This report presents the Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report (APR) for Albania. The second year of National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED) implementation in Albania saw significant improvements in a number of areas, despite continuing political uncertainties and governance issues. The APR presents an appropriate analysis of poverty, recent economic developments, and sectoral reforms. The IMF staff commends the government for using information from the Living Standard Measurement Survey and other sources to analyze patterns in living standards and to enrich its previous diagnoses of poverty.

In the growth of regional identities worldwide, the Mediterranean Basin is emerging as an entity in its own right. This book, a unique collaboration among social scientists around the entire Mediterranean littoral, covers Southern Europe, Turkey, the Balkans, North Africa, and the Near East. Leading economists, sociologists and social policy experts document with new and up-to-date empirical material the changing profiles of poverty and social deprivation. The result is a thought-provoking comparison of the extent, severity and structural causes of poverty and social inequality, and the huge diversity of public responses to the challenges they pose.

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An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, NGOs, civil society, international organizations and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This Handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a OC Readiness AssessmentOCO and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The Handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way."