The global financial crisis threatens to hamper poverty alleviation efforts in India and China, responsible for lifting the largest numbers of the world’s poor out of extreme poverty.  Political or s…

This publication is now archived. IntroductionThe use of children as soldiers in armed conflict is among the most morally repugnant practices in the world, as illustrated by this Los Angeles Times ph…

A decade after the World Bank mounted its first anticorruption campaign, the impact appears to have been minimal. Paul Wolfowitz, the bank’s new president, is seeking to reinvigorate the effort. But …

Lawmakers are considering sharp cuts to defense spending as part of mandated deficit-reduction efforts. This Backgrounder discusses the effects of such major cuts and implications for U.S. military s…

International actors are redoubling efforts to restore Afghanistan’s agriculture sector and weaken the massive opium trade that helps fund the Taliban. But competing strategies and corruption could s…