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Corruption is a world-wide phenomenon. No country, no matter how rich or powerful, is immune to the detrimental effects of corruption. In this timely and careful survey of national and international efforts, Combating Corruption provides a comparative view of selected legal practices and international initiatives undertaken to fight corruption. At the outset, the paper makes the distinction between preventative and curative instruments which countries have used to fight corruption. The authors of this study examine codes of conduct, affirmations of national commitment, leadership codes, and provisions relating to declaration of assets and freedom of information.Although the paper highlights some bold measures that have been undertaken by countries to combat corruption, it goes on to report that the anti-corruption efforts are far from finished on the national level.The paper concludes that legal initiatives alone cannot make a difference in the fight against corruption. The most successful programs are those that combine legal initiatives with the necessary resources needed to engage in and sustain the fight against corruption. There needs to be strong political will and a determination to stop the spread of corruption in order to effect change.

This work analyzes five major bilateral treaty regimes on the South Asian subcontinent: between India and Bangladesh for the Ganges River; India and Nepal for the Kosi, Gandaki, and Mahakali rivers; and India and Pakistan for the Indus River. It also explains the legal regimes of these rivers in the context of the serious challenges to the water resources of the subcontinent posed by significant population increases, urbanization, industrialization, and environmental degradation.

Challenges, Lessons, and Prospects for Operationalizing Regional Projects in Asia: Legal and Institutional Aspects is part of the World Bank Studies series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discourse.For the past decade and a half, international development organisations have been making continual efforts to finance multi-country projects with regional goals. Despite their efforts, the structure of intervention through such projects has not been easy to design and implement. Experience shows that one of the reasons for this is the lack of clarity in the enabling legal framework and tools, both within the client countries as well as the development organisations.Against this backdrop, this study is born of a need for more precise and comprehensive information about the legal and institutional aspects involved in designing regional projects. Based essentially on desk research and with limited field consultation, it attempts to discuss - primarily from legal and institutional perspectives - the tools, prospects, and opportunities for designing and implementing regional projects. Paying particular focus on the emerging practice of the World Bank, and with a special reference to the Asia region, the study reviews the framework for regional projects in which international development organisations operate, the problems they face, and the possibilities they provide for countries that rely on international financing for their development.Challenges, Lessons, and Prospects for Operationalizing Regional Projects in Asia: Legal and Institutional Aspects outlines the general structures of regional projects and discusses the World Bank approach toward regional projects, the importance of political will and commitment, the general legal structures for regional projects, the uniqueness and challenges for Asia, and makes some proposals for consideration in developing regional projects. The study will be of particular interest to development professionals working in the context of regional projects and anyone interested in how legal and institutional structures impact project development.

Shared water resources in South Asia face various challenges including scarcity, population growth, and climate change impacts on all the riparians. Consequently, national calls for water security have become louder. As a result, collaboration among the nations of South Asia for ensuring equitable sharing of such water resources has not been optimal. While most countries do not have reliable systems for data generation, those possessing some hydrological data consider them state secrets, restricting their exchange. Even when treaty obligations exist, data-sharing practices are ad hoc, and the range of information shared is limited. Thus, negotiating new transboundary water treaties amongst South Asia’s riparian countries has become a daunting task, and enforcing existing ones remains a real challenge.