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Securing land and infrastructure in Namibia  new

How can urban development be improved to meet the needs of poor people? Experience from Namibia shows how a strong people's movement can address the needs of poor people without depending on property rights or state welfare.

http://www.id21.org/urban/u2dm1g1.html

(Added: Fri May 16 2008   Hits: 1)

Following the Money: Toward Better Tracking of Global Health Resources

The lack of timely, accurate information about spending on health services and public health programs represents a key constraint for good policymaking and effective use of limited resources in developing countries. Although important advances have been made in improving the quality of data and policy-relevance of data on national spending and external flows from public and private donors, the need to further improve data systems is clear. None of the existing tracking systems or efforts provides up-to-date, comprehensive information in a form that addresses central policy questions. Without information about what resources are expected -- from whom, and for what purpose -- and without better tracking of how those funds have been spent, policy leaders, advocates and analysts are unlikely to be able to effectively raise additional resources and allocate them toward the populations and types of services that are vital to the achievement of the Millennium Development (Center for Global Development, May 2007).

http://www.dev-zone.org/downloads/following%20the%20money.pdf

(Added: Wed Jun 06 2007   Hits: 68)

The World Bank at 60: A Case of Institutional Amnesia?: A Critical Look at the Implementation of the Bank's Infrastructure Action Plan (pdf)

International Rivers Network, April 2004. By Peter Bosshard. The International Rivers Network reports on how the World Bank is implementing its Infrastructure Action Plan, and concludes that the new high-risk strategy "has not incorporated the lessons of past experience, will exacerbate conflicts, and will not help to reach the Millennium Development Goals".

http://www.irn.org/programs/finance/pdf/wb_at_60.pdf

(Added: Wed Jul 21 2004   Modified: Mon Jul 02 2007   Hits: 366)

Afghanistan, Inc: A Corpowatch Investigative Report (pdf)

Fariba Nawa, an Afghan-American who returned to her native country to examine the progress of reconstruction, uncovers some examples of where the money has (and hasn't) gone, how the system of international aid works (and doesn't), and what it is really like in the villages and cities where outsiders are rebuilding the war-torn countryside. (Fairba Nawa, CorpWatch, May 2006)

http://corpwatch.org/downloads/CorpWatch%20Afghan%20report.pdf

(Added: Thu May 04 2006   Modified: Tue Jun 27 2006   Hits: 330)

Aid for Trade [pdf]

In this paper Joseph E. Stiglitz and Andrew Charlton argue that trade may be necessary for sustained industrial development, but it is not sufficient. In the right circumstances, trade liberalisation creates opportunities for development, but other factors determine the extent to which those opportunities are realised. They argue that, to benefit from liberalisation developing countries will need to make public investments in infrastructure and institutions as well as private investment in productive capacity - a point realised by the aid for trade agenda. (Initiative for Policy Dialogue, Columbia University, 2006)

http://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/ipd/pub/Aid_For_Trade_4_3_06.pdf

(Added: Tue May 16 2006   Modified: Mon Jun 26 2006   Hits: 152)

Assessing the Impact of Transport and Energy Infrastructure on Poverty Reduction [PDF]

This book addresses the contribution of transport and energy infrastructure to poverty reduction. This is a core issue for ADB and for the other three donors that collaborated in producing this book (DFID, JBIC, and World Bank). The country studies examined this contribution in the People's Republic of China (PRC), India, and Thailand, which (particularly in the case of the PRC and India) are of strategic importance for overall ADB lending, and account for a substantial portion of total ADB lending for transport and energy. July 2005.

http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Assessing-Transport-Energy/default.asp

(Added: Fri Jan 27 2006   Hits: 193)

Bolivia nationalizes the oil and gas sector

President Evo Morales of Bolivia ordered the military to occupy energy fields around the country on Monday, placing Bolivia's oil and gas reserves under state control. Morales ordered foreign producers to relinquish control of all fields and channel future sales of hydrocarbons through the state-owned energy company. He gave foreign companies 180 days to renegotiate existing contracts with the government, or leave the country. The decree is the latest step by Latin America governments from Venezuela to Ecuador to assert greater control over the energy sector, moves that have sent shivers through foreign producers. (Paulo Prada, New York Times, 2 May 2006)

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/02/america/web.0502bolivia.php

(Added: Wed May 03 2006   Modified: Fri May 05 2006   Hits: 110)

Casualties of Katrina: Gulf Coast Reconstruction Two Years after the Hurricane

This CorpWatch report, by Eliza Strickland and Azibuike Akaba, tells the story of corporate malfeasance and government incompetence two years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. The report is broken up into three parts: the struggle by ordinary residents to return home, the major effort to fix the broken Gulf Coast infrastructure, and finally - what the future looks like for a regional revival (Eliza Strickland and Azibuike Akaba, CorpWatch,27 August 2007).

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14647

(Added: Wed Oct 03 2007   Modified: Thu Oct 04 2007   Hits: 57)

Foresight 2020 - economic, industry and corporate trends

This report asseses likely changes to the global economy, the eight major industries and to corporate structures between now and 2020, including a long term forcast for the world's major economies, a survey of executive directors and interviews with executives, analysts and policy makers around the world. (Economist Intelligence Unit, March 2006)

http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/eiuForesight2020_WP.pdf

(Added: Fri Dec 08 2006   Modified: Fri Dec 15 2006   Hits: 85)

Geography and Development in Africa: Overview and Implications for Regional Cooperation

Geography causes African countries to experience a 'proximity gap'. To overcome this gap a 'big push' may be needed in infrastructure. The cross-border nature of such infrastructure requires regional cooperation in at least four issues: transport infrastructure, trade facilitation, decentralization and local economic development, and migration. Because incentives for regional cooperation in these aspects may not be symmetrical, commitments made may not be credible. Therefore, transport infrastructure at least should be bound in WTO rules on trade facilitation to provide third party enforcement (UNU-WIDER, September 2007).

http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/discussion-papers/2007/en_GB/dp2007-03/

(Added: Fri Dec 21 2007   Hits: 73)

Hydropower Development in India: A Sector Assessment

India's vast hydropower potential can contribute to the country's energy security in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner. This report provides an assessment of the hydropower development potential in India and highlights how hydropower can meet country's goal of providing power for all by 2012 (Asia Development Bank, 2007).

http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Hydropower-Devt-India/Hydropower-Devt-India.pdf

(Added: Fri Oct 05 2007   Hits: 30)

IDB President Admits Serious Problems in Spill-Prone Amazon Pipeline

The Inter-American Development Bank has finally acknowledged the multiple problems with the Camisea gas project, a flagship bank project that has caused devastating social and environmental impacts in Peru, including five spills in the first 18 months of operation. (Amazon Watch, Aprl 2006)

http://www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1134

(Added: Thu Apr 20 2006   Modified: Tue Jun 27 2006   Hits: 113)

Investment and the WTO - Busting the Myths (PDF)

World Development Movement/Friends of the Earth, June 2003. Foreign direct investment (FDI) can play a positive role in achieving sustainable development. It does not, however, automatically lead to environmentally and socially beneficial outcomes. The nature and extent of these outcomes are critically affected by the market conditions, and thus the regulatory framework, within which the investment takes place. For almost a decade, the European Union (EU) has been pressing for the creation of an international investment agreement aimed at placing controls on the ability of governments to regulate foreign direct investment. This briefing explodes some of the myths surrounding FDI and the myths surrounding the "benefits" of establishing an investment agreement in the WTO.

http://www.wdm.org.uk/campaigns/cambriefs/wto/mythbusting.pdf

(Added: Mon Jul 07 2003   Modified: Wed Jan 10 2007   Hits: 177)

IRN Response to Sebastian Mallaby's Attacks on NGOs

Sebastian Mallaby, a Washington Post journalist, has published a book and several articles attacking IRN and other NGOs critical of the World Bank's record in funding infrastructure projects. Mallaby seems to have done little if any detailed analysis of the projects he describes and his assertions are riddled with errors and mischaracterizations.

http://www.irn.org/programs/finance/sebastianmallaby/index.html

(Added: Thu Oct 14 2004   Modified: Wed Oct 11 2006   Hits: 210)

Lessons from a Failed Privatization Experience: The Case of the Philippines' Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System [PDF 205.63 KB]

With a national policy in place for prioritizing debt service, the Philippine government had failed to invest in building a water supply and distribution system that would provide safe, adequate and affordable potable water to its citizenry. The private sector - commonly perceived to be more efficient and less prone to political maneuverings than government - supposedly had answers to all these. This case study investigates the Philippines' Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS]. A publication of the Freedom from Debt Coalition (Philippines), January 2005.

http://www.jubileesouth.org/news/water%20monograph.pdf

(Added: Wed Jan 25 2006   Hits: 115)

Making Infrastructure Work for the Poor: Synthesis Report of Four Country Studies - Bangladesh, Senegal, Thailand and Zambia

The basic idea of the project is to assess, in the context of small-scale community-level infrastructure, the dynamics of the infrastructure-poverty reduction-governance nexus; to learn lessons from the experiences and examine the scope of replication, both at the local and the national levels; and to develop capacities and undertake institutional reforms for deriving maximum benefits from infrastructure, from the development stages to operational management. (Selim Jahan, Robert McCleery, JICA, UNDP, 2005)

http://content.undp.org/go/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=418347

(Added: Wed Jan 31 2007   Hits: 64)

Oxfam Briefing Paper 77: The Fijian sugar industry.

The current EU sugar regime is drawing to a close. Soon ACP sugar exporters such as Fiji will face substantial cuts in the preferential prices they currently receive. For the Fijian sugar industry, this is a worrying prospect. Europe has defined the shape of the Fijian sugar export sector since its inception. The EU now has a clear obligation to assist the industry to adjust to a new era of trading. Investment in sustainable technology (bagasse electricity generation and sugar-based fuel ethanol) offers a way to revitalise the sugar sector and restore its profitability. Through investing in technology, the EU can give lasting assistance for a sector that remains vitally important for Fiji, and for the wellbeing of all its citizens.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/issues/trade/bp77_sugar.htm?ito=1721&itc=0

(Added: Tue Oct 25 2005   Hits: 114)

Privatising Basic Utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: The MDG Impact

This report from the UNDP's International Poverty Centre examines the impact of utility privatisation on Sub-Saharan African countries' efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. It concludes that privatisation as a whole has reduced state's abilities to meet the MDGs. (IPC, Jan 2007)

http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCPolicyResearchBrief003.pdf

(Added: Mon Feb 05 2007   Modified: Mon Jul 02 2007   Hits: 70)

Roading documents

Documents for dowmload about roading. Many by Transit New Zealand.

http://www.zietlow.com/docs/engdocs.htm

(Added: Fri May 28 1999   Hits: 227)

Roads and Realities: How to promote road contracting in developing countries

by Paul Larcher and Derek Miles. This book is about improving performance in road construction and maintenance in developing countries, by promoting the use of appropriate technologies and the involvement of small-scale local contractors. It has been prepared as a component of the Management of Appropriate Road Technology (MART) initiative, which is based on DFID Research Project R6238.

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/publications/rr.htm

(Added: Wed Jan 03 2001   Hits: 208)

Soya is not the solution to climate change

In a Guardian article on March 7 Brazil's President Lula recognised that one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is reducing our dependence on climate-polluting fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and promoted his own country's biofuel policy. But, says Giulio Volpi in this article, clearing large areas of Amazonian rainforest to grow soybeans is too high an environmental price for this policy to be sustainable. Volpi argues policymakers should only promote biofuels whose overall environmental effect is positive. (Guilio Volpi, Guardian, 16 March 2006)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1731881,00.html

(Added: Tue Mar 28 2006   Hits: 113)

The Gilgel Gibe affair: an analysis of the Gilbel Gibe hydroelectric projects in Ethiopia [pdf]

The study illustrates the dangers that accompany large energy infrastructure projects whenever the interests of a major private company coincide not only with weak governance in the host country but also very clear willingness from financial institutions to provide funding, in spite of alarming project oversights and impacts. The study shows how goals to eradicate poverty and support local communities can be easily compromised when major corporations and/or political elites are intent on maximising profits (Bank Watch, 28 February 2008).

http://bankwatch.org/documents/gibe_study.pdf

(Added: Fri Apr 04 2008   Hits: 16)

The Price of Profits

The Initiative for the Regional Integration of Infrastructure in South America is the latest and largest in a series of bank-financed schemes to bring "development" to the Amazon Basin-and more trouble to the region's indigenous communities (Zachary Hurwitz, Cultural Survival, 1 April 2008).

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/csq/csq-article.cfm?id=1993

(Added: Fri Apr 11 2008   Hits: 21)

The Roles of the US Government and World Bank in The Drive to Privatize Basic Services in Developing Countries (pdf)

Access to affordable services, including health care, education, water and electricity, is essential to human dignity, fulfillment and productivity. It is a right for all, not a privilege for those who can pay. The rising cost of services is increasingly forcing families to choose. When services are unavailable or unaffordable, the greatest burden often falls upon women and the poor. The World Bank and the U.S. Government often place undue pressure on governments to privatize, overlooking the many negative impacts of privatization and ultimately jeopardizing access to basic services. (Bank Information Center, July 2006)

http://www.bicusa.org/bicusa/issues/BIC%20IFI%20Info%20Brief%20The%20Drive%20to%20Privatize%20Basic%20Services%20July%2011.pdf

(Added: Wed Aug 02 2006   Hits: 183)

The Water Barons

A series of articles from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The explosive growth of three private water utility companies in the last 10 years raises fears that mankind may be losing control of its most vital resource to a handful of monopolistic corporations. In Europe and North America, analysts predict that within the next 15 years these companies will control 65 percent to 75 percent of what are now public waterworks. The companies have worked closely with the World Bank and other international financial institutions to gain a foothold on every continent. They aggressively lobby for legislation and trade laws to force cities to privatize their water and set the agenda for debate on solutions to the world's increasing water scarcity. The companies argue they are more efficient and cheaper than public utilities. Critics say they are predatory capitalists that ultimately plan to control the world's water resources and drive up prices even as the gap between rich and poor widens. The fear is that accountability will vanish, and the world will lose control of its source of life.

http://www.icij.org/dtaweb/water/

(Added: Fri Feb 07 2003   Modified: Wed Jun 15 2005   Hits: 219)

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