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Infrastructure contributed 1 percentage point to Senegal's improved per capita growth performance between 2000 and 2005, placing it in the middle of the distribution among West African countries. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries (MICs) could boost annual growth by about 2.7 percentage points. Senegal has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including the transport, electricity, water, and information-and-communication-technology (ICT) sectors. But looking ahead, the country faces important infrastructure challenges, including improving road conditions, boosting air and rail traffic, updating electricity infrastructure, and boosting the pace of expansion of the water-and-sanitation network. Senegal currently spends around USD 911 million per year on infrastructure, with USD 312 million lost annually to inefficiencies. Comparing spending needs with existing spending and potential efficiency gains leaves an annual funding gap of USD 578 million per year. Senegal has the potential close this gap by bringing in more private-sector investment.

E-Business --- Electricity infrastructure --- Information and communication technology --- Infrastructure Economics --- Infrastructure Economics and Finance --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Middle-income countries --- Per capita growth performance --- Public Sector Economics --- Roads & Highways --- Transport Economics Policy & Planning --- Water and sanitation network

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Despite general economic decline and power-supply deficiencies, infrastructure made a modest net contribution of just less than half a percentage point to Zimbabwe's improved per capita growth performance in recent years. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 2.4 percentage points. Zimbabwe made significant progress in infrastructure in its early period as an independent state, building a national electricity network with regional interconnections, an extensive and internationally connected road network, and a water and sewer system. But the country has been unable to maintain its existing infrastructure since it became immersed in economic and political turmoil in the late 1990s. Zimbabwe now faces a number of important infrastructure challenges, the most pressing of which lie in the power and water sectors, where deteriorating conditions pose risks to the economy and public health. Zimbabwe currently spends about USD 0.8 billion per year on infrastructure, though USD 0.7 billion of this is lost to inefficiencies of various kinds. Even if these inefficiencies were fully captured, Zimbabwe would still face an infrastructure funding gap of USD 0.6 billion per year. That staggering figure can be reduced, however, to USD 0.4 billion if the country adopts a more modest spending scenario, or even to USD 0.1 billion under a minimalist, maintenance-only scenario. To close the gap, Zimbabwe needs to raise additional public, private-sector, and international funding, which, when coupled with the prospect of economic rebound and prudent policies, would allow the country to regain its historic infrastructure advantages.

Annual growth --- Energy Production and Transportation --- Funding gap --- Infrastructure Economics --- Infrastructure Economics and Finance --- Infrastructure endowment --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Per capita growth performance --- Public health --- Town Water Supply and Sanitation --- Transport Economics Policy & Planning --- Water Supply and Systems

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Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made a net contribution of less than a third of a percentage point to the improved per capita growth performance of Niger, one of the lowest contributions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth in Niger by about 4.5 percentage points. Niger has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including water and telecommunications. But the country still faces a number of important infrastructure challenges, the most pressing of which is probably in the water and sanitation sector, as 82 percent of Nigeriens still practice open defecation, the highest in the continent. Niger also faces significant challenges in the power sector, as only 8 percent of the population is electrified. Niger currently spends about USD 225 million per year on infrastructure, leaving an annual funding gap of USD 460 million even after savings from curing inefficiencies are taken into account. Niger can close that gap by tapping alternative sources of financing or by adopting lower-cost technologies. There is plenty of room for private-sector participation in Niger's infrastructure sectors, and the adoption of lower-cost technologies could reduce the funding gap by almost half.

Annual Funding Gap --- Culture & Development --- Energy Production and Transportation --- Infrastructure Economics --- Infrastructure Economics and Finance --- Infrastructure Endowment --- Lower-Cost Technologies --- Per Capita Growth Performance --- Town Water Supply and Sanitation --- Transport Economics Policy & Planning --- Water and Sanitation Sector --- Water Supply and Systems

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Infrastructure made a net contribution of around 1 percentage point to Angola's improved per capita growth performance in recent years, despite unreliable power supplies and poor roads, which each holding back growth by 0.2 percentage points. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries (MICs) could boost Angola's annual growth by about 2.9 percentage points. As a resource-rich, postconflict country, Angola has shown an exceptionally strong commitment to financing the reconstruction and expansion of its infrastructure. It has recently expanded its generation capacity, embarked on an ambitious multibillion-dollar road rehabilitation program, begun to make investments aimed at easing congestion at the Port of Luanda, and embarked upon an ambitious rehabilitation program for urban water systems. Numerous challenges remain, however. Angola needs to upgrade its electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, expand its urban water-supply system, improve efficiency at the Port of Luanda, and make policy and regulatory adjustments across the board. Angola presently spends around USD 4.3 billion per year on infrastructure, with USD 1.3 billion lost to inefficiencies. After taking sectoral allocations and inefficiencies into account, a modest funding gap of USD 115 million per year remains, which could be largely eliminated by focusing on lower-cost water and sanitation options. Angola's infrastructure needs are manageable relative to its fast-growing economy, as long as the country can address inefficiencies.

Distribution infrastructure --- Economic Theory & Research --- Energy Production and Transportation --- Infrastructure Economics --- Infrastructure Economics and Finance --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Middle-income countries --- Per capita growth performance --- Road rehabilitation program --- Town Water Supply and Sanitation --- Transport Economics Policy & Planning --- Water-supply system

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East Asia has experienced a dramatic decrease in output growth volatility over the past 20 years. This is good news, as output growth volatility affects poor households because of coping strategies that have long-term, harmful consequences, and the overall economy through its negative impact on economic growth. This paper investigates the factors behind this long decline in volatility, and derives lessons about ways to mitigate renewed upward pressure in face of the financial crisis. The authors show that if, on the one hand, high trade openness has sustained economic growth in the past several decades, on the other hand, it has made countries more vulnerable to external fluctuations. Although less frequent terms of trade shocks and more stable growth rates of trading partners have helped to reduce volatility in the past, the same external factors are now putting renewed pressure on volatility. The way forward seems therefore to be to counterbalance the external upward pressure on volatility by improving domestic factors. Elements under domestic control that can help countries deal with high volatility include more accountable institutions, better regulated financial markets, and more stable fiscal and monetary policies.

Business cycle --- Capita growth --- Crisis volatility --- Economic Conditions and Volatility --- Economic growth --- Economic outlook --- Economic performance --- Emerging Markets --- Financial markets --- Fluctuations --- Growth rate --- Growth rates --- Growth volatility --- High trade openness --- Income --- Low-income countries --- Macroeconomic volatility --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Monetary policies --- Private Sector Development --- Recessions --- Standard deviation --- Trade shocks --- World economy