World Bank Technical Paper Series

Book 361

Trends in Education Access and Financing During the Transition in Central and Eastern Europe

Agricultural Trade Policies in the Andean Group

by World Bank

Published 1 January 1997

Chapter on Ecuador offers a comparison with other Andean Pact countries. It argues that Ecuador is most in need of stability and security offered by regional market access.

Book 365

Combining the Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Poverty Measurement and Analysis

Privatization and Restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe

Sector Investment Programs in Africa

Governance and Regulation of Power Pools and Systems Operators

Technology Institutions and Policies

Competition Policy and MERCOSUR

A Planner's Guide for Selecting Clean-coal Technologies for Power Plants

Groundwater in Urban Development

This paper highlights key urban groundwater issues and management needs. It also raises awareness and understanding of hydrogeological processes in urban areas and provides a framework for the proper and systematic consideration of groundwater dimensions in urban management. This paper suggests options for greater sustainable development and management of groundwater in urban areas.

Book 392

The Pharmaceutical Industry in India and Hungary

by World Bank

Published 1 January 1997

Book 394

Incentives for Joint Forest Management in India

by I Hill, D Shields, and World Bank

Published 1 January 1998

Joint Forest Management (JFM) has emerged as an important intervention in the management of India's forest resources. This report sets out an analytical method for examining the costs and benefits of JFM arrangements. Two pilot case studies in which the method was used demonstrate interesting outcomes regarding incentives for various groups to participate. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of the incentives for communities to participate in JFM.

Book 410

Successful Conversion to Unleaded Gasoline in Thailand

by World Bank

Published 9 June 1998

The Government of Thailand within a five-year period (1991-95) introduced a series of initiatives that resulted in the elimination of leaded gasoline and reduction of ambient lead by a factor of 10. This report describes the strategies the government employed: educating about the dangers of airborne lead; setting a lower at-pump price for unleaded gasoline; helping the oil companies establish a system to distribute unleaded gasoline throughout the country; conducting monitoring and follow-up studies; and adjusting environmental regulations as necessary to support these policies.

Book 413

Toward a Financially Sustainable Irrigation System

by World Bank

Published 1 January 1999

Water resource management policies worldwide are at a crossroads. On the one hand, a remarkable consensus on the principles of reform has emerged. On the other hand, it has turned out to be difficult to transfer the principles into reality. This document describes the distinctive experience of water reform in the state of Victoria, Australia, which has been a leader in the field. The document is a compelling 'insiders' view' by three professionals who played central roles in the process. Although the Victoria experience emerges from a specific natural, cultural, historical and political context, the generic lessons on the technical and political reform procedures and the links between them are of profound relevance to those engaged in the water reform process throughout the world.

Book 415

Identification of Joint Management Structures for Shared Aquifers

by World Bank

Published 1 October 1998

Overcoming the scarcity and temporal variance of water availability in semi-arid regions, or the excess of water in temperate regions, often requires cooperation. This paper describes the approach taken by an Israeli-Palestinian team to identify joint management structures for the aquifers shared by these two parties, and some of the lessons learned from the experience of this team.

Book 423

Non-Payment in the Electricity Sector in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

by World Bank

Published 28 June 1999

'In Albania, consumers with guns stolen from the government threatened to shoot the utility officials who attempted to disconnect defaulting customers.' This situation and others less dramatic, but every bit as corrupt, aggravated the utility non-payment issue and pushed it into the foreground. This study reviews the non-payment problem in the electricity sector in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union during 1990-1997. In addition to non-payment, the review also covers the problem of low cash collections and the preference in some countries for the use of cash substitutes such as barters, offsets, and promissory notes. The objective of the study is to identify which policies and measures addressing the problem of non-payment in the electricity sector worked in practice and which did not. Therefore, it includes stories of both success and failure. It is aimed at equipping Bank staff and decision makers with a set of practical tools that can be of use when the political will exists to tackle the problem.

Book 443

DeMIStifying MIS

by World Bank

Published 1 September 1999

'Managers are often far from the real action, so they need something that will tell them what is going on... Luckily, the rapid evolution of tools for collecting, analyzing and diffusing information has greatly improved our ability to manage from a distance. However the speed of technological change means that changes in management practices and tools are inescapable.' Development of Management Information Systems (MIS) for social funds has become essential due to some of the characteristics unique to these types of projects or organizations. Among these unique characteristics are the need for transparency and efficiency because of the highly visible nature of the activities. These guidelines define MIS and underscore its importance. They also outline specific tools to assist in selection of an MIS and summarize its design and implementation. These guidelines are meant to be a practical tool to help those who are setting up or managing a social fund navigate in MIS waters. Technical jargon is kept to a minimum and a glossary of technical terms is provided to assist readers who do not have a technical background. However, special Technical Boxes have been included for the "experts" in this field.

Book 451

Privatization of the Power and Natural Gas Industries in Hungary and Kazakhstan

by World Bank

Published 22 December 1999

Hungary and Kazakhstan have privatized a large portion of their electric power and natural gas industries, but have followed different strategies. In contrast, the other former socialist countries in Central and Eastern Europe have privatized almost none. Has the privatization in these two countries been a success? What lessons can other countries learn from their experience? These countries began their reforms from different starting points. The Hungarian power and gas sectors had a long history of being relatively well managed. In contrast, Kazakhstan inherited pieces of the old systems that were designed to serve the needs of the Soviet Union and had to develop new organizations to manage the system. 'Privatization of the Power and Natural Gas Industries in Hungary and Kazakhstan' analyzes how each country dealt with the key issues involved in the restructuring and privatization of the power and gas sectors. These issues include: industry structure, wholesale market, labor and management relations, regulatory framework, privatization objecties, and privatization methods.

Book 452

Subnational Budgeting in Russia

by World Bank

Published 17 November 1999

'Not only are Russia's regions economically diverse, but the policies that regional governments have adopted to deal with the strains of economic transition also vary widely. Some regions have generally embraced market reforms, while others have sought to preserve enclaves of socialism, with price restrictions, large subsidies, and barriers to trade.' Reforms of Russia's budgetary system at the subnational level are vital to preserve macroeconomic stability, improve the efficiency and accountability of government, and enhance incentives for local and regional governments to vigorously support economic growth. Previous analytical and reform efforts have focused on possible changes at the federal level and in the system of center-region relations. An opportunity now exists to make progress by providing reform advice and conditional aid to policymakers at the regional and subregional level. This report focuses on opportunities for reform at the subnational level. It reviews recent trends in fiscal adjustment, budgeting, and government debt at the regional and local levels in Russia. It analyzes major problems and suggests a number of measures and performance indicators that could form part of a reform strategy initiated by the Government of Russia.