International

Confronting HIV/AIDS in Pingxiang, China (A)

Publication Date: March 21, 2006

When the first local cases of HIV were detected in 1996 among injection drug users in Pingxiang, a major transportation hub in southern Guangxi province on China's border with Vietnam, officials decided to keep the finding secret, fearful of...

Financing the Theun-Hinboun Hydroelectric Project

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

How does a public-private venture emerge in one of the world's poorest countries (Laos) and how does it obtain $280 million in financing for a 215 MW hydroelectric facility to supply power--not to the host country, but its neighbor? At the time...

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

This case discusses the efforts by the state of Andhra Pradesh and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to provide water services to its poorest inhabitants--approximately 1.7 million people. Undermining this challenge is...

Revising Electricity Tariffs in Brazil

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

This case examines the dilemma confronting the Brazilian electricity regulator in the period following power rationing. Brazil privatized about 65 percent of the distribution companies (DISCOs) in the 1990s, but the companies were hit hard...

City Renovation: New Images for Athens

Publication Date: January 27, 2006

In preparation for hosting the 2004 Olympics, the city of Athens, Greece embarked on an extensive renovation project, New Images for Athens, to beautify the city. In total, over 1,600 buildings received attention at a cost of over 4.5 million...

Singapore's Public Enterprises

Publication Date: November 04, 2005

Singapore has experienced exceptional economic success, lifting itself from third world to first world in fewer than four decades. Moreover, public enterprises have been a key instrument in Singapore's economic growth instead of the obstacle...

Mr. Nam's Dilemma

Publication Date: September 30, 2005

In 2000, Vietnam passed the Enterprise Law to spur private sector development and facilitate its transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy. The Enterprise Law changed the paradigm for private business in Vietnam by making business...

EDM (Energie du Mali)

Publication Date: September 29, 2005

In the spring of 2005, the government of Mali was negotiating major changes in the concession of Energie du Mali (EDM), the private firm that operated Mali's electricity and water services. The negotiations were being watched anxiously by the...

Reforming Prague City Hall: The Efforts of Mayor Jan Kasl to Increase Transparency and Fight Corruption (B)

Publication Date: July 22, 2005

In November 1998, Jan Kasl, a successful architect and erstwhile city councilor, was his party's surprise choice for mayor of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. A virtual political unknown, Kasl was chosen for the post only after...

Reforming Prague City Hall: The Efforts of Mayor Jan Kasl to Increase Transparency and Fight Corruption (A)

Publication Date: July 22, 2005

In November 1998, Jan Kasl, a successful architect and erstwhile city councilor, was his party's surprise choice for mayor of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. A virtual political unknown, Kasl was chosen for the post only after...

Aiding or Abetting? World Bank and the 1997 Judicial Reform Project (Epilogue)

Publication Date: March 31, 2005

When the World Bank signed an agreement with the government of Peru in December, 1997 to provide a $22.5 million loan to help reform the country's antiquated and corrupt judicial system, the Bank knew it faced risks. Peru's President Alberto...

Congestion Charging in London: The Economics of Congestion Tolls (B)

Publication Date: February 01, 2005

In July 2004, Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of Greater London, had to decide whether or not to expand the system of congestion charging he had implemented 17 months earlier. Skeptics had predicted fierce popular opposition or chaos from the...