In 2000 the British government and the Wolfson Foundation, a research charity, launched a five-year research award that raised little attention outside scientific circles. The £20 million scheme aims to attract the return of Britain’s leading expatriate scientists and the migration of top young researchers to the United Kingdom. That same year under greater media coverage, the US Congress announced it was raising the annual cap on the number of temporary work visas granted to highly skilled p more...

'This issue of Capacity.Org looks at the capacities that need to be developed in order for the water and sanitation MDGs targets for 2015 to be achievable. The main focus is on capacity needs at the intermediate and local levels, but links between macro-level policy making and local-level implementation are also addressed.'

'We analyze a newly available dataset of migration policy decisions reported by governments to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs between 1976 and 2007. We find evidence indicating that most governments have policies aimed at either maintaining the status quo or at lowering the level of migration. We also document variation in migration policy over time and across countries of different regions and income levels. Finally, we examine patterns in various aspects of destin more...

'This paper examines the trends in high-skilled migration within East Asia and from East Asian countries to outside the region, against the backdrop of increasing regional economic integration.'

'This paper aims to bring together the findings and policy recommendations from the wide range of studies that have looked at Thailand’s irregular labour migration. The synthesis report draws facts and findings mainly from the “Review of Labour Migration Policies, Regulatory Framework, Management Institutions, and Immigration Pressure in Thailand,” which was prepared by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) under the ILO/Japan Project on Managing Cross-border Movement of Labou more...

'Biodiversity plays an important role in the day-to-day life of a hotel. From the food in the restaurant and wood in furniture and fittings, to the amenities in the spa, the products of biodiversity are everywhere inside hotels. Outside, plants and animals make a hotel’s public areas and gardens attractive for guests, while beyond the hotel gate, national parks, green spaces, coasts and natural habitats provide guests with opportunities for recreation and enjoyment. This guide is designed to h more...

'Can a brain drain be good for development? Many studies have established the theoretical possibility of such a brain gain. Yet it is only recently that the relaxation of data constraints has allowed for sound empirical assessments. In utilizing the dramatic policy change that accompanied European Union accession as a natural experiment, this paper is able to assuage fears of reverse causality between migration and human capital formation. The results highlight a significant impact of European U more...

'It has been argued that the adverse impact of skilled versus unskilled labor migration can be mitigated or even offset by the fact that skilled migrants remit more than unskilled ones. This paper contributes to the much debated and so far unresolved related issue of whether remittances actually increase with migrants’ level of education. The determinants of remittances considered include migration levels and rates; migrants’ education level; and source countries’ income, financial sector more...

'Improving governance and reducing vulnerability to corruption are core development challenges. Development is essentially about reducing poverty, and there is clear evidence that the poor are the most vulnerable to corruption and suffer the most from the impacts of poor governance and weakly performing institutions. This paper presents a brief overview of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) recent experience in supporting the efforts of
countries in the Asia and Pacific region as they work to more...

'Information and communication technology (ICT) has become, within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy.

This book deals with ICT in secondary schools, and with the changing competencies required of both students and teachers if they are to function effectively in today's society. It specifies more...