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Presents the outcomes of a survey conducted by the World Bank Payment System Development Group, at the request of the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic, as a follow up to the World Bank-led mission that visited the country in 2008 to assess the market for remittances. The survey aimed at analyzing the main characteristics of the market for remittances in the Czech Republic.

Using case studies of sisal and soybean supply chains in Brazil and India respectively, this study explores the role and impact of intermediaries in facilitating trade in lagging regions. The study assesses the horizontal relationships between the small scale producers in thin markets and the vertical connections between different tiers of the same supply chain.

In the digital age, information is power. When information is effectively harnessed and aligned with studentlearning, it carries the potential to radically transform the delivery of education, as well as the sector as a whole.Increasingly, education systems are moving away from using education data narrowly for compliance purposes,and instead are embracing data as a tool to drive system-wide innovation, professionalization, and mostimportantly, learning. Whether to prioritize and optimize data and information systems around student leaming isno longer an option, but an imperative for education systems that aim to excel and achieve strong learningoutcomes.Over the last several decades, fundamental shifts have occurred in the way that education data is collected,managed and used. Today real-time learning data informs classroom instruction; predictive analytics identify atriskyouth before they drop out of school; and data from preschool to workforce (also referred to as P-20W) arelinked to help guide education reforms. These represent just a few of the innovative ways that schools and otherstakeholders across the United States are hamessing data to improve education.This study builds on a 2015 World Bank report that assessed education management information systems(EMIS) in the State of Maryland. That report uncovered a successful system and this one expands on lessonslearned and ways to apply them in practice. The goal of this study is to distill Maryland's good practices ineducation data systems, and share them in a way that is useful to education stakeholders interested inharnessing the power of data to strengthen learning outcomes. This study also examines the history of educationdata collection and use in the United States with a focus on the State of Maryland, including a review of federaland state legislation that has helped to shape Maryland's education data policies and systems.

Since 1984, the World Bank has financed 87 Financial Management Information System (FMIS) projects in 51 countries totaling over US $2.2 billion, of which US $938 million was for FMIS related information and communication technology (ICT) solutions. This study presents the World Bank's experience with these investment operations and shares the achievements and challenges observed.

Offers a comprehensive assessment of early child development across Tonga using the Tongan Early Human Capability Index instrument.

Identifies the interventions and factors that have contributed to reducing maternal mortality ratio and improving maternal and reproductive health outcomes in SAR. In this study, the analytical framework assumes that improving MRH outcomes is influenced by a multitude of forces from within and outside the health system and considers factors at the household and community levels.

Provides analysis, policy options, and implementation strategies, towards improving the performance of the Malawian higher education system.

Presents findings on early childhood development policies in Indonesia at the national, provincial, and district levels. In addition, the authors compare Indonesia's early childhood development policies to other countries that have comparable policy data on early childhood development.

Discusses key components of EI sector policy, sector investment and production cycles, and identifies EI-related financing obligations of the public sector. The volume maps the institutional framework corresponding to the EI sector, including common responsibilities for various government entities

In recent decades, resource-rich developing countries have been using their natural resources as collateral to access sources of finance for investment. This report provides an analytical discussion of RFI contracting from a project finance perspective.

Depuis quelques dizaines d'annees, les pays en developpement riches en ressources naturelles utilisent ces dernieres en tant que garanties pour obtenir acces a des sources de financement pour leurs investissements.

The report first summarizes the key findings from the following three studies in three provinces (Guizhou, Jilin, Shandong): (a) a demand survey to assess rural ICT access and attitudes; (b) a library study including scoping the status of ICT use in rural libraries; and (c) a limited impact evaluation to examine how ICT interventions have affected rural uers. Then the report addresses the challenges and policy recommendations of ICT use in the Chinese Countryside.

La mayoria de los observadores consideran que Fe y Alegria es una organizacion exitosa, pero pocas evaluaciones de carsscter riguroso se han realizado hasta el momento. Las contribuciones a este volumen estssn dedicadas a la evaluacion del desempe+/-o y de algunos aspectos de la gestion y las prsscticas pedagogicas de la federaci3/4n Fe y Alegria.

The Results-Based Initiatives (RBI), launched in 2007, were a pioneering attempt to provide comprehensive, coherent and rigorous evidence on effective interventions to foster the economic empowerment of women. This study highlights lessons from the RBI with respect to both the impact of the interventions and dos and don'ts in the design and implementation of pilots.

"Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In many countries, such as in Albania, the risks of climate change are an immediate and fundamental problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. The risks of climate change to agriculture in Alabania cannot be effectively dealt with-and the opportunities cannot be effectively exploited-without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, developing the capabilities of key agricultural institutions, and making needed investments in infrastructure, support services and on-farm improvements. Developing such a plan ideally involves a combination of high-quality quantitative analysis, consultation with key stakeholders, particularly farmers and local agricultural experts, and investments in both human and physical capital. The experience of Albania, highlighted in this work, shows that it is possible to develop a plan to meet these objectives-one that is comprehensive and empirically driven as well as consultative and quick to develop. The approach of this study is predicated on strong country ownership and participation, and is defined by its emphasis on "win-win" or "no regrets" solutions to the multiple challenges posed by climate change for farmers in Albania. The solutions are measures that increase resilience to future climate change, boost current productivity despite the greater climate variability already occurring, and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing The Vulnerability of Albania''s Agricultural Systems to Climate Change: Impact Assessment and Adaptation Options applies this approach to Albania with the goal of helping the country mainstream climate change adaptation into its agricultural policies, programs, and investments. The study projects impacts of climate change on agriculture across Albania''s three agro-ecological areas through forecast variations in temperature and rainfall patterns so crucial to farming. It offers a map for navigating the risks and realizing the opportunities, outlined through a series of consultations with local farmers. A detailed explanation of the approach is provided for those who would like to implement similar programs in other countries of Europe, Central Asia, or anywhere else in the world. This is one of four country studies that were produced under the World Bank''s program, "Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in European and Central Asian Agricultural Systems". The other countries included in this series are FYR Macedonia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan. The results from the four studies are consolidated in the book Looking Beyond the Horizon: How Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Responses Will Reshape Agriculture in Eastern Europe and Central Asia website."

"Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In many countries, such as in Moldova, the risks of climate change are an immediate and fundamental problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. The risks of climate change to agriculture in Moldova cannot be effectively dealt with-and the opportunities cannot be effectively exploited-without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, developing the capabilities of key agricultural institutions, and making needed investments in infrastructure, support services and on-farm improvements. Developing such a plan ideally involves a combination of high-quality quantitative analysis, consultation with key stakeholders, particularly farmers and local agricultural experts, and investments in both human and physical capital. The experience of Moldova, highlighted in this work, shows that it is possible to develop a plan to meet these objectives-one that is comprehensive and empirically driven as well as consultative and quick to develop. The approach of this study is predicated on strong country ownership and participation, and is defined by its emphasis on "win-win" or "no regrets" solutions to the multiple challenges posed by climate change for farmers in Moldova. The solutions are measures that increase resilience to future climate change, boost current productivity despite the greater climate variability already occurring, and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing The Vulnerability of Moldova''s Agricultural Systems to Climate Change: Impact Assessment and Adaptation Options applies this approach to Moldova with the goal of helping the country mainstream climate change adaptation into its agricultural policies, programs, and investments. The study projects impacts of climate change on agriculture across Moldova''s three agro-ecological areas through forecast variations in temperature and rainfall patterns so crucial to farming. It offers a map for navigating the risks and realizing the opportunities, outlined through a series of consultations with local farmers. A detailed explanation of the approach is provided for those who would like to implement similar programs in other countries of Europe, Central Asia, or anywhere else in the world. This is one of four country studies that were produced under the World Bank''s program, "Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in European and Central Asian Agricultural Systems". The other countries included in this series are Albania, FYR Macedonia, and Uzbekistan. The results from the four studies are consolidated in the book Looking Beyond the Horizon: How Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Responses Will Reshape Agriculture in Eastern Europe and Central Asia website.."

"India has been one of the world''s leading developing countries in providing electricity to both rural and urban populations. The country''s rural energy policies and institutions have contributed greatly to reducing the number of people globally who continue to lack access to electricity. By late 2012, the national electricity grid had reached 92 percent of India''s rural villages, about 880 million people. Yet, owing mainly to its large population, India still has by far the world''s largest number of households without electricity. About 311 million people still live without electricity, and they mostly reside in poor rural areas. Among these, 200 million live in villages that already have electricity. Less than half of all households in the poorest income group have electricity. Even among households that have electric service, hundreds of millions lack reliable supply, experiencing power cuts almost daily.Achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 is not financially prohibitive for India. The challenge of providing electricity for all is achievable, ensuring that India joins such countries as China and Brazil in reaching out to even its remotest populations. The estimated annual investments necessary to reach universal access are in the range of Rs. 108 billion (US$2.4 billion) to Rs. 139 billion (US$3 billion). Considering that the country already spends about Rs. 45 billion ($1 billion) a year on new electricity lines through the current government program, the additional investments needed to achieve universal access by 2030 are quite reasonable. Investments are not the only hurdle to providing electricity to those presently without service. Policies will need to be aligned with the principles followed in other successful international programs. The potential benefits of electrification for those without service are quite high. The benefits of lighting alone would approximately equal the investments necessary to extend electricity for all. When households that adopt electricity switch from kerosene lamps to electric light bulbs, they experience an enormous price drop for lighting energy and can have more light for a range of household activities, including reading, studying, cooking, and socializing. Households with electricity consume more than 100 times as much light as households with kerosene for about the same amount of money. The potential value of the additional lighting can be as large as 11.5 percent of a typical household''s monthly budget. If universal access is achieved by 2030, the cumulative benefit for improved lighting alone would equal about Rs. 3.8 trillion (US$69 billion) or Rs. 190 billion ($3.4 billion) in annual benefits. This is greater than the cost of providing electricity service, and does not even include such benefits as improved communications, household comfort, food preservation, and income from productive activities. With electric lighting, households can generate more income, and children can have better educational outcomes and income-earning potential. Without quality energy services, households often face entrenched poverty, poor delivery of social services, and limited opportunities for women and girls."