1,721,464 research outputs found
Doing Business and Country Reforms - An Independent Evaluation Group Issues Paper
No full textThis Issues Paper draws together
evidence and initial analysis to propose a foundation and
testable lines of inquiry for the Independent Evaluation
Group (IEG) evaluation of the relevance and effectiveness of
Doing Business (DB) for country reforms. The paper reviews
six major sources of evidence on the use and influence of
the World Bank Group’s DB indicators and reports and their
relevance for client country policy reforms. It then
marshals the evidence to formulate six lines of inquiry that
will augment evaluation questions laid out in the Approach
Paper to guide the evaluation
An Update to the 2021 Early-Stage Assessment by the Independent Evaluation Group (Approach Paper)
No full textAttracting private capital and
developing the private sector in low-income countries are
challenging. The challenges involved in mobilizing private
capital and developing the private sector in many IDA
countries, especially those that are fragile and
conflict-affected situations (FCS), are substantial (World
Bank 2016). In many of these countries, the domestic private
sector is small, informal, and constrained by a weak
macroeconomic and regulatory environment, infrastructure
bottlenecks, and a limited skilled labor force. High country
risks and capital flight concerns make domestic and
international investors reluctant to engage, particularly in
FCS, which also experience security risks. As a result, IDA
countries’ ability to attract private investment and grow
the local private sector remains limited. The assessment
will update a previous IEG evaluation of the Private Sector
Window (PSW) and complement a concurrent paper by the
International Development Association (IDA), the
International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). This
focused assessment (the PSW evaluation update) responds to a
request by the Committee on Development Effectiveness and
World Bank Group management for IEG to prepare an update to
The World Bank Group’s Experience with the IDA Private
Sector Window: An Early-Stage Assessment (World Bank 2021),
which was completed by IEG in July 2021 and covered the PSW
implementation experience under the 18th Replenishment of
IDA (IDA18) for fiscal years 2018–20. The PSW evaluation
update will add IDA19 and early IDA20 PSW projects.
Concurrently, IDA, IFC, and MIGA are jointly preparing a
paper on the PSW as an input to the IDA20 Mid-Term Review,
focused on implementation progress and early results of the
PSW (the IDA PSW paper). The IEG and IDA-IFC-MIGA teams
working on the two assessments have agreed to conduct
complementary analyses to inform the Mid-Term Review
Liberia Country Program Evaluation 2004-2011 : Evaluation of the World Bank Group Program
No full textThis report evaluates the outcomes of
World Bank Group support to Liberia from its post-war
reengagement in 2003 through 2011. The country has moved
from total disarray to a solid foundation for inclusive
development. Although development has not moved forward as
quickly as hoped, substantial progress has been made. Public
finance and key institutions have been rebuilt; crucial
transport facilities have been restored; and hospitals,
schools, and universities are operating. The debilitating
burden of massive external debt has been eliminated.
Although the government deserves most of the credit, this
success would not have been possible without external
development and security partners, including the World Bank
Group. Regarding outcomes, the rebuilding of public
institutions has seen substantial progress, with important
achievements in restoring public finances and reforming the
civil service. Regarding the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, the World Bank Group has helped improve the
conditions of roads, ports, power supply, and water and
sanitation. However, World Bank Group financial support has
been relatively modest with regard to facilitating growth,
but it has helped with policy advice and in filling gaps
left by other partners. With regard to the three
cross-cutting themes of Bank Group strategy, some effective
programs were carried out, including capacity development at
several core public finance-related agencies. However, the
integration of these themes across World Bank Group
interventions, which was the underlying intent, still needs
a vision and better articulated strategy. Finally, the Bank
and the International Monetary Fund led efforts to reduce
Liberia's inherited external debt burden under the
enhanced Highly-Indebted Poor Country Initiative and the
Multi-lateral Debt Relief Initiative mechanisms
Volume 1. Main Report
No full textThe World Bank Group was a principal founding partner of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in its pilot phase in 1991, and of the restructured GEF in 1994. The Bank plays three different roles in the GEF: (a) as trustee of the GEF and related trust funds, (b) as implementing agency, including the implementation of private-sector GEF projects by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and (c) as the host organization of the functionally independent GEF secretariat.
Focusing primarily on the role of the Bank as an implementing agency, this review documents how the partnership that the GEF and the World Bank Group established in the early 1990s has evolved over time, offers explanations for observed changes, and draws a number of lessons.
The review addresses the following issues:
* The mutual relevance of the World Bank Group and the GEF
* Inter-organizational coordination along the World Bank Group-GEF project cycle
* The introduction of the GEF’s resource allocation systems in 2006 and 2010
* The evolution and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s GEF portfolio
* Catalytic approaches in the Bank Group-GEF partnership: co-financing, blending, and mainstreaming
* The World Bank’s corporate activities as a GEF implementing agency.
The principal purposes of this review are (a) to help improve the relevance and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s partnership with the GEF, and (b) to draw lessons for the Bank Group’s partnership with the GEF and other large global partnership programs
Approach Paper
No full textIn December 2016, the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) introduced its latest strategy,
IFC 3.0, which aimed to enhance IFC’s development impact by
creating “new and stronger markets for private sector
solutions” (IFC 2019) and “mobilizing private capital at
significant scale” (IFC 2021) where it is needed the most.
To achieve IFC 3.0’s aims of market creation and private
capital mobilization at scale, IFC recognized it would need
new tools and analytical capabilities to: (i) Develop a
deeper understanding of the constraints limiting private
sector solutions and opportunities in each country’s
economy, including in key enabling and productive sectors;
and (ii) Allow for a more strategic selection, sequencing,
and implementation of its activities and stronger
coordination across the World Bank Group. At the country
level, IFC 3.0’s tools included a new diagnostic instrument,
the Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD), and a new
strategy instrument, the IFC Country Strategy. The objective
of the evaluation is to assess whether IFC Country
Strategies and CPSDs have enhanced IFC’s ability to create
markets and mobilize capital at scale and have informed Bank
Group collaboration on private sector development. The
evaluation will focus on IFC Country Strategies and CPSDs
completed since their inception in fiscal year (FY)18. The
evaluation will cover all 50 IFC Country Strategies and the
31 CPSDs completed between FY18 and December 31, 2021
An Evaluation of World Bank Support FY08-22
Full text linkThis Country Program Evaluation (CPE)
will assess the World Bank Group’s engagement in Papua New
Guinea between FY08 and FY22. The Papua New Guinea has an
abundant resource endowment of oil and mineral wealth, but
this wealth has not translated into significant welfare
gains for most citizens. Papua New Guinea’s fragmented
geography and frequent exposure to disasters caused by
natural hazards present significant challenges for
delivering services to citizens. The evaluation is designed
to derive lessons from Bank Group engagement in Papua New
Guinea to inform the next Country Partnership Framework
(CPF). The CPE will also provide lessons on the
implementation of the International Development Association
special themes of climate change, gender, and fragility,
conflict, and violence and of the cross-cutting issues of
debt sustainability and governance and institutions. Lessons
may also be of relevance to other resource-rich countries
Lessons from World Bank Support for Basic Education, 2012–22 (Approach Paper)
No full textThe achievement of learning outcomes
has been a long-standing challenge for education systems
across the developing world and has significant consequences
for economic development. To realize the development aims of
education investments, students need to learn, but too many
have not, especially in low-income countries. The World Bank
has sought to address this learning crisis for more than a
decade through the pursuit of quality education that
enhances learning outcomes. The Independent Evaluation
Group’s (IEG) proposed evaluation will assess the extent to
which the World Bank’s Education Global Practice (GP) and
its predecessor, the Education sector unit, have supported
efforts to improve learning outcomes over the past decade
(fiscal years [FY]12–22). Based on that experience, the
evaluation will assess the effectiveness, relevance, and
adequacy of World Bank support to address the learning
crisis. It will identify lessons and recommendations to
inform the next education sector strategy and further
development of the World Bank’s approach to this persistent
development challenge and the exacerbation of learning
deficits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
An Evaluation of the World Bank’s Support for the Blue Economy (2012–23) Approach Paper
No full textMarine and coastal resources are
critical for human survival. The economies of many coastal
developing countries and small island developing states rely
heavily on maritime industries, associated trade, and
tourism. In coastal and island developing countries,
small-scale fisheries and other ocean sectors support a
significant number of jobs and livelihood opportunities.
Marine and coastal resources also provide critical ecosystem
services on which the ocean economy relies. Yet
historically, ocean-based sectors have expanded without
sufficient consideration for sustainability, negatively
impacting marine and coastal environments. Moreover, the
negative impacts of climate change are exacerbating the
serious threats posed to ocean economies. Coastal developing
countries and small island developing state economies that
heavily rely on tourism were negatively affected by
COVID-19, and while there were some positive environmental
effects, these have been short lived. Critical knowledge and
skills gaps undermine the ability of many countries to
sustainably manage their marine and coastal resources.
Addressing the threats posed to marine and coastal resources
is politically challenging since coastal areas attract many
competing uses and diverging interests. The purpose of this
evaluation is to assess how well the World Bank is
supporting the sustainable and inclusive development of
ocean and coastal economies to inform the future development
of the blue economy approach
Approach Paper
No full textThis Country Program Evaluation aims
to assess the World Bank Group’s contribution to Morocco’s
development trajectory over the past decade (fiscal years
2011–21) and is timed to inform the next Country Partnership
Framework and future Bank Group engagements in the country.
The Country Program Evaluation will use a range of methods
to assess how the Bank Group has supported Morocco’s efforts
to tackle major constraints to achieving its objective of
reaching upper-middle-income-country status. The evaluation
will focus on three outcome areas: (i) fostering private
sector–led growth that absorbs a growing labor force; (ii)
strengthening inclusive human capital formation and
addressing the obstacles to women and youth labor force
participation; and (iii) reducing climate risks and natural
resource depletion and addressing their combined effects on
the most vulnerable people, especially in rural areas
Evaluation of the World Bank’s Support to Procurement and Its Principles (Approach Paper)
Full text linkIn 2015, the World Bank approved a
new procurement framework, which aimed to reform its
approach to procurement. The World Bank’s reform was
intended to reform its procurement systems and the way
procurement is supported in client countries. The
procurement reform emphasized seven core principles of value
for money for decision-making, efficiency, economy,
integrity, fairness, transparency, and fit for purpose.
Anchoring the reform in a set of principles was intended to
promote greater flexibility and more effective operational
procurement. The procurement reform is a continuous change
management process. The objective of the evaluation is to
assess the results, successes, and challenges of the World
Bank’s procurement since the reforms made in 2016 and thus
help inform its continuation
- …
