Explore the vast range of titles available.

This book analyzes the objectives and content of the World Bank's assistance program during the period 1994-2003, the economic and social development outcomes in Pakistan, and the contributions of the Bank to development outcomes.

This book analyzes the objectives and content of the World Bank's assistance program during the period 1994-2003, the economic and social development outcomes in Pakistan, and the contributions of the Bank to development outcomes.

With a population of 16 million, Karachi is the largest megacity in Pakistan. Despite being a large city that is home to many, it has seen a substantial decline in quality of life and economic competitiveness in recent decades. Basic service delivery is very poor, with very low indicators for water supply, sanitation, public transport and public spaces. Pollution levels are high, and the city is vulnerable to disasters and climate change. A highly complex political economy, institutional fragmentation, land contestation, crime and security issues and social exclusion exacerbate these issues and make city management challenging. The Karachi City Diagnostic and Transformation Strategy attempts to present detailed data on the economy, livability and key urban services of the city, by identifying and quantifying the requirements to bridge the services gap in the city. It also proposes pathways towards the transformation of Karachi into a more livable, inclusive and economically competitive city by outlining policy actions that the city can undertake. The first part of the report provides an in-depth review of Karachi and is organized into three themes focused on key aspects of city management: (i) city growth and prosperity – discussing city economy, competitiveness, business environment and poverty; (ii) city livability – discussing urban and spatial planning, urban governance and municipal service delivery (water and sanitation, public transport and solid waste); and (iii) sustainability and inclusiveness – discussing the city’s long term resilience based on fiscal management, disaster resilience and climate change, and social inclusion. In each section, a diagnostic is provided on the issues, along with possible prioritized actions to resolve them. The second part of the report concludes by identifying four pillars for city transformation. These include: (i) building inclusive, coordinated and accountable institutions; (ii) greening Karachi for sustainability and resilience; (iii) leveraging on the city's economic, social and environmental assets; and (iv) creating a smart city through smart policies and technology.

Pakistan s population is growing and becoming more urbanized. By 2020, Karachi and Lahore will each have a population of well over 10 million people and several other cities will have a population of at least one million. These trends offer both risks and opportunities. Badly managed urban centers with poor services and slim opportunity for gainful employment could become centers of discontent and social conflict. Alternatively, properly managed and well-connected cities can help firms become more competitive, and with the right set of policies, promote industrialization and life-changing employment opportunities. In order to capitalize on these opportunities, Pakistan will need to take decisive steps to deepen the pool of skills, strengthen the commercial environment, upgrade infrastructure, diversify production, and climb up the technology ladder. Revitalizing Industrial Growth in Pakistan: Trade, Infrastructure, and Environmental Performance addresses ways in which Pakistan can revitalize its manufacturing by reducing the cost of doing business, improving the investment climate, and strengthening institutions to facilitate the flow of people, goods, and ideas and thus stimulate medium-term growth and job creation. Such revitalization is sorely needed to place the country on a sustained path of high economic growth. The authors lay out priorities and strategies for greening Pakistan s industrial growth and provide a comprehensive analysis of issues in the debate on this strategy. They examine the ways in which Pakistan can encourage and assist its private sector to fill the void in low-skilled labor-intensive manufacturing left by other economies and do so while creating and distributing new wealth. To increase the chances of success, appropriate actions will need to come from different actors in government, the private sector, and civil society. This book will be of interest to government officials and academic researchers working in the fields of industry, the environment, and energy, as well as to the general public.

This study, Indus basin of Pakistan: the impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture was undertaken at a pivotal time in the region. The weak summer monsoon in 2009 created drought conditions throughout the country. This followed an already tenuous situation for many rural households faced with high fuel and fertilizer costs and the impacts of rising global food prices. Then catastrophic monsoon flooding in 2010 affected over 20 million people, devastating their housing, infrastructure, and crops. Damages from this single flood event were estimated at US dollar 10 billion, half of which were losses in the agriculture sector. Notwithstanding the debate as to whether these observed extremes are evidence of climate change, an investigation is needed regarding the extent to which the country is resilient to these shocks. It is thus timely, if not critical, to focus on climate risks for water, agriculture, and food security in the Indus basin of Pakistan.

The present study aims to investigate the impact of remittances on CO2 emission by incorporating financial development, economic growth, industry value added, and agriculture value added in it. This research covers the 37 years of panel data of five countries, i.e., India, the Philippines, Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, from 1980 to 2016. The data were collected from the World Bank database. The panel cointegration technique and panel autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model have been employed to check long-run relationships. The estimated result of the panel cointegration approach confirms the existence of a long-run relationship among remittances received, financial development, economic growth, industry value added, agriculture value added, and CO2 emission. The findings of the study indicate that an increase in received remittances, economic growth, and value-added agriculture help in mitigating carbon emissions from the selected panel countries. However, improving the financial system and adding more industries result in the high emission of CO2. On the contrary, the short-run ARDL estimation shows that CO2 emission increases at a significant level with the increase of remittances inflow and agriculture value added, while in the case of financial development, economic growth, and industry value added, this increasing effect in CO2 is at an insignificant level. Moreover, dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) is used in this study for robust analysis and found the same long run result like ARDL. Additionally, this study also provides some important recommendations to economic policymakers to reduce CO2 emission in the selected remittance-receiving countries.

Although access to financing in Pakistan is expanding quickly, it is two to four times lower than regional benchmarks. Half of Pakistani adults, mostly women, do not engage with the financial system at all, and only 14 percent have access to formal services. Credit for small- and medium-size enterprises is rationed by the financial system. The formal microfinance sector reaches less than 2 percent of the poor, as opposed to more than 25 percent in neighboring countries. Yet it is the micro- and small businesses, along with remittances, that help families escape the poverty trap and participate in the economy. 'Bringing Finance to Pakistan's Poor' is based on a pioneering and comprehensive survey and dataset that measures the access to financial products by Pakistani households. The survey included 10,305 households in all areas of the country, excluding the tribal regions. The accompanying CD contains summary statistics. The authors develop a picture of access to and usage of financial services across the country and across different population groups, and they identify policy and regulatory priorities. Reform measures in Pakistan have been timely, but alone are not enough; financial institutions have lagged behind in adopting technology, segmenting customer bases, diversifying products, and simplifying processes and procedures. Gender bias and low levels of financial literacy remain barriers, as is geographical remoteness. However, the single strongest cause of low financial access is lack of income—not location, education, or even gender. 'Bringing Finance to Pakistan's Poor' will be of great interest to readers working in the areas of business and finance, economic policy, gender and rural development, and microfinance.

There are few reliable estimates of the half-lives of maternal antibodies to the antigens found in the primary series vaccines. We aimed to calculate the half-lives of passively acquired diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) antibodies in infants. We aimed to determine whether decay rates varied according to country, maternal age, gestational age, birthweight, World Bank income classifications, or vaccine received by the mother during pregnancy. De-identified data from infants born to women taking part in 10 studies, in 9 countries (UK, Belgium, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, Pakistan, USA, Guatemala and the Netherlands) were combined in an individual participant data meta-analysis. Blood samples were taken at two timepoints before any DTP-containing vaccines were received by the infant: at birth and at 2-months of age. Decay rates for each antigen were log2-transformed and a mixed effects model was applied. Half-lives were calculated by taking the reciprocal of the absolute value of the mean decay rates. Data from 1426 mother-infant pairs were included in the analysis. The half-lives of the 6 antigen-specific maternal antibodies of interest were similar, with point estimates ranging from 28.7 (95% CI: 24.4 – 35) days for tetanus toxoid antibodies to 35.1 (95% CI: 30.7 – 41.1) days for pertactin antibodies. The decay of maternal antibodies did not significantly differ by maternal age, gestational age, birthweight, maternal vaccination status or type of vaccine administered. Maternal antibodies decay at different rates for the different antigens; however, the magnitude of the difference is small. Decay rates are not modified by key demographic or vaccine characteristics.

This book identifies reforms that can help manage environmental priority problems associated with transport’s impacts on air quality, noise pollution, road safety, hazardous-materials transport, climate change, and urban sprawl. The policy options are contextualized in light of the Government of Pakistan’s 2011 Framework for Economic Growth and its strategic objectives. Appendixes A-D present additional background information, describe the economic and institutional analyses undergirding this report, and detail the report’s methodology.This analytical work by a team of World Bank specialists focuses on: • analyzing the policy and institutional adjustments required to address environmental, social, and poverty aspects of increased transportation efficiency in Pakistan; • identifying policy options for the Government of Pakistan to better serve the population, to enhance social cohesion, and to foster equitable benefit sharing with low-income or other vulnerable groups; • developing a broad participatory process to give a voice to stakeholders who could be affected by enhancements of freight transport productivity; and • making robust recommendations to strengthen governance and the institutional capacity of agencies to manage the environmental, social, and poverty consequences of freight transportation infrastructure.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the various systems in logistics industry of Pakistan through the lens of the World Bank's logistics performance indicators (LPI) and understand their impact on the China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) that is a vital part of China's belt and road initiative (BRI).Design/methodology/approachIn this study thematic analysis was performed on twenty-three semi-structured interviews with experts in Pakistan's logistics and supply chain sector to gain an in-depth insight into the logistics performance relative to CPEC.FindingsA performance gap exists in the logistics systems in Pakistan, both for hard and soft infrastructure. The significant challenges are the inefficiencies of the government, minimal use of information and computing technology (ICT), and an incapable workforce. It is essential to be cognizant of the ground realities and amendments required in the existing policies and practices in light of the challenges faced and best practices adopted by developed and developing countries with good standing in logistics performance. This study will guide policymakers and practitioners for hard and soft logistics infrastructure improvement, which may benefit economic corridors in general and CPEC in particular.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the role of ICT in improving both soft and hard logistics infrastructure, which can lead to significant development of economic corridors. The study makes use of a case study of the CPEC to demonstrate the lack of ICT can hamper the growth of an economic corridor despite billions of dollars of investment in the hard infrastructure development projects.