Since the last year, ACCESS has been publishing the State of the India’s Livelihoods (SOIL) Report in collaboration with The Livelihoods School. This report is a one of its kind report and is the only document that aggregates the experiences and challenges of the livelihoods sector, analyzes case studies, and reports the progress of both government and privately run programs. It focuses on the 4 Ps - Poor, Policy environment, Potential and Promoters. It is an annual publication with specific themes each year addressing contemporary issues impacting livelihoods. The SOIL report collates and examines the existing livelihoods scenario in India and predicts the potential opportunities for the poor. The report also
evaluates and presents the role of various promoters of livelihoods i.e., government, civil society and the private sector. It is a great compendium giving a comprehensive analysis of the livelihoods perspective in India and provides a very good platform to further such efforts and thus provide better livelihoods to the poor.
SOIL 2009, rather than being academic, attempts to serve as a practical document providing learning to the practitioners. The themes of the report are based on contemporary topics, making in-depth analysis of issues and programs and provides value added learning for practitioners.

Michael A Lebowitz is professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and the author of Beyond Capital: Marx’s Political Economy of the Working Class (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) and Build It Now: Socialism for the Twenty-First Century (Monthly Review Press, 2006). He works with the Centro Internacional Miranda in Venezuela, where the original version of this text was published as a booklet, and is currently completing The Socialist Alternative: Real Human Development to be published by Monthly Review Press.

Applying International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in a business situation can have a signficant effect on the financial results and position of a division or an entire business enterprise. International Financial Reporting Standards: A Practical Guide gives private or public sector executives, managers, and financial analysts without a strong background in accounting the tools they need to participate in discussions and decisions on the appropriateness or application of IFRS.

Many chapters of the book also contain examples that illustrate the practical application of key concepts in a particular standard. The publication includes all of the standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) through December 2008.

Doing Business 2009 updates all sets of indicators, ranks economies on their overall ease of doing business, and analyzes reforms to business regulation—identifying identifying which countries are improving the most. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms have worked, where and why. Doing Business 2009 focuses on how complex business regulations can impact business growth and job creation.

No region is immune. The poor countries are especially vulnerable, as they have the least cushion to withstand events. The global economic crisis, coming on the heels of the food and fuel crises, poses serious threats to their hard-won gains in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty. It is pushing millions back into poverty and putting at risk the very survival of many. The prospect of reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, already a cause for serious concern, now looks even more distant.

A global crisis must be met with a global response. The crisis began in the financial markets of developed countries, so the first order of business must be to stabilize these markets and counter the recession that the financial turmoil has triggered. At the same time, strong and urgent actions are needed to counter the impact of the crisis on developing countries and help them restore strong growth while protecting the poor.

Global Monitoring Report 2009, prepared jointly by the staff of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, provides a development perspective on the global economic crisis. This report also focuses on the ways in which the private sector can be better mobilized in support of development goals, especially in the aftermath of the crisis.

Developing countries face sharply higher borrowing costs and reduced access to capital, cutting into their capacity to finance investment spending. The looming recession presents new risks, coming as it does on the heels of the recent food and fuel crisis.
Commodity markets, meanwhile, are at a crossroads. Following decades of low prices and weak investment in supply capacity, commodity prices first spiked and have now plummeted in response to the financial crisis.

In the longer run, commodities are not expected to be in short supply. Prices should be higher than they were in the 1990s but much lower than in the recent past. These higher prices should provide producers with sufficient incentive to discover new supplies, improve output from existing resources, and promote greater conservation and substitution with more abundant alternatives. At the same time, slower population growth will ease the pace at which commodity demand grows. Policies to limit carbon emissions and boost agricultural investment, along with the dissemination of efficient techniques, should also contribute to this long-term outcome.

This year’s Global Economic Prospects also looks at government responses to the recent price boom.

World Development Indicators 2009 presents the most current and accurate development data on both a national level and aggregated globally. It allows you to monitor the progress made toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals endorsed by the United Nations and its member countries, the World Bank, and a host of partner organizations. These goals, which focus on development and the elimination of poverty, serve as the agenda for international development efforts.

Along with this year's 91 data tables, each section of the World Development Indicators 2009 has an introduction that shows statistics in action, describing the history of the current global crisis, its effect on developing economies, and the challenges they face.

Enhancing the role of private sector partners in education can lead to significant improvements in education service delivery. Under the right terms, private sector participation in education can increase efficiency, choice, and access to education services, particularly for students who tend to fail in traditional education settings. Private-for-profit schools across the world are already serving a vast range of users—from elite families to children in poor communities. Through balanced public-private partnerships (PPPs) in education, governments can leverage the specialized skills offered by private organizations as well as overcome operating restrictions such as salary scales and work rules that limit public sector responses.

The book shows how the PPP approach can facilitate service delivery, lead to additional financing, expand equitable access, and improve learning outcomes. The book also discusses the best way to set up these arrangements in practice. This information will be of particular interest to policymakers, teachers, researchers, and development practitioners.