Europe and Central Asia Knowledge Brief

2014-06, Shulga, Ivan, Sukhova, Anna, Khachatryan, Gagik

Prosperity from economic growth is not shared evenly among Russia's population and regions. Local communities and rural territories face serious development challenges: including poor living conditions, infrastructure, and services and lack of citizens' participation in decision-making processes. The Russian Federation Local Initiatives Support Program (RF LISP) aims to address community challenges by introducing a participatory approach to the development and rehabilitation of local-level social infrastructure. Specifically, LISP channels funds from regional budgets to finance participatory projects in poorer local communities. For the period 2009-14, LISP has been implemented in six regions and has resulted in more than 1,200 projects with over 1 million beneficiaries. Key factors for LISP success are the following: (i) mainstreaming of LISP into the national administrative system and budget process, and (ii) providing the Bank's technical assistance at all stages of project implementation to share international experience in community-driven development (CDD) projects, and ensuring transparency and quality of LISP procedures.

2012-04, Heleniak, Timothy, Canagarajah, Sudharshan

The diaspora populations from Europe and Central Asia (ECA) countries are large in both absolute and relative terms. Nearly 11 percent of the population in the region resides outside the country of birth (compared to 3.1 percent globally). The ECA diaspora populations are highly educated and skilled. Formulation of diaspora policies in the region is in its early stages; most ECA countries started developing diaspora policies and institutions only after the year 2000. ECA countries need to identify their diaspora goals, map diaspora geography and skills, create a relationship of trust between diasporas and governments of both origin and destination countries, and mobilize their diasporas to contribute to sustainable development.

2010-01, Canagarajah, Sudharshan, Kholmatov, Matin

Despite the fact that the free flow of people across borders is the lynchpin of today's globalized world, more importance is usually given to the unrestricted movement of capital and goods. As a consequence, the effects of the financial crisis on the issue of migration have largely been ignored by the international community. The World Bank and other international organizations are examining ways to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis on migration and foster productive dialogue and partnerships among both sending and receiving countries, and the migrants themselves. This article describes the effects of the crisis in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), proposes reforms to mitigate its effects, and suggests actions to encourage self-sustaining progress in the area of migration in the future.