Böcker i Directions in Development-serien

Moving towards universal access to financial services is within reach - thanks to new technologies, transformative business models and ambitious reforms. Such instruments as e-money accounts, along with debit cards and low-cost regular bank accounts, can significantly increase financial access for those who are now excluded. The purpose of this publication is to learn the lessons of success from 4 country case studies of "Gazelles" - Kenya, Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa - that have transformed the landscape of financial access to the poor by successfully enabling the deployment of e-money technology. 2 country case studies (Philippines and Maldives) yield lessons learned from constraints that stalled e-money deployments. Because Technology is not a silver bullet, the case studies explore "What are the other strategic elements that need to be in place in order for a country to guide increased financial access through digital technology?"

Do current stylized facts about African agriculture and rural livelihoods reflect reality? In rapidly-changing and data-scarce environments they risk being outdated and misleading. This report re-examines conventional wisdom about African farmers, from the bottom up and recognising the complexities involved.

News and money today travel fast, but in Central Asia the bulk of people and goods still travel by road. Hence, the main roads crisscrossing this vast region and related services are arteries supporting the life and activities of millions of people today.

This study is aimed at facilitating policy development leading to a demand-driven, high-quality and equitable education and training system conducive to lifelong learning. The intended audience includes policymakers in the Ministries of Education, Human Resources and Social Security, Agriculture and Finance and the Poverty Alleviation Office and National Development and Reform Commission.

Sustaining trade reform in Peru and reversing it in Argentina have been matters of national choice. International organizations such as the World Bank and the WTO have been helpful when they recognized domestic sovereignty over economic regulation, not so when they approached the matter as international regulation of national actions.

Although Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing segments of emerging global financial markets, its concepts are not fully exploited especially in the areas of economic development, inclusion, access to finance, and public policy. This volume is to improve understanding of the perspective of Islamic finance on economic development, social

Examines such questions as: What has been the trajectory of Cameroon's economic growth? Which sectors have contributed to growth? What jobs are being created? What types of skills are being used in the sectors where the highest percentages of the population are employed? What are the demand and supply barriers to skills? Which policies and institutions are in play? Are they sufficient?

Thoroughly documents an innovative approach to data collection in developing countries, which combines baseline data from a household survey with subsequent interviews of selected respondents using mobile phones.

Identifies a four-pillar strategy for Bangladesh to sustain and accelerate export growth: breaking into new markets, breaking into new products, improving worker and consumer welfare, and building a supportive environment.

The book presents novel systems-level findings on workforce development (WfD) in nearly 30 emerging economies, based on data generated by the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER)-WfD benchmarking tool.