This paper brings together sociological theories of culture and gender to answer the question – how do large-scale development interventions induce cultural change? Through three years of ethnographic work in rural Bihar, the authors examine this question in the context of Jeevika, a World Bank-assisted poverty alleviation project targeted at women, and find support for an integrative view of culture. The paper argues that Jeevika created new "cultural configurations" by giving economically and socially disadvantaged women access to a well-defined network of people and new systems of knowledge, which changed women's habitus and broke down normative restrictions constitutive of the symbolic boundary of gender.
Analysing the database of the Luxmobil 2017 survey, this article presents the main outcomes concerning the spatial distributions of employment and modal choices related to commuting of both resident and cross-border workers within the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This analysis highlights the significant disparities regarding these distributions, the predominant car dependency and the required conditions to achieve a high modal share of public transport. Confronted with the challenging European objective of decarbonisation by the year 2050 and considering the national and supra-regional strategic documents, in order to coordinate urban development with the public transport offer, a voluntarist cross-border 'transit-oriented development' policy appears to be necessary. ; Au départ de la base de données de l'enquête Luxmobil 2017, cet article présente les principaux résultats relatifs aux distributions spatiales de l'emploi et des choix modaux liés aux déplacements domicile-travail des travailleurs actifs au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, tant résidents que frontaliers. Cette analyse permet de mettre en évidence les importantes disparités quant à ces répartitions, la dépendance à la voiture prédominante et les conditions requises pour atteindre une part modale élevée en transports en commun. Face au défi européen de décarbonation d'ici 2050 et tenant compte des documents stratégiques nationaux et suprarégionaux, dans l'optique de coordonner l'urbanisation avec l'offre en transport en commun, une politique transfrontalière volontariste de type transit-oriented development apparait nécessaire. ; Basierend auf der Datenbank der Luxmobil-Erhebung von 2017 werden in diesem Artikel die wichtigsten Ergebnisse zur räumlichen Verteilung der Arbeitsplätze und Verkehrsmittelwahl in Bezug auf die Fahrten von im Großherzogtum Luxemburg Erwerbstätigen zwischen ihrem Arbeits- und Wohnort vorgestellt. Die Erhebung umfasst Daten von grenzüberschreitenden sowie innerluxemburgischen Berufspendlern. Die Analyse verdeutlicht die großen Unterschiede in diesen Verteilungen, die vorherrschende Autoabhängigkeit und formuliert Bedingungen auf deren Basis es potenziell zu einer signifikanten Erhöhung des Anteils des öffentlichen Verkehrs im Modal Split kommen könnte. Angesichts des europäischen herausfordernden Ziels der Dekarbonisierung bis 2050 und unter Berücksichtigung nationaler und überregionaler Strategiedokumente, um die Stadtentwicklung mit dem öffentlichen Verkehrsangebot zu koordinieren, scheint eine freiwillige grenzüberschreitende Politik des Transit-Oriented-Developments geboten. ; Peer reviewed
Africa's population is young and growing at twice the pace of other continents. A youth bulge presents a series of development policy opportunities and challenges. In this context, simplistic linkages between the youth bulge, high unemployment, and fragility have gained traction and given rise to a youth policy agenda that targets urban male youth as the problem and emphasizes formal sector development as the solution. This paper questions some of the core assumptions that underpin mainstream perceptions of the linkages between youth, employment, and fragility in West Africa, and presents an alternative analysis. The study will use the language of livelihoods to reflect on youth employment experiences, as livelihoods take into account the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources), and activities required for a means of living beyond traditional ideas of employment, and thus enable a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of the realities of many young West Africans. The paper argues that a nuanced understanding of specific groups of young people and their livelihood activities in their specific social, cultural, political, and economic context is necessary to understand how young peoples' lives intersect with fragility dynamics. The paper aims to highlight that the relationship between youth, unemployment, underemployment, livelihoods, and fragility is far more complex than is often recognized and should not be exaggerated or taken out of context.
The literature on the economics of happiness in developed economies finds discrepancies between reported measures of well-being and income measures. One is the so-called Easterlin paradox: that average happiness levels do not increase as countries grow wealthier. This article explores how that paradox and survey research on reported wellbeing in general can provide insights into the gaps between standard measures of economic development and individual assessments of welfare. Analysis of research on reported wellbeing in Latin America and Russia finds notable discrepancies between respondent assessments of their own wellbeing and income or expenditure based measures. Accepting a wide margin for error in both types of measures, the article posits that taking such discrepancies into account may improve the understanding of development outcomes by providing a broader view on wellbeing than do income or expenditure based measures alone. It suggests particular areas where research on reported well-being has the most potential to contribute. Yet the article also notes that some interpretations of happiness research psychologist set point theory, in particular may be quite limited in their application to development questions and cautions against the direct translation of results of happiness surveys into policy recommendations.
Inclusive innovation seeks to expand access to essential goods and services, thereby improving quality of life, and enhancing economic empowerment through knowledge creation, acquisition, adaption, absorption, and deployment efforts targeted directly at the needs of excluded populations. Inclusive innovation is of high relevance for the Chinese authorities, but the concept is new to the Chinese government from both conceptual and policy perspective. So far China has emphasized frontier innovation, yet has recognized the importance of inclusive innovation in addressing increasing disparity between the rich and poor. In China many efforts are being made in the domain of inclusive innovation, but there is no clear strategy and implementation plan. This report aims to help build awareness and set the stage for the potential implementation and operationalization of inclusive innovation policy in China and possibly in other countries. This report is presented in four Chapters and an Executive Summary. Chapter I presents the concept of inclusive innovation and why it is relevant for China. Chapter II discusses the current landscape for inclusive innovation in China. Chapter III presents international experience and examples. Chapter IV outlines some policy options for consideration by the Chinese authorities.
Hungary's recently established equality of opportunity framework guides the planning and implementation of interventions addressing the most pressing social inclusion challenges at the local level. The equality of opportunity framework provides a comprehensive set of resources, guidance, and templates to local governments to facilitate the planning of local equality plans (LEPs). Through extensive consultations with various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders at the national and local level, a series of challenges were identified for moving from a theoretical planning exercise to an earnest application that is, operationalization of the equality of opportunity framework at the local level. The intention of this handbook is to provide: practical guidance and hands-on instruments that empower local stakeholders to actively and effectively shape the local social inclusion landscape within the overall guiding framework of the local equal opportunity programs. The handbook therefore focuses on the challenges and opportunities of those local governments and related stakeholders that have the relevant primary care capacities and apparatus. The handbook is accompanied by a comprehensive set of illustrative local social inclusion case studies from all over Hungary. The case studies are intended to increase stakeholders' awareness, facilitate knowledge transfer, and peer learning. Even relevant elements of the case studies need to be customized and integrated into the local context.
Over the last decade, the countries of the Latin America and the Caribbean region experienced a deep economic and social transformation which lifted millions out of poverty and swelled the ranks of the middle class. Strong economic growth driven by both domestic reforms and a favorable global economic environment, was responsible for this progress. Complementary social programs, made possible by growing fiscal space, helped finance programs that supported the poor and disadvantaged. Economic tailwinds have now receded and much of the region is now working to hold on to the recent economic and social gains. Governments are having to adjust to the new global conditions which an increasing number of analysts are regarding as 'the new normal'. This means that the region will need to work harder to (i) revive economic growth through productivity gains and stable macroeconomic policies; (ii) invest in sustainable cities and infrastructure for an increasingly urban population; and (iii) help the poor get out of poverty through quality education and health services and affordable social protection programs.
Over the past two decades, community-based approaches to project delivery have become a popular means for governments and development agencies to improve the alignment of projects with the needs of rural communities and increase the participation of villagers in project design and implementation. This paper briefly summarizes the results of an impact evaluation of the National Solidarity Program, a community-driven development program in Afghanistan that created democratically elected community development councils and funded small-scale development projects. Using a randomized controlled trial across 500 villages, the evaluation finds that the National Solidarity Program had a positive effect on access to drinking water and electricity, acceptance of democratic processes, perceptions of economic wellbeing, and attitudes toward women. Effects on perceptions of local and national government performance and material economic outcomes were, however, more limited or short-lived.
Albania provides a small amount of social assistance to nearly 20 percent of its population through a system that allows some community discretion in determining distribution. This study investigates how well this social assistance program is targeted to the poor. Relative to other safety net programs in low-income countries, social assistance in Albania is fairly well targeted. Nevertheless, the system is hampered by the absence of a clear, objective criterion to determine the size of the grants from the central government to communes as well as limited information that could be used to implement this criterion. Substantial gains in targeting could be achieved if the central government better allocated transfers to local governments, even holding local targeting at base levels.
The term "inclusive cities" is increasingly being used as a "catch-all" phrase to signify intent but with little precision in its use. In this note we use "inclusive cities" to mean cities in which we see a commitment to an inclusive politics with the establishment of institutionalized interactions between organized groups of disadvantaged citizens and the state with local government taking a primary role. They are also cities in which governments have undertaken specific measures to secure improved access for low-income and otherwise disadvantaged groups to a range of essential goods and services including secure tenure for housing, inclusion in access to basic services and where required approval of and support for housing improvements. This note begins by considering who is excluded and from what and how. Seven challenges to the achievement of more inclusive cities are discussed: (i) lack of household income and the continuing prevalence of informal incomes; (ii) a lack of state investment capacity; (iii) a lack of political will; (iv) a lack of the basic data needed for identifying and addressing exclusion; (v) a lack of space for participation, especially by the lowest income groups; (vi) a lack of vision for what an inclusive city means within city government; and (vii) the constraints on inclusion from city governments organized sectorally. The note then discusses the metrics and indicators that can help inclusion and that have relevance for the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. These are challenges that governments and communities must tackle through their collective efforts. In terms of collaboration between groups, three particular challenges must be addressed:(i) to avoid being partial in their efforts and so to reach out to all groups in the city through finding forms of engagement that incentivize a breadth of activities drawing in all of those in need; (ii) to set up processes that outlive specific administrations or interests and that provide for continuity in collaboration between civil society and the state in each city; and (iii) to link across cities and city regions. We see a need to think about collaboration and joint efforts between city administration and surrounding municipalities, as well as a need to link experiences and efforts across cities. This should help in ensuring appropriate central government policies, regulatory frameworks, and the redistribution of resources.
Grenada has faced various socioeconomic challenges within the last decade, including the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and the global financial crisis. As a result, economic indicators for Grenada illustrate unfavorable. Increases in the poverty and unemployment rates, especially among the youth and young adults. This report presents an assessment of the regulatory, legislative, and institutional landscape governing workforce development (WfD) in Grenada. The results of this analysis are based on a newly designed analytical tool developed by the World Bank under the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative. The aim of this initiative is to garner data so as to provide systematic documentation and assessment of the policy and institution factors that influence the performance of education and training systems of SABER-participating countries. The SABER-WfD tool encompasses initial, continuing, and targeted vocational education and training that are offered through multiple channels, and focus largely on programs at the secondary and post-secondary levels. The results of the assessment presented in this report are expected to assist in clarifying priorities. They classify the WfD system according to four stages of maturity in policy and institutional development, as follows: (1) Latent, (2) Emerging, (3) Established, and (4) Advanced.
This report provides a gender review of a decade and a half of World Bank infrastructure lending for 1,246 projects. The objective of this review is to assess the status of and trends in gender integration in the World Bank infrastructure portfolio, and to establish a baseline for monitoring and enhancing gender integration in line with commitments made for the 2006 gender action plan. The portfolio review reveals important progress on gender integration in infrastructure operations. While an average of 14 percent of infrastructure projects in 1995 applied some attention to gender concerns in 1995, this climbed to 36 percent by 2009. The global average, moreover, hides large strides made over time in four regions. In 2009, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Africa all included gender concerns in the design of at least 50 percent of their infrastructure projects. Hard work remains in consolidating and extending the gains in gender coverage across the infrastructure portfolio. This will require stronger management commitment, concerted efforts, a plan with targets to achieve sustainable results, resources, specialist staffing, and capacity enhancement of staff. The portfolio review repeatedly found that supporting gender equality and women's empowerment in infrastructure operations have large benefits for the communities; the actions not only increased women's opportunities but also enhanced project effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
Internal displacement, rapid growth of urban areas and proliferation of informal settlements are in the spotlight of public policy debate in Afghanistan at present. This pamphlet discusses characteristics, livelihood strategies and vulnerabilities of households living in informal settlements in three urban centers in Afghanistan. These findings summarize the analysis from a joint World Bank-UNHCR 'research study on IDPs in urban settings', which illustrates the complexities of displacement and of urban informal settlement growth. Motivated by an existing knowledge gap on these issues, the analysis provides a starting point for discussion among actors directly or indirectly involved with management of problems related to displacement and urban informal settlements, including departments in the Government of Afghanistan, international institutions and stakeholders from civil society. The study documents the significance of displacement as a factor underlying vulnerabilities observed in informal settlements, and identifies IDPs as an extremely deprived segment of the population, even in comparison to the profile of urban poverty in the recent national risk and vulnerability assessment.
Panama's economic growth has been at the top of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region in recent years. The country s rapid growth has been largely pro-poor and translated into significant poverty reduction. The new Administration is well placed to tackle these challenges, with its commitment to maintaining an open and diversified economy and redressing social imbalances. Looking ahead, the country s main challenges are to maintain the current growth performance and ensure that its benefits are extended to all. The World Bank Group s (WBG) new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) seeks to support Panama s continued high growth, while ensuring inclusion and opportunities for marginalized groups, and bolstering resilience and sustainability. These themes are highlighted as priorities in the Government s 2014-2019 Strategic Development Plan (SDP) and in the WBG s Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD). The CPF seeks to maximize over a six-year period, the comparative advantages of the WBG, through packages of innovative public and private financing options based on cutting edge global knowledge and experience.
[spa] El transporte aéreo es de vital importancia en la actualidad por lo que respecta a la movilidad de los ciudadanos y va íntimamente ligado al fenómeno turístico, la evolución de las nuevas tecnologías y los nuevos hábitos de consumo. El actual escenario es producto de una evolución extraordinariamente cambiante en un periodo de tiempo relativamente reducido. Se trata de una relación contractual compleja, marcada a menudo por su carácter transfronterizo, en la que están implicados numerosos organismos de alcance mundial. En el ámbito de la Unión Europea, su desarrollo se inicia con un pronunciamiento del TJCE que tiene lugar en el año 1986 y que supone el principio del fin de los parámetros tradicionales, ya que se establece la libertad de las compañías para comercializar títulos de transporte a precio inferior al fijado por los estamentos gubernamentales y sus compañías de bandera. Con la llegada del proceso de liberalización, una de las medidas de acompañamiento está constituida por el ámbito de protección de los consumidores, una de las políticas más potentes de la Unión Europea. Así, se pone en marcha el Reglamento del overbooking, que tiene por principal finalidad minimizar los inconvenientes y molestias que padecen los usuarios del transporte aéreo a través de la compensación económica para los casos previstos reglamentariamente, pero que al mismo tiempo permite a las compañías llevar a cabo verdaderos incumplimientos contractuales, ofreciendo en el mercado un número de plazas superior a aquel del que realmente disponen las aeronaves. A cambio de reducir el precio de los billetes. Esta norma evoluciona con el tiempo, haciendo frente a una primera modificación en el año 2004, cambio mal recibido tanto por parte de los operadores como de los propios consumidores. Esta tesis tiene por principal objetivo analizar esta reforma y plantear hasta qué punto la misma no favorece más a las propias aerolíneas que a los consumidores, presumiendo que las cantidades que recoge el texto frente a las que se barajan en los documentos preparatorios son en buena parte producto de la acción de lobby de las empresas y la presión que ejercen sobre los órganos legislativos europeos. Presión que llega al límite por parte de aquellas al llegar a impugnar ante el Tribunal, sin éxito, el cambio que de manera evidente les es favorable. Este pronunciamiento recogido en la sentencia IATA cierra el círculo que veinte años antes iniciara el asunto "Nouvelles Frontières". En la última parte se hace referencia al inicio de un nuevo proceso de reforma, todavía en curso en el momento de dar por concluido el análisis, caracterizado por la extraordinaria influencia de las resoluciones de la instancia judicial europea (encabezada sin duda por la decisión Sturgeon que obliga a compensar también los retrasos, supuesto inicialmente excluido de la norma) producto a su vez de la labor constante de los juzgadores nacionales de los diferentes Estado Miembros cuando plantean las cuestiones perjudiciales que han de ayudar a delimitar la interpretación de la norma. En este sentido, temas tan importantes en el día a día de los consumidores europeos cuando se desplazan utilizando el transporte aéreo están sometidos a debate: el billete de avión como elemento integrante del viaje combinado, el importe de las compensaciones y su idoneidad para conjugar los intereses de los viajeros con la viabilidad económica de las compañías y la delimitación del concepto de circunstancias extraordinarias junto con el listado de las mismas que establece el anexo son un claro ejemplo. El camino está aún en construcción. ; [eng] Air transport is of vital importance today with regard to the mobility of citizens and is intimately linked to the tourist phenomenon, the evolution of new technologies and new consumer habits. The current scenario is an extraordinarily changing evolution product in a relatively short time period. It is a contractual relationship complex, often marked by their cross-border nature, in which they are involved many agencies worldwide. In the field of the European Union, its development begins with a ruling of the ECJ which takes place in the year 1986 which is the beginning of the end of the traditional parameters, as is established the freedom of companies to market fare at price lower than that laid down by government bodies and their flag companies. With the advent of liberalization, one of the accompanying measures is made up of the scope of protection of consumers, one of the most powerful policies of the European Union. So, it starts the regulation of overbooking, that main aims to minimize the inconvenience and discomfort, suffering from the users of air transport through economic compensation for the cases provided by law, but at the same time allows companies to carry out real breach of contract, offering seats more than those which actually have aircraft on the market. In exchange for lowering the price of the tickets. This standard evolves over time, facing a first amendment in 2004, shift badly received by both operators and consumers themselves. This thesis's main objective is to analyze this reform and consider to what extent it does not favour more airlines own that consumers, presuming that quantities that collects the text against which are shuffled in the preparatory documents are largely product of the action of companies lobby and pressure exerted on the European legislative organs. Pressure reaching the limit by those arriving to challenge before the Court, without success, change that clearly is favourable to them. This pronouncement in the IATA statement closes the circle that twenty years earlier began the "Nouvelles Frontières" topic. The latter part refers to the beginning of a new process of reform, still in progress at the time of terminating analysis, characterized by the extraordinary influence of the decisions of the European Court (no doubt led Sturgeon decision that obligates to compensate the delays, so-called initially excluded from the standard) product at the same time of the constant work of national judges of different Member State when they raise the detrimental issues that help to define the interpretation of the standard. In this regard, issues important in the European consumer day when they move using air transport are subject to debate: the ticket as part of the package, the amount of compensation and their suitability for combining the interests of travellers with the affordability of the companies and the delimitation of the concept of extraordinary circumstances together with the listing thereof referred to in the annex are a clear example. The road is still under construction. ; [cat] El transport aeri és d'una importància cabdal en l'actualitat pel que fa a la mobilitat dels ciutadans i va íntimament lligat al fenomen turístic, la evolució de les noves tecnologies i els nous hàbits de consum. L'actual escenari és producte d'una evolució extraordinàriament canviant en un període de temps relativament curt. Es tracta d'una relació contractual complexa, sovint pel seu habitual caràcter trans fronterer, en la que estan implicats nombrosos organismes d'abast mundial. En l'àmbit de la Unió Europea, el seu desenvolupament s'inicia amb un pronunciament del TJCE que té lloc a l'any 1986 i que suposa el principi de la fi dels paràmetres tradicionals, ja que s'estableix la llibertat de les companyies per oferir títols de transport a preu inferior al fixat per els estaments governamentals i les seves companyies de bandera. Amb l'arribada del procés de liberalització, una de les mesures d'acompanyament és constituït per l'àmbit de protecció dels consumidors, una de les polítiques més potents de la Unió Europea. Així, es posa en marxa el Reglament de l'overbooking, que té per principal finalitat minimitzar els inconvenients i molèsties que pateixen els usuaris del transport aeri a travès de la compensació econòmica pels casos taxats reglamentàriament, però que a les hores permet a les companyies portar a terme la programació de veritables incompliments contractuals, oferint en el mercat un nombre de places superior a aquell del que realment disposen les aeronaus. A canvi de portar a terme un abaratiment dels preus dels bitllets. Aquesta norma evoluciona amb el temps, enfrontant una primera modificació l'any 2004, canvi tan mal rebut per part dels propis operadors com per part dels consumidors. Aquesta tesi persegueix analitzar aquesta reforma i plantejar fins a quin punt aquesta no afavoreix més a les pròpies aerolínies que no pas als consumidors, presumint que les compensacions que finalment recull el text front a les que es barallen en els documents preparatoris són en bona mesura producte de la tasca de lobby de les empreses i la pressió que exerceixen sobre els òrgans legislatius europeus. Pressió que arriba a l'extrem per part d'aquelles d'impugnar davant el Tribunal, sense èxit, el canvi que de una manera prou evident els hi és favorable. Aquest pronunciament recollit a la sentència IATA tanca el cercle que vint anys enrere engegà l'assumpte "Nouvelles Frontières". En la darrera part, es fa referència al inici de nou d'un procés de reforma, encara viu en el moment de donar per tancat l'anàlisi, caracteritzat per l'extraordinària influència de les resolucions de la instància judicial europea, (encapçalada sens dubte per la decisió Sturgeon que obliga a compensar també els retards, supòsit inicialment exclòs a la norma), producte a la seva vegada de la tasca constant dels jutjadors nacionals dels diferents estats membres quan plantegen les qüestions prejudicials que han d'ajudar a delimitar la interpretació de la norma. En aquest sentit, temes prou importants en el dia a dia dels consumidors europeus quan es desplacen fent servir el transport aeri estan sotmesos a debat: el bitllet d'avió integrant el viatge combinat, el import de les compensacions i la seva idoneïtat per conjuminar els interessos dels viatgers amb la viabilitat econòmica de les companyies i la delimitació del concepte de circumstàncies extraordinàries i el llistat de les mateixes que estableix l'annex en són un clar exemple. El camí està encara en construcció.
