World Bank Technical Paper No. 381.Swelling urban populations and increased concentration of industry and automotive traffic in Asia?s cities has resulted in severe air pollution. The goal of the Urban Air Quality Management Strategy is to assist in designing and implementing policies and monitoring and managing tools to improve air quality in the major Asian metropolitan areas. This report focuses on the development of an air quality management system for Greater Mumbai (Bombay), India. Measures to reduce air pollution in this area focus on a traffic and action plan for air pollution abatement that takes into account the economic costs and benefits of abatement measures.

World Bank Technical Paper No. 385. MERCOSUR, the Common Market of the Southern Cone, was established to liberalize the movement of goods and services, eliminate customs duties, and coordinate macroeconomic and sectoral polices. Competition policy has been the subject of coordination at the MERCOSUR level. This paper provides an assessment of the legislative and enforcement effectiveness of the competition framework of the four MERCOSUR countries and gives specific recommendations for reform. MERCOSUR, formed in 1991 under the Treaty of Asuncion, currently consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay with Chile and Bolivia as associate members.

World Bank Technical Paper No. 378. In the cities of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, the main contributor of air pollution comes from the transport sector, followed by power plants, industrial units, and burning of garbage. Fuel quality and engine conditions significantly influence the level of air pollution. In response to this growing problem, the Urban Environment Management Committee was launched to assist local institutions in developing action plans that would be an integral part of their air quality management system. This report focuses on the development of the air quality management system and concludes with an action plan for air pollution abatement that takes into account the economic costs and benefits of abatement measures for the Kathmandu Valley.

World Bank Technical Paper No. 384. This study analyzes how technology-support institutions and government policies have improved the technology of firms and the machine industry as a whole. It focuses on institutional factors contributing to the improvement of the technological capabilities of Japanese firms, using the casting sector as a case study because of its important role in the industry.

Air pollution has become part of the daily existence of many people who work, live and use the streets in Asian cities. Each day millions of city dwellers breathe air polluted with concentrations of chemicals, smoke and particles that dramatically exceed World Health Organization guideline values. Deteriorating air quality has resulted in significant impacts on human health and environment in Asia. This book provides a comprehensive and comparative assessment of the current status and challenges in urban air pollution management in 20 cities in the Asian region. It examines the effects on human health and the environment and future implications for planning, transport and energy sectors. National and local governments have begun to develop air quality management strategies to address the deterioration in urban air quality; however, the scope and effectiveness of such strategies vary widely. This book benchmarks these air quality management strategies, examines successes and failures in these cities and presents strategies for improving air quality management in cities across Asia and the rest of our rapidly urbanizing world. Information on air quality in Asia is clearly presented with easy-to-read city profiles, tables and graphs. This is an essential resource for all those concerned with urban air quality management, not just in Asia but in cities across our rapidly urbanizing world. Cities covered Bangkok, Beijing, Busan, Colombo, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Metro Manila, Mumbai, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei and Tokyo