Regulation, Markets and Poverty analyses the policy implications of research into issues of competition, regulation and regulatory governance in developing countries. Particular attention is paid to factors affecting poverty and to the connection between regulation, competition and poverty. It represents the culmination of research undertaken in the past five years by the Centre on Regulation and Competition. Written in a non-technical manner with references to the more technical literature, each chapter draws on the work of leading experts across a range of disciplines who frequently challenge conventional wisdom. This accessible and lively study will appeal to policymakers and practitioners dealing with regulation and competition in developing countries, postgraduate students of regulation, competition, public policy and international business. Staff of international development agencies and NGOs working on governance issues, competitiveness, utility policy and infrastructure investment will also find this important book of value and interest.

Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world’s population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of—or in spite of—globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on globalization’s perils and promises, economists have largely remained silent, in part because of an entrenched institutional divide between those who study poverty and those who study trade and finance. Globalization and Poverty bridges that gap, bringing together experts on both international trade and poverty to provide a detailed view of the effects of globalization on the poor in developing nations, answering such questions as: Do lower import tariffs improve the lives of the poor? Has increased financial integration led to more or less poverty? How have the poor fared during various currency crises? Does food aid hurt or help the poor? Poverty, the contributors show here, has been used as a popular and convenient catchphrase by parties on both sides of the globalization debate to further their respective arguments. Globalization and Poverty provides the more nuanced understanding necessary to move that debate beyond the slogans.

Based on a report by a World Bank task force, this book provides a candid assessment of the Bank's operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book examines how the Bank can strengthen its operational response to poverty and improve food security, recommends improvements and innovative approaches to poverty reduction, and discusses ways of strengthening and making further use of regional initiatives. Although the report identifies improvements in the work on poverty reduction that have taken place since 1995, it finds that much remains to be done: * On average, 45 to 50 percent of Sub-Saharan Africans live below the poverty line, a much higher proportion than any other region of the world except South Asia. * The commitment of governments to poverty reduction is usually weak; only about 12 African governments have such a commitment. * Economic growth rates are generally far too low to reduce poverty significantly; growth rates of 6.5 percent per year are required for countries in this region to reduce poverty at an acceptable rate. * The World Bank's lending has emphasized growth, focusing almost 58 percent of its assistance to the region on creating the mechanisms for growth through policy change and large-scale investments. * The World Bank's focus on poverty reduction in programming and lending must intensify in all its operational work. * All development partners should establish stronger collaboration in planning their assistance programs.

This book deals with the challenges of macro financial linkages in the emerging markets.

'Institutions fix the confines of and impose form upon the activities of human beings.' --Walton Hamilton, 'Institutions', 1932. The 'World Development Report 2002: Building Institutions for Markets' undertakes the complex issue of the basic institutions needed for markets to function properly. This year's 'World Development Report' goes beyond a simple examination of institutional structure and explores the functions of institutions. Recognizing that one size does not fit all, the report asks what do all institutions which support markets do? The answer is simple: Institutions channel information, define and enforce property rights, and increase or prevent competition. Understanding the functions that current institutions and their proposed replacements would provide is the first step. The report contends that once you have identified the institutional functions that are missing, you can then build effective institutions by following some basic principles: - Complement what exists already - in terms of other supporting institutions, human capacities, and technology. - Innovate to suit local norms and conditions. Experimenting with new structures can provide a country with creative solutions that work. - Connect communities of market players through open information flows and open trade. Open trade and information flows create demand for new institutions and improve the functioning of existing structures. - Compete among jurisdictions, firms, and individuals. Increased competition creates demand for new institutions as old ones lose their effectiveness. It also affects how people behave - improving institutional quality. These broad lessons and careful analyses, which links theory with pertinent evidence, are provided in the report. 'World Development Report 2002: Building Institutions for Markets' contains selected 'World Development Indicators'.

The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty looks at the complex relationships between economic growth, poverty reduction and trade, and examines the challenges that poor people face in benefiting from trade opportunities. Written jointly by the World Bank Group and the WTO, the publication examines how trade could make a greater contribution to ending poverty by increasing efforts to lower trade costs, improve the enabling environment, implement trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy, better manage risks faced by the poor, and improve data used for policy-making.