Böcker i Directions in Development-serien

Investigates which mental abilities and behaviours allow Latin Americans to be successful in the labour market. It provides guidance for policy makers on how to foster learning and human development.

Examines the state of out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyses factors that lead youth to drop out of school and reviews policies and programs designed to keep youth in school, bring youth back to school, or to transition out-of-school youth into the workforce.

Examines recent trends in Croatia in trade, productivity, innovation performance and policy governance framework, to help identify priorities for the development of the country's Smart Specialization Strategy, which is an ex-ante conditionality for access to the EU's Structural and Investment Funds over the 2014-20 programming period.

Shares information on the environmental harms in Sindh, Pakistan, which in 2009 resulted in more than 40,000 premature deaths and costs equivalent to 15% of the province's GDP, and to provide an interdisciplinary framework for bringing about improved environmental conditions in Sindh.

Cette etude examine les donnees provenant de 40 pays en Afrique subsaharienne pour analyser les causes de la penurie manuelle dans la region. L'etude se penche sur les politiques MPA, la disponibilite des fonds, et les questions liees a la production et la distribution des manuels scolaires qui causent de la penurie manuelle dans les ecoles.

"Human capital refers to a broad range of knowledge, skills, and capabilities that are needed for life and work and that are typically build through quality education. Countries that fail to invest consistently in education often do not experience robust economic growth because investments in physical infrastructure, such as dams, roads, and airports as well as developments in other economic sectors such as banking or information technology, are often constrained and yield low returns in the absence of an adequately educated work force. Human capital development is critical for setting Tanzania on a trajectory toward middle income status, a target it wants to reach by the year 2025. It is projected that a significant share of Tanzania''s economic growth over the coming decades will be concentrated in occupations that require citizens with postsecondary training and skills, as is already the case in middle-income countries. Hence the pressure and the challenge to close systemic gaps and inefficiencies that hamper the education system in the country."

Examines the state of out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyses factors that lead youth to drop out of school and reviews policies and programs designed to keep youth in school, bring youth back to school, or to transition out-of-school youth into the workforce.

The mining industry could play a key role in Africa's energy sector, since it requires power in large quantity and reliable quality to run its processes. The integration of mining with power system development, with appropriate risk mitigation mechanisms, could bring a win-win solution to utilities, mines, and people at large.

Zimbabwe's poor export performance derives from unpredictable macroeconomics, anti-export bias, and industrial policies undermining investor confidence. To inverse this trend, the government needs to introduce economy-wide incentives that align trade policies with national objectives, to increase competitiveness and promote sustained growth.

This report provides a systematic review of the evidence on HIV vulnerability and response in all 53 countries of the WHO European Region, stretching from Iceland to the borders of China. It focuses on key populations most at risk of HIV infection: people who inject drugs, sex workers and men who have sex with men. It confirms that these populations are disproportionately affected by the growing HIV epidemic in Europe. Twenty-five percent of HIV diagnoses in Europe are associated with injecting drug use, with much higher proportions in Eastern Europe (33%) than in Western Europe (5%) and Central Europe (7%). Sex between men accounted for 10% of all HIV diagnoses, with higher rates reported in Western Europe (36%), followed by Central Europe (22%) and Eastern Europe (0.5%). HIV remains relatively low among female sex workers who do not inject drugs, (less than 1%), but higher among those who inject drugs (over 10%) as well as among male and transgender sex workers. The analysis highlights the pivotal role of social and structural factors in shaping HIV epidemics and HIV prevention responses. Poverty, marginalization and stigma contribute to the HIV epidemic in Europe and Central Asia. Economic volatility and recession risks are increasing vulnerability to HIV and infections. Barriers to successful HIV responses include the criminalization of sex work, of sex between men, and of drug use combined with social stigmatization, violence and rights violations. HIV prevention requires social and environmental change. The report calls for policymakers and HIV program implementers to target the right policies and programs to maximize the health and social impacts of Europe''s HIV responses and get higher returns on HIV-related investments. The report is a product of a collaboration between the World Bank, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and UNAIDS.

Persistent malnutrition is contributing not only to widespread failure to meet the first MDG, but also to meet other goals in maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, education, and gender equity. This report makes the case for development partners and developing countries to focus on nutrition, and to fund nutrition investments.

This book is a compendium of Mexico's development process, one that recognizes its comprehensive and multi-faceted nature. It focuses on five overarching themes including fiscal sustainability, growth and competitiveness, poverty and inequality, sustainable future, and good government.

Governance in the Middle East and North Africa affects growth and development in the region. This work calls on countries in the region to commit to formulating and implementing national programmes to enhance governance, including actionable measures to expand inclusiveness.