1,854,347 research outputs found
Environment Matters at the World Bank : Annual Review 2005
Full text linkIn line with one of the major themes in
the Bank's Environment Strategy, this 2005 annual
review is devoted to the theme of environmental health.
Viewpoint articles in this edition reflect several external
perspectives: the World Health Organization (WHO) lays out
the panorama of environmental risk factors; a successful
example of combating urban air pollution is provided by the
former mayor of Bogotá; successful strategies to enhance
sanitation among poor people are suggested by a
nongovernmental organization (NGO) - WaterAid - with an
impressive implementation record; and a leading researcher
gives his perspective on indoor air pollution. As usual,
Environment Matters provides a Bank-wide review of our
safeguard policies, and conveys the latest data on our
environmental lending and analytical work. This year's
feature articles all cluster around the main theme of
environmental health: Ruta and Sarraf explain the basics of
economic valuation of health impacts of environmental risks;
Kaufmann summarizes a recent study that provides an overview
of what we know about the effectiveness of interventions in
water and sanitation; Ahmed and Awe return to the theme of
indoor air pollution, with a study from Guatemala; Constant
and Procee explain how the Bank's Clean Air Initiative
works in several regions; and, Tynan concludes the section
with an article on the risks that chemicals pose to human
health. This edition reviews each of the Bank's
Regions. With attention to the environmental health theme,
each Region has chosen a number of issues and projects to
feature in their annual review. This section illustrates the
diversity of issues the Bank is confronting in collaboration
with client countries. The regional reviews are complemented
by the institutional perspectives of the International
Finance Corporation (IFC), which deals with private sector
development, and the World Bank Institute, which is
responsible for capacity building in client countries
Environment Matters at the World Bank, 2009 Annual Review : Banking on Biodiversity
Full text linkThis issue of environment matters
celebrates the 2010 international year of biodiversity and
describes some of the challenges and opportunities in
protecting biodiversity for the benefit of humankind. From
the world's highest mountain ranges to the lowland
plains, and from the great oceans and coastal wetlands to
agricultural landscapes, nations and communities rely on the
bounty and services of natural ecosystems. Biological
resources and the goods and ecosystem services they provide
underpin every aspect of human life and livelihoods, from
food and water security to general well-being and spiritual
fulfillment. In many countries, it is the poorest of the
poor who are most dependent on these benefits. Yet, as the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment showed, biodiversity is
under severe threat, as ecosystems are being lost and
degraded more rapidly and extensively than at any comparable
period in our history. Habitat loss and fragmentation,
overexploitation of resources, pollution, invasive alien
species, and, increasingly, climate change will all lead to
further biodiversity loss. One of the key challenges of the
coming decades will be how to reconcile biodiversity
conservation and development if we are to achieve the twin
goals of poverty alleviation and a sustainable future for
all. The World Bank is already a major global funder of
biodiversity initiatives, including support to more than 624
projects in over 122 countries during the last 20 years. It
is actively supporting national actions to safeguard
biodiversity and improve natural resource management. Many
of these projects have supported globally important
protected areas, but efforts have also been made to
mainstream biodiversity conservation in the production
landscape. As well as national efforts, the Bank has
supported numerous partnerships with international
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to promote global and
regional biodiversity initiatives
World Bank Group/World Bank Corporate Scorecards, April 2016
No full textThis pamphlet presents the World Bank Group and World Bank
Corporate Scorecards updated with latest data available for Tier 3
(Performance Tier) as of December 31, 2015. Tiers 1 and 2 present
data from end of fiscal year 2015.
The World Bank Group Corporate Scorecard monitors the
implementation of the World Bank Group Strategy. The Scorecard
provides an apex view of the results and performance indicators
of the three World Bank Group institutions—the World Bank (WB),
the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The World Bank Group
Corporate Scorecard is complemented by the World Bank Corporate
Scorecard as well as the revised IFC and MIGA Scorecards
World Bank Group Evaluation Principles
Full text linkThe World Bank Group is committed to
its twin goals: to eradicate extreme poverty and boost
shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. The World Bank
Group’s Forward Look – A Vision for the World Bank Group in
2030 outlines how the World Bank Group strives to achieve
these goals in close partnership with our shareholders:
first, by working to accelerate inclusive and sustainable
economic growth; second, by helping countries to invest more
effectively in people; and third, by fostering resilience to
global shocks and threats.Implementing the Forward Look and
contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals require the World Bank Group to
continually adapt to rapidly changing situations based on
evidence of what works and what does not. Timely and
appropriate adaptive management requires building a culture
of continuous improvement and problem-solving, based on
evidence. Evaluation plays a key role in generating the
evidence about what works in different contexts, and in
identifying lessons for World Bank Group stakeholders. The
2015 External Review of the Independent Evaluation Group
(IEG) recommended that the World Bank Group develop an
“institution-wide, principles-based living evaluation
policy” that outlines the principles, criteria, and
accountabilities for evaluation across the organization. In
response, World Bank Group Management and IEG have jointly
developed common principles for evaluation in the World Bank
Group, which form the foundation of this document. The
common principles include core principles for evaluation,
and principles for selecting, conducting, and using
evaluations. These aim to strengthen accountability and
learning for evidence-based decision making and program
improvement to enhance development results. They are
designed to: (a) align the World Bank Group’s evaluative
efforts with global challenges and the World Bank Group’s
strategic focus; (b) clarify the roles and responsibilities
of key actors and encourage synergy among them throughout
the evaluation process; and (c) ensure that all World Bank
Group evaluations are robust, of high quality, and credible
Trends in Corruption and Regulatory Burden in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
No full textThis study assesses levels and trends in
corruption and the administrative burden from government
regulation of private firms. It is largely based on the
fourth round of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD)-World Bank Business Environment and
Enterprise Performance Surveys (BEEPS) covering over 11,000
firms in 29 countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). The
report provides an update of the progress that ECA countries
have made since 2005, extends (in certain respects) the
analysis of corruption and regulatory burden on firms
provided in the earlier Anticorruption in Transition (ACT)
reports covering the period from 1999 to 2005, and in
several instances provides comparisons of ECA countries to
similar countries outside of the region using the World Bank
enterprise surveys and other sources of data. Despite making
significant progress on administrative bribery overall,
corruption is cited more frequently by firms in the region
as an obstacle to doing business than any other problem,
with the exception of tax rates. In part, this continued
perception of corruption as one of the most serious problems
for business may reflect slower progress on other aspects of
corruption not measured directly in firm-state interactions
covered by the BEEPS
Learning in World Bank Lending (Approach Paper)
No full textThe World Bank has a comparative
advantage in development knowledge that is valued by
countries and its partners. This knowledge sets it apart
from other development organizations and helps it attract
partners, funding, and new business. The World Bank aims to
promote the use of the best global and country knowledge
available to inform operations. The World Bank’s knowledge
contributes to outcomes directly (by informing clients in
their reform efforts) and indirectly (via World Bank
financing). Knowledge is embedded in World Bank–financed
operations and is an important part of the World Bank’s
value proposition for clients. Managing knowledge in a large
organization like the World Bank is inherently complex. The
World Bank has responded in many ways over the years, and
more recently, developed the Strategic Framework for
Knowledge (SFK). The new Knowledge Compact for Action is the
World Bank’s latest approach to articulate its vision and
approach to knowledge. It aims to transform the World Bank’s
approach to knowledge, positioning it as a “21st century
Knowledge Bank” and to create a dynamic knowledge ecosystem
that facilitates knowledge flows within the Bank and
externally. This evaluation’s broad purpose is to assist the
ongoing efforts of the World Bank and the Committee on
Development Effectiveness to improve learning in World
Bank–financed operations. This evaluation is timely and
relevant because it is aligned with management’s efforts to
renew the World Bank’s leadership in development knowledge
and develop the new Knowledge Compass
Putting Tanzania's Hidden Economy to Work : Reform, Management, and Protection of its Natural Resource Sector
No full textThis paper tells a story about
conditions in Tanzania's hidden economy, the parts of
the natural resource sector often ignored in conventional
economic analyses and studies, and makes recommendations for
future policy actions. The paper draws primarily from
extensive background studies undertaken of the forestry,
fishery, wildlife, mining, and tourism sub sectors (COWI
2005) as well as a wide range of complementary studies
undertaken by the World Bank and others. It de-emphasizes
those sectors with factors of production that are not
readily traded or exported (such as land and water),
although some examples are given relating to soil quality
and water management based on extensive studies undertaken
within the agriculture and water sectors. The story is
relatively simple: pricing distortions, coupled with
institutional weakness and the lack of rule of law, have
created an environment that undermines economic growth. This
paper also acknowledges that Tanzania has already taken
positive steps to making some of the needed corrections to
protect its natural resources. In recent analyses of
corruption indicators world-wide (World Bank Institute
2006), Tanzanian stands out among those nations as having
made significant progress towards improving accountability
and reducing economic leakages. Anti-corruption legislation
was drafted for parliament attention in early 2007.
Revisions to the Deep Sea Fishing Authority Act were passed
into law in early 2007. Moreover, changes in institutional
arrangements, taxation, and general management of the
resource sector show promise and have contributed positively
to general economic growth. Yet, the sector remains fragile
and vulnerable in other respects: perceptions of unequal
income distribution, impacts of climate change, and other
external influences must also be addressed to build on past successes
The World Bank Research Observer 16(2)
No full textCounting the world's poor: problems
and possible solutions; by Angus Deaton. Comments on
"counting the world's poor"; by Martin
Ravallion, and T. N. Srinivasan. Ecology, history, and
development : a perspective from rural Southeast Asia; by
Yujiro Hayami. Productivity growth and sustainability in
post-green revolution agriculture: the case of the Indian
and Pakistan Punjab; by Rinku Murgai, Mubarik Ali, and Derek
Byerlee. The politics of Russian enterprise reform:
insiders, local governments, and the obstacles to
restructuring; by Raj M. Desai and Itzhak Goldberg
World Bank Annual Report 2024
No full textThis annual report, which covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, has been prepared by the Executive Directors of both the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)—collectively known as the World Bank—in accordance with the respective bylaws of the two institutions. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, has submitted this report, together with the accompanying administrative budgets and audited financial statements, to the Board of Governors
Gender in Bolivian Production : Reducing Differences in Formality and Productivity of Firms
Full text linkA main goal of this study is to
determine the variables responsible for the lower formality
of women-owned businesses. The companion study (the World
Bank 2007a) shows that Bolivia's informal sector is the
largest in Latin America by many definitions and measures.
It also provides a rationale for promoting formality given
the many negative effects of a high rate of informality.
These negative effects include a lower growth potential as
informal firms tend to be less productive owing to limited
access to physical, financial, and human capital, and a
smaller scale of operations; negative fiscal impacts as
informal firms "free ride" on services provided
with fiscal resources; and negative social externalities,
including weaker rule of law and public institutions,
increased corruption, and weakened ability to enforce
contracts. A second goal of this study is to identify
gender-based productivity constraints that hinder the growth
of female-owned businesses. First, author's analysis of
the impact of formality on profitability shows that the
gains of formalization for most female-owned businesses
increase as the firms grow. Second, author's find that
the smaller scale of operation of female-owned firms is one
of the main causes of gender-based differences in
productivity and profitability. However, most of the
differences between male and female-owned firms diminish or
disappear as firms grow
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