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Solar Power in Brazil: Waking Up to the Power of the Sun

Boosting Brazil’s deficient energy production with large-scale solar power would seem a no-brainer: Both the required vast tracts of land and ample sunshine are available for the taking. Still, with an installed generating capacity of an estimated 17MW, solar power

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IFC: Moving to Green Growth in Emerging Europe, Central Asia and the Greater Middle East

As global temperatures rise, weather patterns shift and natural disasters dominate headlines seemingly every other week, climate change has become a priority for policymakers across the globe. But businesses and investors would be wise to put it front and centre

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IFC: Indonesia Needs Good Corporate Governance

Indonesia’s economy is facing tough challenges: A slowdown of gross domestic product growth, a depreciation of the rupiah and a tightening of external financing. On the political side, the country is entering a period of uncertainty with upcoming legislative and

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World Bank: Helping Electrification Efforts in DRC

Sub-Saharan Africa is blessed with large hydropower resources that can bring electricity to homes, power businesses and industry, light clinics and schools, and spur economic activity, creating jobs and improving human well-being. Yet, only 10% of this hydropower potential has

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World Bank Support to Promote Transparency, Accountability and Job Creation in Jordan

A US$250 million loan, approved last week, will ease Jordan’s fiscal strains, which have been deepened by the influx of Syrian refugees and by regional turmoil that has disrupted its hydrocarbon supplies from Egypt. The World Bank’s support to Jordan

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How to Tame an Unruly Bear

You heed Teddy’s advice: Speak softly and carry a big stick. That’s how a bear is brought to its senses. Hardly rocket science. With his simple, yet effective approach to foreign policy, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) – the 26th US president

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The World Bank: Accelerating Africa’s Aspirations

As Sub-Saharan Africa develops rapidly, it is estimated that the continent will need millions of engineers just to reach a single Millennium Development Goal, that of access to safe water and improved sanitation. However, there is a serious shortage of

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OECD: Latin America’s Outlook Clouded by Asia’s Slowdown and Financial Uncertainty

The external scenario is less favourable for the region due to the downturn in global trade, the moderation in commodity prices and the increased uncertainty surrounding global financing conditions. General Overview The euro area’s weak economic performance, the slowdown in

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European Environment Agency: EU 2050 – Green Economy Needs Fundamental Change

The EU is largely on track to meet its climate change-related goals for 2020. While this is a considerable achievement, I believe there is a lot more to do. Most critically, the incremental gains we are currently achieving to meet

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OECD: Time, Trade and Trade Facilitation

Time is money and a lot of money and opportunities are being lost due to painstakingly long customs procedures, waiting times at ports and long lead times. Although “time is money” is a universal idiom, few have looked into how

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