Stand alone books
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Publication
Hospital Performance in Brazil : The Search for Excellence
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)This book combines a comprehensive overview of the Brazilian hospital sector with in-depth analyses of the key elements of interest in promoting and ensuring excellence in hospital performance. It does so in an accessible manner and within the organizational and financial context of Brazil. Thus, the book can offer specific recommendations that go to the heart of the problem, as well as suggest what kinds of approaches work in that context. The recommendations themselves are based on what works in Brazil while drawing on international experiences relevant to the Brazilian context to broaden the policy options. But the authors go a step further by providing recommendations on implementation, specifically highlighting the need to strengthen governance arrangements, improve accountability, and sharpen resource management. -
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Financing Energy Efficiency : Lessons from Brazil, China, India, and Beyond
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)Energy for heating, cooling, lighting, mechanical power, and various chemical processes is a fundamental requirement for both daily life and economic development. The negative impact on the environment of current energy systems is increasingly alarming, especially the global warming consequences of burning fossil fuels. The future requires change through the development and adoption of new supply technologies, through a successful search for new, less resource-intensive paths of economic development, and through adoption of energy. Greater energy efficiency is key for shifting country development paths toward lower-carbon economic growth. Especially in developing countries and transition economies, vast potential for energy savings opportunities remain unrealized even though current financial returns are strong. Activities included specialized technical assistance, training, and applied research covering the four primary areas of country interest: (a) development of commercial banking windows for energy efficiency; (b) support for developing energy service companies (ESCOs); (c) guarantee funds for energy efficiency investment financing; and (d) equity funding for ESCOs or energy efficiency projects. One clear message from the experience of the three country Energy Efficiency Project is the importance of establishing and maintaining practical, operationally focused dialogue between the banking community and the energy efficiency practitioner community. -
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Revisiting Ecuador's Economic and Social Agenda in an Evolving Landscape
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)The policy notes for Ecuador are part of a series of books that the Bank prepares periodically summarizing its accumulated knowledge on the economic and social issues of member countries. The timing of the notes, early 2007, coincides with a new presidential period, which offers the country the opportunity to consolidate many of the gains of the past few years, while building the basis for a more dynamic, equitable and inclusive growth process. The analysis contained in the policy notes indicates that Ecuador is a country with great potential, with a society that has exhibited incredible resilience and the ability to adapt to new challenges. The Ecuadoran society has overcome adversity with great determination in the past few years. Periodic economic crises, external shocks, and even natural disasters tested the country's ability to cope with difficulties. Despite these challenges, the country has maintained a forward-looking perspective and has achieved some important goals. Economic stability in the past few years has given Ecuador the opportunity for a period of sustained economic growth. During this period several development indicators have improved, and several sectors of the economy have demonstrated the dynamism and entrepreneurship that are present the Ecuadoran culture. In general, surveys show that Ecuadorans feel that their individual conditions are likely to improve in the future. The notes cover many areas and subjects but are grouped into three broad themes: preserving stability and accelerating growth, promoting sustainable and equitable social development, and improving governance and strengthening institutions. The remainder of this chapter summarizes the main findings and recommendations of the policy notes. -
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An Opportunity for a Different Peru : Prosperous, Equitable, and Governable
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2007)This book argues that Peru faces an unprecedented opportunity to become the next success story in Latin America. In the coming five years, policy making could put the country on a development path similar to the one that, say, Chile, Costa Rica, or Spain have followed over the last two decades. This book includes 32 sector-specific chapters and 2 historical perspectives that precede them. The beginning chapter, a synthesis, builds a comprehensive reform agenda that highlights possible sequencing and priorities. It is organized in five sections-the main messages, the three strategic challenges in Peru's development, and a path for action over the next five years. -
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Reforming Payments and Securities Settlement Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2007)The payments and securities settlement system is the infrastructure (comprising institutions, instruments, rules, procedures, standards, and technical means) established to effect the transfer of monetary value between parties discharging mutual obligations. A securities clearance and settlement system can be considered as part of the overall payment mechanisms of a country, in that it satisfies the main features of this overall definition The purpose of this book is to (a) extract the main lessons and experiences of the Western Hemisphere Payments and Securities Clearance and Settlement Initiative - Western Hemisphere Payments and Securities Settlement Forum (WHI-WHF) regarding the implementation of various reforms; (b) describe status of and major trends in payments and securities settlement systems worldwide and their implications for the LAC region; (c) summarize the detailed assessment findings for each LAC country in the following fields: (1) legal and regulatory framework, (2) main characteristics of the inter-bank exchange and settlement circuits, (3) retail settlement systems, (4) the role of the government as a major participant in the payments system, (5) foreign exchange and cross-border settlement, (6) the operation of the inter-bank money market, (7) aspects related to securities settlement such as the legal framework, clearance and settlement processes, settlement risks, operational reliability, custody, depositories' organizational arrangements, cross-border links, and (8) the oversight role of the central bank, coordination with the regulatory and supervisory role over securities settlement, and cooperation with the private sector; and (d) propose practical observations regarding the implementation of payments and securities settlement system reforms in the LAC region. -
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Financing Cities : Fiscal Responsibility and Urban Infrastructure in Brazil, China, India, Poland and South Africa
(New Dehli : Sage Publications and World Bank, 2007)This book, Financing cities, emphasized case studies on different topics to look at the interactions of a range of variables and factors and to see how they fit together. Rather than require each case to follow the same format, the authors have structured their papers around the issues that matter most from their perspective in addressing the topic in hand. The first part of this book presents case studies describing the framework established at the national level to promote urban infrastructure finance while ensuring fiscal discipline and reviewing recent experience as well as future challenges. The subjects covered include the impact of political and fiscal decentralization, limitations on borrowing, managing moral hazard, the role of the financial sector, the achieving of the right balance between stringent controls and encouragement of local governments taking responsibility for fiscal discipline coupled with market discipline. The cases featured include three of the world's largest decentralized nations; together the five countries featured in the conference account for nearly a third of the world's urban population. Part I includes case studies for each of the five countries featured in the conference: Brazil (Chapter 1), China (Chapter 2), India (Chapter 3), Poland (Chapter 4) and South Africa (Chapter 5). Part II then shifts from the frameworks for fiscal discipline to urban infrastructure investments and the strategies used to mobilize investment funding. Chapters 6 and 7 examine the financing strategies for urban infrastructure in Shanghai and Brazil respectively. The next two chapters focus on specialized intermediaries offering urban infrastructure finance in cities. One is a fully private venture in South Africa (Chapter 9) while the other, in Tamil Nadu, India (Chapter 8), is a spin-off of a government fund with minority private ownership. The final two chapters examine experiences with two other mechanisms for mobilizing funding for infrastructure investments from the private sector, land leasing and sales (Chapter 10) and private participation in infrastructure operations (Chapter 11). -
Publication
Payments and Securities Clearance and Settlement Systems in Bolivia
(Mexico, D.F.: Centro de Estudios Monetarios Latinoamericanos and the World Bank, 2006)This report covers the Western Hemisphere payments and securities settlement forum center for Latin American monetary studies and focuses on several issues. The first section covers economic and financial markets overview of Belarus. This section covers the financial sector, capital markets, and major trends in the payments systems. The second section covers institutional aspects such as the general legal framework, role of financial institutions, market structure and regulation, and the role of the securities regulatory. The third section covers the payment media used by non financial entities. The fourth section describes payments, such as inter-bank exchanges and settlement circuits. The fifth section touches on securities, market structure and trading. While the sixth and seventh section cover the topic of settlement circuits for government and corporate securities. The report concludes with discussion on the role of the central bank in clearance and settlement systems and well as the supervision of such systems. -
Publication
From Inside Brazil : Development in a Land of Contrasts
(Washington, DC: World Bank and Stanford University Press, 2006)The overarching theme of the book is development in a land of contrasts. There have been large economic, social, and political changes. The mass of society is far more expressive and politically involved today. In 1945, the country had 7.4 million voters, about 11 percent of the population. Today it has 120 million voters, or 67 percent of the population. The economy has been modernized, the capitalist ethos spread across regions, mass communication reached every part of the country, and basic education (though of varying quality) has become almost universal. Poverty has been reduced, but inequality remains extremely high. Moreover, the country has become more violent and prone to disorder. Meanwhile, the state has become weaker and less present where it should be present (in the slums and urban fringes), and more present where it should not be. The author captures remarkably well the transformations of the 1990s, when Brazil deepened its insertion into the global economy, opening to imports and to foreign direct investment on the one hand, and increasing its competitiveness on the other. This led to a great expansion of exports, and to the return of large trade surpluses, increasing considerably the share of trade in the country's gross domestic product. However, there is an unfinished agenda with two main imperatives. The first is the need to enter a new and sustainable growth cycle; the second concern is the reform agenda, especially the economic and institutional reforms that are highlighted by this book. Finally, social and environmental issues must remain a high priority. -
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Beyond the Numbers : Understanding the Institutions for Monitoring Poverty Reduction Strategies
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)This volume provides lessons on the design and functioning of such monitoring systems, based on the experience of twelve Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) countries (Albania, Bolivia, Guyana, Honduras, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda). The focus is on the institutional arrangements of PRS monitoring systems - the rules and processes which bring the various actors and monitoring activities together in a coherent diagnostic tool - and a summary of the situation in these twelve PRS countries. -
Publication
Bolivia : Public Policy Options for the Well-Being of All
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)The purpose of this book is to contribute to the debate on how to confront the challenges that Bolivia faces today. It is composed of a series of studies on the current reality of Bolivia and has been developed in conjunction with national and international public policy experts. The studies present a diagnostic by sector, a summary of the main challenges, and public policy recommendations aimed at meeting these challenges. After many years of severe institutional crisis, Bolivia is reorienting its development strategy and closing the gap between the country's problems and effective solutions. The new government is confronting the challenge of building a state that is more inclusive and effective. Its initiatives to achieve that objective include the Constituent Assembly, the introduction of public policies that modify obligations and rights, and efforts designed to revitalize the participation of the state in the national economy. This is a turning point from which a new Bolivia will emerge. Nevertheless, a variety of risks may prevent positive results, even when intentions are good. Bolivia can take a step forward to proactively integrate itself within the global market, or it can prolong, or even exacerbate, the stagnation that has hindered its economic and social development for many years. The authors are all committed to the goal of contributing ideas about what can be done to help the country grow equitably, with a transparent and efficient government that provides improved social services to its population and they are confident that Bolivia has the ability to achieve it.