The World Economic and Social Survey provides objective analysis of pressing long-term social and economic development issues, and discusses the positive and negative impact of corresponding policies. The analyses are supported by analytical research and data included in the annex. According to the 2006 edition of the Survey, in the industrialized world, the income level over the last five decades has grown steadily while it has failed to do so in many developing countries, thereby causing a rise in already high world inequality.

These case studies complement the earlier groundbreaking work of Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis published in April 2005. Three case studies address specific hazards: landslides, storm surges and drought. An additional, three case studies address regional multi-hazard situations in Sri Lanka, the Tana River basin in Kenya, and the city of Caracas, Venezuela.

This book contributes to the debate about the role of agriculture in poverty reduction by addressing three sets of questions:
Does investing in agriculture enhance/harm overall economic growth, and if so, under what conditions? Do poor people tend to participate more/less in growth in agriculture than in growth in other sectors, and if so, when? If a focus on agriculture would tend to yield larger participation by the poor, but slower overall growth, which strategy would tend to have the largest payoff in terms of poverty reduction, and under which conditions?

This report describes national practices in compilation of external trade index numbers for 76 countries and one customs union. The report covers such topics as index numbers series produced, source of data, calculation methods, limitation of indices produced, release dates, revision policy, dissemination information, index compilation agency and contact information. The introduction provides an overview of the current practices. The detailed descriptions are contained in the main part of the report.

China has one advantage over us. An early start. China has built a strong manufacturing base with an eye on the global market (40% of its GDP is from exports vs 15% for us). However, in the end, China has one disadvantage. In China the State is determining who will pursue economic activity and who will not by its "hukou" system (license to live in special zones) and "TVE system" (town and village enterprise owned by local governments with limited authority to retain and reinvest super profits). This was useful in creating "private firms" in a socialist economy.

Back in the early 1990s, economists and policy makers had high expectations about the prospects for domestic capital market development in emerging economies, particularly in Latin America. Unfortunately, they are now faced with disheartening results. Stock and bond markets remain illiquid and segmented. Debt is concentrated at the short end of the maturity spectrum and denominated in foreign currency, exposing countries to maturity and currency risk.

The World Bank committed $30.6 billion in transport-related projects during the past decade, making it one of the largest sectors. The evaluation looks into the Bank's experience in the sector, and assesses the institution's interventions, the impact of rapid transport sector expansion, and its readiness to meet the challenges ahead.

Scientific papers are an important tool for communicating ideas, of copying thoughts between minds. Public mistakes not only make a scientist look foolish, but they can hurt a career as well. As such, publications should be as free as possible from distortion; this generally means writing with clarity and simplicity, and constructing the thoughts into a clear presentation to omit ambiguity and frustration of reading. Writing for Computer Science is an introduction to the style and presentation of scientific reports with computing or mathematical content. Aimed at students and researchers, this book deals in a concise way with topics such as article design, writing style, illustrations, algorithms, as well as the scientific process itself. With a focus on writing for the mathematical sciences, it: . shows how to design an article; gives practical guidelines for writing style; explains punctuation in a no nonsense way; gives tips for the presentation of mathematics; presents best practice for graphs, figures, and tables; guides on the presentation of algorithms, hypotheses, and experiments; explains about editing and refereeing. Seminar presentation, a section on spelling conventions, and a detailed bibliography complete this handy guide to style and presentation.

Quantum Wells, Wires and Dots Second Edition: Theoretical and Computational Physics of Semiconductor Nanostructures provides all the essential information, both theoretical and computational, for complete beginners to develop an understanding of how the electronic, optical and transport properties of quantum wells, wires and dots are calculated. Readers are lead through a series of simple theoretical and computational examples giving solid foundations from which they will gain the confidence to initiate theoretical investigations or explanations of their own.
* Emphasis on combining the analysis and interpretation of experimental data with the development of theoretical ideas
* Complementary to the more standard texts

El Diccionario de dudas y dificultades de la lengua española es un repertorio práctico y accesible para todos los hispano hablantes de todos los niveles y para aquellas personas que quieren aprender y perfeccionar su uso del español.

What has happened to religion in its present manifestations? In recent years, Enlightenment secularization, as it appeared in the global spread of political structures that relegate the sacred to a private sphere, seems suddenly to have foundered. Unexpectedly, it has discovered its own parochialism—has discovered, indeed, that secularization may never have taken place at all.
With the "return of the religious," in all aspects of contemporary social, political, and religious life, the question of political theology—of the relation between "political" and "religious" domains—takes on new meaning and new urgency. In this groundbreaking book, distinguished scholars from many disciplines—philosophy, political theory, anthropology, classics, and religious studies—seek to take the full measure of this question in today's world.