The liberalization policy implemented in the 1970s helped Sri Lanka to achieve middle-incomecountry status in 2010. Sri Lanka is now poised for the next phase of economic growth and productive employment. The two principal drivers of investment for sustained high economic growth are international competitiveness for export-led growth and urbanization. Crucial to both is efficient infrastructure that shortens the international supply chain and brings about agglomeration benefits. Investing in Infrastructure: Harnessing Its Potential for Growth in Sri Lanka has two objectives: To improve understanding of the infrastructure sectors, including their current state and performance, future development needs, investment requirements, and financing gaps. To provide policy makers with a sound analytical basis for prioritizing investments and designing policy interventions to mobilize funds and using them effectively for infrastructure development. Investing in Infrastructure: Harnessing Its Potential for Growth in Sri Lanka assesses the country s infrastructure endowment and performance, analyzes the contribution of infrastructure to economic and spatial development, and outlines investment needs and strategic priorities consistent with the framework of the Mahinda Chintana. Further, it provides a cross-sectoral analysis of the major infrastructure cross-cutting themes, including the links among infrastructure, poverty reduction, and economic growth; the infrastructure institutional and regulatory frameworks; the issues surrounding planning, coordination, and financing of infrastructure projects; and the potential of private-sector participation in infrastructure financing and service provision. Finally, it suggests policy adjustments to improve efficiency and expand infrastructure services where needed."

Greening Growth in Pakistan through Transport Sector Reforms: A Strategic Environmental, Poverty, and Social Assessment identifies reforms that can help Pakistan manage its environmental priorities given 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. This analytical work examines the poverty, social, and environmental aspects associated with reforms that would increase the freight transport sector s productivity to meet the Framework s goals. It focuses on the following areas: Analyzing the policy and institutional adjustments required to address the 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 Making robust recommendations to strengthen governance and the institutional capacity of agencies to manage the environmental, social, and poverty consequences of freight transportation infrastructure The book also presents information on the economic and institutional analyses undergirding this report and details its methodology. Greening Growth in Pakistan through Transport Sector Reforms is intended for policy makers, civil society, the private sector, and academics who wish to participate in dialogues on Pakistan s trade and transport sectors priorities. It is hoped that this report will stimulate debate that steers these sectors and their participants in the direction of greening economic growth."