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Corporate Responses to HIV/AIDS : Case Studies from India
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2007-01-01) World Bank
This collection of case studies aims to contribute to the growing evidence on private sector engagement in the fight against HIV and AIDS and the challenges businesses are overcoming in this fight. By capturing the experiences of the local private sector, it seeks to foster a more active response from the business community and to encourage new partnership approaches from government, civil society, and development organizations to leverage the goodwill and competencies of the private sector. In a country as large as India, more active engagement of the private sector is critical to achieve the scale of intervention needed to get ahead of HIV and AIDS. The case studies illustrate the importance of integrating multiple stakeholders in the fight against HIV and AIDS. They also highlight the growing investment of businesses in that fight-an investment that recognizes their vulnerability to the economic and social impact of the epidemic. And they show what businesses can achieve by tackling HIV and AIDS through the workforce. By showcasing their achievements and illuminating the lessons of their experience, these case studies seek to convince other businesses that taking part in the fight against HIV and AIDS is both within their reach and in their interest.
Liberalization and Universal Access to Basic Services : Telecommunications, Water and Sanitation, Financial Services, and Electricity
(OECD and the World Bank, Paris, 2006) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; World Bank
Access to basic services plays an important role in both individual well-being and a country's economic development. For this reason, general availability of these services to citizens, regardless of income level and geographical location, has generally been viewed as an important public policy goal. However, the precise definition of this goal and the means of attaining it have provoked controversy. This volume explores whether liberalization can contribute to achieving universal service goals and, if so, how, and looks at the types of complementary policies that may be required. It focuses on experience in four sectors: telecommunications, financial, water and sanitation, and energy services. For each sector, an overview paper and one or two case studies from developing countries examine the experience of governments in harnessing liberalization to meet social goals. It is hoped that this cross-sector view will yield general insights which a focus on a single sector may not, and help each sector to generate ideas by drawing upon experience in other sectors. A horizontal assessment also helps to determine how far the services negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), under the general agreement on trade in services can aid or impede the attainment of universal service goals.