World Bank Discussion Paper No. 291. Discusses the major issues associated with transforming and improving payment systems in emerging market economies. Economic activity requires a system of payments to facilitate trade and exchange between consumers and suppliers of products and services. This paper looks at the differences between payment systems in centrally planned and market economies. The authors examine both short- and long-term methods of improving payment systems. Distinctions between the various payment instruments are made, and the roles of country size, banking structure, and institutional framework are discussed. An appendix provides a summary checklist of information needed to plan adequately for changes in payment systems.

This publication presents the proceedings of a conference that took stock of achievements China has made in agricultural finance and credit infrastructure and discussed how China could best address future challenges in this area.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has adopted a more market-oriented approach by promoting rural microfinance, pursuing bottom-up innovations such as group lending, various forms of guarantees, new financial products based on purchase orders and insurance policies, and better incentives for agriculture funding from financial institutions. In 2009, the PRC sought the assistance of the Asian Development Bank to study how to optimize policy choices in rural finance using both top-down and bottom-up approaches. This report presents the findings of that rural microfinance study, including valuable lessons learned from several pilot microlending programs conducted in selected provinces in the PRC. It then analyzes outstanding issues in the country's rural and microfinance markets that need to be addressed more vigorously.

World Bank Discussion Paper No. 350. This paper uses an econometric analysis model to examine the distribution across different socioeconomic groups of Malawi's public spending on education. The analysis shows the changes in distribution before and after the country adopted a series of education reforms in 1994.

The persistent inequality between women and men constrains society to lower levels of productivity and economic growth. The evidence for taking corrective action is now more compelling than ever. This report draws on case studies and other evidence to show how public policy can and should support services and infrastructure where the social returns are the highest and the use by women the greatest. It reviews progress made to date on gender issues and explores why inequalities persist. The report also stimulates ideas for creative solutions by pointing out innovative and less-than-obvious strategies that have proved successful. In Morocco, for instance, a study shows that paving the public road to school increases a girl's probability of attending classes by 40 percent. Also available: Toward Gender Equality: The Role of Public Policy on CD-ROM (ISBN 0-8213-3471-9) Stock No. 13471.

This proceedings of an OECD Experts Meeting examines agricultural finance and credit infrastructure in transition economies.

All 15 new independent states established in the economic space of the former Soviet Union suffered big declines in output and trade after gaining independence. This study summarizes cross-country experience on the role of trade and payments policies in the linked contraction of output and trade by drawing on eight country case studies: Estonia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The results of the case studies show that trade reform and reorientation of trade toward the rest of the world have done much to arrest the decline in output usually associated with the transformation from plan to market. Also available in English: Stock no. 13615 (ISBN 0-8213-3615-0).

World Bank Technical Paper No. 361. Education has emerged as an essential component of the transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern Europe. Although the countries of the region inherited broadly accessible education systems, the legacies of central planning have constrained the systems from fully adjusting to market economies. This study examines empirical trends in access to and financing of education in nine Central and East European countries by drawing on the findings of a World Bank project that examined the social risks facing people and the policy responses taken by governments since 1989. Chapters address access and participation, the labor market, financing, and staff in the education sector.

After the collapse of the Soviet system, the immense problems of environmental pollution in Central and Eastern Europe were widely publicized. Less well known were its effects on health in the region, which have led to a serious health crisis. This report examines the degree to which the pollution adversely affected human health, putting it in the context of other health determinants such as socioeconomic factors, health care standards and availability, and lifestyle factors. Among the numerous pollutants, the report points to lead, dust, toxic gases, and nitrates in rural water supplies as having a significant impact on health in Central and Eastern Europe. The author suggests possible avenues for international action. However, an analysis of the determinants of health reveals that addressing the pollution problems alone will not solve the health crisis. Improving health in this region will depend on the changing economic fortunes of individual countries and the ability of each to create a supportive social environment for its citizens.

Annotation World Bank Discussion Paper No. 335. Presents the proceedings of a high-level international symposium on Chinese state-owned enterprise reform held in Beijing, China, June 1995. This report includes five policy option papers presented by Chinese officials and one presented by the World Bank Group that makes recommendations for reform on the basis of the Group's international experience in this area.