Recommendations are suggested on how to design policies, and investment planning, that would enable all people (poor and non-poor) to access clean, affordable heating.
finds that, in addition to poverty, lack of knowledge about basic nutrition among populations is also a key determinant of malnutrition in the ECA region.
Controlling HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis is a corporate priority for the World Bank Group. This Regional Support Strategy translates the Bank’s commitment into an agenda for action in the region.
The European Union stands out as one of the regions of the world that has most explicitly and deliberately attempted to reduce regional disparities within its membership. How effective this effort has been is a matter of open debate. The current enlargement of the European Union (EU) to less affluent new members gives rise to a fresh set of questions.
В настоящем докладе представлены данные обследований домашних хозяйств и данные по проектам. Доклад является результатом кропотливой работы в районах, где состояние ирригационных систем существенно ухудшилось. Оцениваются затраты и выгоды восстановления и модернизации пришедшей в упадок инфраструктуры.
Many of the distortions in poorly performing economies do not originate in the banking sector, but where state banks still control a large share of the resources in the banking system, they continue to pose a risk to macroeconomic and fiscal stability.
How have tax systems, whose primary role is to raise resources to finance public expenditures, evolved in the transition countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union?
This report is a collaborative effort between the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It studies impediments to investment and private sector development in the countries of South Eastern Europe - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia and Montenegro.
Long-term, conflict-induced displacement has created both conceptual and operational challenges for development agencies concerned with poverty reduction. Living in Limbo analyzes the special nature of displacement-induced vulnerability along several dimensions, including material well-being, employment, shelter, and human and social capital. The study draws on the authors’ field work as well as extensive review surveys, studies and poverty assessments in 13 countries.
Экономический рост в странах Восточной Европы и бывшего Советского Союза не привел к столь же существенному улучшению ситуации на рынке труда. В большинстве стран региона возможности для трудоустройства ограничены. Активизация деятельности предприятияй и улучшение инвестиционного климата могут способствовать повышению уровня занятости .
В период с 1998 по 2003 год почти 40 миллионов человек перешагнули порог бедности, однако более 60 миллионов человек живут менее чем на 2 долл. США в день. За этот период уровень бедности не снизился только в двух странах региона - в Польше и Грузии.
examines how countries in the region are living up to the challenge of meeting 7 key indicators of development. Most countries will fail to reach their health targets beacuse of a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.
looks at the experience of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as they reform their legal and judicial institutions to fit the needs of a market economy. The study shows, rather disturbingly, that less progress has been made in judicial reform than in most other areas of institutional reform in these countries.
Increasingly severe poverty among Roma, or “gypsies,” in Central and Eastern Europe has been one of the most striking developmentssince transition from socialism began in 1989. Although Roma havehistorically been among the poorest people in Europe, the extent ofthe collapse of their living conditions is unprecedented.
Общее описание эпидемии в регионе и вклад Всемирного банка в борьбу с заболеванием. Доклад содержит множество фактов, цифр и диаграмм, касающихся целого ряда региональных проблем, связанных с ВИЧ/СПИДом.
uses statistics from the 2005 regional Poverty study and argues that the process of transition to a market economy is not complete, and further evolution of inequality will depend on varied factors such as education, investment climate, technological change, and globalization.
В этом докладе отмечается, что в целом в странах Европы и Центральной Азии уровень коррупции снизился в период с 2002 по 2005 год, однако пока нельзя сказать, что коррупция идет на убыль во всех без исключениях странах и секторах.
This overview of the region's energy and infrastructure sector attempts to identify the critical factors for success in the provision of reliable and quality services.
explores the extent and nature of poverty in urban areas of the Region. It looks at disparities within urban areas between capital and secondary cities (drawing comparisons with rural areas where this is useful), and focuses on dimensions of poverty related to the provision of network infrastructure and energy services in cities.
How to increase and maintain productivity and growth by creating an environment conducive to the application of knowledge in the economy via innovation and learning. Recommends policies for the support of commercial innovation.
examines the challenges facing land rental markets in the ECA Region to understand the patterns of land rental market development and constraints on further growth, and proposes policy recommendations needed to improve their functioning in order to achieve desirable equity and efficiency outcomes.
В этом докладе Всемирного банка анализируется динамика торговых отношений между 27 странами с переходной экономикой за время, прошедшее после краха коммунистической системы. Большинство стран Восточной Европы и бывшего Советского Союза пожинают плоды реинтеграции в систему мировой торговли, однако, судя по всему, постепенно формируются два блока, один из которых ориентируется на Европу, а другой – на Россию. Кроме того, в докладе подчеркивается, что странам необходимо, в частности, провести важные реформы внутренней торговой политики.
в этом докладе отмечается, что миграция может принести пользу как странам-отправителям, так и принимающим странам, а также способствовать сокращению бедности, если страны смогут лучше скоординировать этот процесс.
