Bøger udgivet af World Bank Publications

Assesses the impact of the strong economic growth on employment. This study addresses the question of what Nigeria could do to increase the availability of quality jobs and reduce rising youth unemployment, and proposes a strategy to sustain and further accelerate Nigeria's growth performance and enhance quality of employment.

To address the myriad challenges posed by global climate change, countries at all income levels have put in place a diverse set of policies over the past three decades. Many governments have already made significant progress in their efforts to decarbonize, creating a rich history of implementation experiences that provides important lessons for how to successfully advance climate policy goals in a variety of different economic, cultural, and political contexts. Despite this progress, the transition to a net zero future continues to face significant barriers, including the need for large investment, a lack of institutional capacity, and challenging political economy issues. Reality Check: Lessons from 25 Policies Advancing a Low-Carbon Future identifies key policy approaches that countries are taking to decarbonize their economies. The report classifies policies into five categories: - Planning for a future with zero net emissions - Getting the pricing and taxes right - Facilitating and triggering transitions in key systems, such as energy and food - Getting the finance flowing, particularly by incentivizing private sector investment - Ensuring a just transition that protects the poor. Reality Check: Lessons from 25 Policies Advancing a Low-Carbon Future fills a critical research gap by documenting low-carbon policy trends and providing a series of case studies across sectors and geographies. The 25 case studies furnish country contexts and policy details, examine results and impacts, and outline key takeaways and lessons learned for enabling further ambition in achieving emissions reductions. The report contributes to an evolving analytical agenda on how to reduce carbon emissions while achieving economic development and the strategic transition to a greener, more resilient, and more inclusive future.

This new interdisciplinary study relates the late-nineteenth-century Spanish realist novel to contemporary debates in economics, politics, medicine and town planning. It argues that women function in the key texts of Spanish realism as ciphers of contemporary anxieties about modernization and, in particular, about its conversion of reality into representation.

Ce livre se penche sur le rôle des richesses en ressources naturelles dans la transformation économique de l'Afrique et évoque les enjeux de la transition sobre en carbone pour les économies riches en ressources. La richesse en ressources constitue en effet un facteur clé dans la majeure partie des économies subsahariennes, dont le sol recèle un important potentiel inexploité. Les gisements souterrains de métaux, minerais, pétrole et gaz représentent des sources prépondérantes de recettes publiques et de revenus d'exportation, tout en offrant des possibilités de développement dans la plupart des pays du continent. En dépit de réserves conséquentes, la conversion de la richesse du sous-sol en prospérité durable n'a pas été pas couronnée de succès. Depuis la baisse du prix des matières premières constaté en 2014, la croissance des pays d'Afrique riches en ressources est plus lente que le taux de croissance moyen observé dans la région. Il est donc vital pour son avenir économique que le continent africain puisse tirer profit de ses richesses en ressources naturelles et ainsi favoriser sa transformation économique. Alors que le monde s'éloigne des combustibles fossiles conformément aux engagements pris dans le cadre de l'Accord de Paris, les pays africains riches en ressources voient surgir de nouveaux risques et de nouvelles opportunités. Des estimations récentes suggèrent que 80 % des réserves de combustibles fossiles attestées dans le monde doivent rester enfouies pour atteindre les objectifs de Paris; or, une grande partie de ces réserves échouées se situent en Afrique. Pour les nombreuses économies africaines qui dépendent de l'extraction et de l'exportation du pétrole, cette problématique des actifs échoués, et par là -même, de nations échouées, a des implications considérables. Mais cette transition énergétique va également avoir pour effet d'augmenter la demande en intrants de matières premières indispensables aux technologies des énergies vertes. La transition entre combustibles fossiles et énergies vertes devrait ainsi générer une demande de 3milliards de tonnes de minerais et de métaux nécessaires au déploiement des technologies à énergie solaire, éolienne et géothermique. Une question se pose alors: comment les économies africaines peuvent-elles pleinement saisir ces opportunités tout en gérant les risques inhérents aux combustibles fossiles, dans un contexte où leur demande est vouée à décroître? Les ressources naturelles, un enjeu clé pour l'avenir de l'Afrique aborde ces thèmes et offre aux décideurs politiques des pistes pour gérer les écueils de l'incertitude au cours des années à venir.

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Georgia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculturedirectly or indirectlyfor their livelihood. Further, changes in climate and their impacts on agricultural systems and rural economies are already evident throughout Europe and Central Asia. The risks associated with climate change therefore pose an immediate and fundamental problem in the country.Adaptation measures now in use in Georgia, largely piecemeal efforts, will be insufficient to prevent impacts on agricultural production over the coming decades. As a result, there is growing interest at country and development partner levels to have a better understanding of the exposure, sensitivities, and impacts of climate change at the farm level, and to develop and prioritize adaptation measures to mitigate the adverse consequences. Beginning in 2009, the World Bank embarked on a program for selected Eastern Europe and Central Asian (ECA) client countries to enhance their ability to mainstream climate change adaptation into agricultural policies, programs, and investments. This multi-stage effort has included activities to raise awareness of the threat, analyze potential impacts and adaptation responses, and build capacity among client country stakeholders and ECA Bank staff with respect to climate change and the agricultural sector. This study, Reducing the Vulnerability of Georgias Agricultural Systems to Climate Change, is the culmination of efforts by the Georgian institutions and researchers, the World Bank, and a team of international experts jointly undertake an analytical study to address potential impacts climate change may have on Georgias agricultural sector, but, more importantly, to develop a list of prioritized measures to adapt to those impacts.Specifically, this study provides a menu of options for climate change adaptation in the agricultural and water resources sectors, along with specific recommended actions that are tailored to distinct agricultural regions within Georgia. These recommendations reflect the results of three inter-related activities, conducted jointly by the expert team and local partners: 1) quantitative economic modeling of baseline conditions and the effects of certain adaptation options; 2) qualitative analysis conducted by the expert team of agronomists, crop modelers, and water resource experts; and 3) input from a series of participatory workshops for farmers in each of the agricultural regions. Reducing the Vulnerability of Georgias Agricultural Systems to Climate Change is part of the World Bank Studies series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Banks ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. The study is one of three produced under the World Bank program Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in European and Central Asian Agricultural Systems. The other countries included in this series are Armenia and Azerbaijan. World Bank Studies are available individually or on standing order. This World Bank Studies series is also available online through the World Bank e-library (www.worldbank.org/elibrary).

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Armenia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculturedirectly or indirectlyfor their livelihood. Further, changes in climate and their impacts on agricultural systems and rural economies are already evident throughout Europe and Central Asia. The risks associated with climate change therefore pose an immediate and fundamental problem in the country.Adaptation measures now in use in Armenia, largely piecemeal efforts, will be insufficient to prevent impacts on agricultural production over the coming decades. As a result, there is growing interest at country and development partner levels to have a better understanding of the exposure, sensitivities, and impacts of climate change at the farm level, and to develop and prioritize adaptation measures to mitigate the adverse consequences. Beginning in 2009, the World Bank embarked on a program for selected Eastern Europe and Central Asian (ECA) client countries to enhance their ability to mainstream climate change adaptation into agricultural policies, programs, and investments. This multi-stage effort has included activities to raise awareness of the threat, analyze potential impacts and adaptation responses, and build capacity among client country stakeholders and ECA Bank staff with respect to climate change and the agricultural sector. This study, Reducing the Vulnerability of Armenias Agricultural Systems to Climate Change, is the culmination of efforts by the Armenian institutions and researchers, the World Bank, and a team of international experts to jointly undertake an analytical study to address potential impacts climate change may have on Armenias agricultural sector, but, more importantly, to develop a list of prioritized measures to adapt to those impacts.Specifically, this study provides a menu of options for climate change adaptation in the agricultural and water resources sectors, along with specific recommended actions that are tailored to distinct agricultural regions within Armenia. These recommendations reflect the results of three inter-related activities, conducted jointly by the expert team and local partners: 1) quantitative economic modeling of baseline conditions and the effects of certain adaptation options; 2) qualitative analysis conducted by the expert team of agronomists, crop modelers, and water resource experts; and 3) input from a series of participatory workshops for farmers in each of the agricultural regions.

The purpose of this study is to build a stronger evidence base on the role of faith-inspired, private secular, and public schools in sub-Saharan Africa using nationally representative household surveys as well as qualitative data. Six main findings emerge from the study: (1) Across a sample of 16 countries, the average market share for faith-inspired schools is at 10-15 percent, and the market share for private secular schools is of a similar order of magnitude; (2) On average faith-inspired schools do not reach the poor more than other groups; they also do not reach the poor more than public schools, but they do reach the poor significantly more than private secular schools; (3) The cost of faith-inspired schools for households is higher than that of public schools, possibly because of a lack of access to public funding, but lower than that of private secular schools; (4) Faith-inspired and private secular schools have higher satisfaction rates among parents than public schools; (5) Parents using faith-inspired schools place a stronger emphasis on religious education and moral values; and (6) Students in faith-inspired and private schools perform better than those in public schools, but this may be due in part to self-selection.

For the past decade, most South Asian countries have directed their efforts towards achieving universal access to elementary education. While these investments have led to more children being retained in school, they have not translated into better learning outcomes. This report comprehensively analyzes the performance of South Asian educational systems in terms of student learning. It attempts to answer three questions: How well do education systems in South Asia perform? What determines student learning outcomes? What policy options are effective in improving learning outcomes, especially given increasing demand and competition for public resources? Because learning outcomes and skill acquisition in the region are low in both absolute and relative terms, schooling does not translate, as it should, into better life chances, including escape from poverty for many more. Nor does schooling contribute to higher productivity and economic growth, so that countries in the region find it difficult to accelerate economic and social development. Governments in the region now fully realize that they need to direct their attention toward improving quality so that students can aspire to fuller lives as both individuals and labor market participants. Merely spending time in school is not enough; students need to register a significant gain in both noncognitive and cognitive skills if countries in the region are to reap full returns on their investments and generate gains in employment, job creation, and productivity. To examine what policies hold promise for improving student learning, the report reviews evidence from large-scale national learning assessments and findings from impact evaluations being conducted in the region. It identifies the following strategic priorities for improving learning outcomes in South Asia: (1) Make learning outcomes the central goal of education policy; (2) Invest in early childhood nutrition; (3) Improve teacher effectiveness and accountability; (4) Provide additional support to disadvantaged children in early grades; (5) Use financing effectively; (6) Leverage the contribution of the non-state sector; and (7) Build learning assessment systems. Each of these policy options will need to be integrated within a larger agenda of inclusive economic growth and governance reform to be truly effective.

Despite armed internal conflict and the global financial crisis, Sri Lanka has made remarkable progress in recent years, enjoying healthy economic growth and substantially reducing poverty. Moreover, Sri Lankans are the best-educated people in South Asia, with widespread access and high completion rates in primary and secondary education. Economic growth and structural changes in the economy, however, make skills development imperative as Sri Lanka implements its planthe Mahinda Chintana (MC)to become a regional hub in strategic economic areas. . Yet skills shortages and mismatches are widespread, and firms with undereducated employees and a shortage of skilled labor are less productive. An effective skills development system will help diversify the economy; improve labor productivity and competitiveness; give the country the flexibility it needs to compete effectively in the global economy; and further reduce poverty. As Sri Lanka moves from a factor-driven to an efficiency-driven economy, its workforce is shrinking even as demand for skillsespecially sophisticated skillsis rising. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka has been slow to expand technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and tertiary education. Responsibility for TVET is fragmented; the system is supply-driven; there is a shortage of reliable information on labor market skills demand and supply; employers are sidelined; and the resources invested are not linked to performance. The MC recognizes the severity of the skills constraint and highlights the importance of investing in workforce skills to raise both productivity and competitiveness. This report analyzes skills demand and supply in Sri Lanka and scrutinizes how skills are formed, the factors shaping skills demand, and the responsiveness of the system. Finally, it offers suggestions for how skills development can be improved so that Sri Lanka can meet its economic growth and poverty reduction goals.

Financial services are important for women who are starting and growing a business, but in Pakistan microfinance providers (MFPs) are not reaching Pakistans businesswomen. Only 59 percent of microfinance clients are women, yet the majority of these loans are passed on the male members of the household husbands, fathers, and sons. The practice of passing on loans to male household members is quite widespread; women may be bearing all the transaction costs and risks of accessing loans, but are not the final beneficiaries. Second, a very low proportion of female microfinance clients are entrepreneurs. The report explores why businesswomen in Pakistan may not be using microfinance products to meet their start-up and working capital requirements, in spite of identifying access to finance as a key constraint to their business operations. Against this backdrop, access to finance remains the biggest challenge for a woman who wants to start or grow a business. Yet less than a quarter of the entrepreneurs identified through business development service providers were currently borrowing from microfinance lenders. Even among those entrepreneurs that borrow, dissatisfaction is high. Why?Women borrower-entrepreneurs are not able to access individual loan products, but instead are consistently relegated to group lending. But group loans are very costly for a woman who is running a business, and the loans are too small to fulfill working capital needs. Businesswomen are rarely given the opportunity to access individual loan products, which are usually offered exclusively to male borrowers, and women are not given opportunities to graduate from group loans to individual loans over time. Lending practices often are discriminatory, requiring husbands permission, male guarantors, and unmarried women are rarely considered as potential clients. Although MFIs understand that womens inclusion is integral to the objectives of microfinance, the practice of passing on loans raises serious issues about consumer protection for women clients, and the best and most effective solutions to these challenges could and should come from the sector itself. Designing better products that reach the needs of emerging women entrepreneurs could prove to be good business, achieving double bottom-line objectives. Investing in financial literacy and education of both men and women borrowers can help curb the demand for pass-through loans and help lower risks associated with deceptive practices.

Since the end of the Second World War, the international community has been focusing on reducing the number and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Over time it became clear that no single indicator would provide a comprehensive picture of the food security situation. Rather, a suite of indicators is necessary to describe food insecurity in all its dimensions. The demand for evidence-based policies, which brings together providers such as statistical offices and users of food security indicators including policy makers and researchers, has also been increasing. The stand-alone software, ADePT-Food Security Module (available for free downloading), was developed to produce food security indicators from food consumption data collected in household surveys. These indicators, derived at the national and subnational levels, include the consumption of calories and macronutrients, the availability of micronutrients and amino acids, the distribution of calories and the proportion of people undernourished. The book focuses on the theory, methodology, and analysis of these indicators. It has five chapters beginning with a brief overview on concepts of food security. The theory and methodology are further described in the following chapter. To help users with the interpretation of the results some examples are given in chapter 3. Chapter 4 of the book provides guidelines for the preparation of the input datasets. Finally, chapter 5 explains how to use the software. Both the software and this book are products of decades of experience in analyzing food security. This project was made possible through collaboration between FAO and the World Bank, with financial support from the European Union.

Given the chronic power shortages faced by numerous developing countries, and the need everywhere to keep pace with demand, understanding the drivers of public private partnerships (PPPs) in energy is critical. While many private electricity projects have been delayed and financing costs have increased, the impact of the global financial crisis was less severe than that of previous crises that originated in developing countries. This resilience stems from developing countries need to expand generation capacity, electricity sector reforms and better regulatory frameworks, and short-term solutions (such as rental power plants). The study reports the evidence from statistical analysis and a sample of case studies selected based. It proposes a novel analytical approach to model PPPs, using a two-stage procedure based on Heckmans sample selection distinguishing between those factors that determine whether private investment in energy takes place, and those that influence the volume of investment. The results of the analysis provide the following conclusions: Both general governance and regulatory instrument primarily affect investors decisions to enter the various power sector markets, not the subsequent level of investment indicating that investors seem to be adequately protected against risks. Support mechanisms, like feed-in tariffs, are crucial for attracting investors in renewable generation, but they do not succeed in displacing fossil fuel investment and they could play a bigger role in affecting the level of investment in renewables. There is a significant trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency of alternative instruments for deploying renewables. Feed-in tariffs tended to be quite effective but to be set on the high side, reducing incentives to cut costs and posing significant strains on already stripped national budgets. Competitive auctions, on the other hand have tended to be efficient but initially low and not always the most effective instrument. Countries can scale up renewables following different paths. For Brazil, the move from feed-in tariffs to auctions enabled it to both reduce costs and deploy additional capacity. Peru followed in Brazils path, opting for auctions instead of introducing feed-in tariffs. On the other hand, Chinas move from competitive tenders to feed-in tariffs allowed for discovery effects to determine the right level of prices to attract private investment in renewables.

Trade and transport corridorsmajor routes that facilitate the movement of people and goods between regions and between countrieshave existed for millennia. They enable regions and countries to offer high-capacity transport systems and services that reduce trade and transport costs by creating economies of scale. Regional corridors are particularly important to landlocked countries, often providing the only overland routes to regional and international markets. Despite a long and complex history, guidance is often lacking on how to design, determine the components to include, and analyze the impact of corridor projects. The Trade and Transport Corridor Management Toolkit fills this void. The Toolkit synthesizes the experiences of the World Bank and other development agencies in assessing, designing, implementing, and evaluating the impact of trade and transport corridor projects. It saves project developers the task of looking for the best available tools and ensures greater consistency to facilitate comparison and benchmarking. The Toolkit will also be of immense value to policy makers in provincial and national governments as well as regional economic institutions, for several reasons: Corridors affect the space economy of countries; they are best developed with clear estimates of the spatial impacts that can be expected. A corridor system has multiple components, including infrastructure (roads, railways, ports), transport and logistics services, and regulations; it is important to appreciate the linkages between them, particularly as the overall performance of a corridor is determined by the weakest component. Many parties with varying interests and motivations have a stake in corridor development. The Toolkit argues for their full participation in corridor development processes and operations. The best functioning modern corridors in the world did not happen by accident; they are often the results of coordinated development and cooperation over many years. The general principles outlined in this Toolkit should help project teams, government officials, logistics service providers, and the trade community to better appreciate both the importance of good corridor project design and the challenges of, and possibilities from, improving corridor performance.

Tourism energizes economies and fuels the economic transformation of countries from Cape Verde to South Africa. Its benefits are clear: it can trigger infrastructure improvements, create good jobs, increase domestic consumption, and diversify exports. It also empowers women, young people, and marginalized populations, contributes to each countrys national image, and stimulates cultural heritage and environmental conservation. Whats more, tourism is a demonstration sector which leads private sector growth through its linkages across other sectors. It has demonstrated resilience over the years and through economic and natural crises. This book presents how tourism initiates these outcomes, while highlighting how Sub-Saharan Africa can address the persistent constraints to the growth of tourism in the region. The challenges that can be overcome pertain to land availability; investor access to finance; taxes on tourism investments; the level of tourism skills; security; safety and crime; public health; international and intraregional transportation; and an unpredictable business climate.Going beyond an analysis of the sector, the 24 case studies gathered in this report from around the world illustrate how tourism development can succeed. Based on these, recommendations for tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa are elaborated for countries at different development stages. Some strategies are more applicable to destinations initiating tourism, others are for those looking to scale up tourism or to deepen tourism success. The case studies reveal that despite destination needs, challenges, and approaches that change over time, the basic elements needed to initialize, increase, or intensify tourisms success are applicable across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The objective of this report is to inform an improved understanding of expenditure allocations and processes, the quality of service delivery in terms of inputs and outputs, and educational outcomes associated with primary education in Malawi. The report will also assess the government's own diagnosis of challenges in the primary education sub-sector, and the reform program intended to address them. The findings of this report are intended to inform discussions as to how to strengthen the government program and associated financing mechanisms, to enhance the likelihood of success.

Transforming Cities with Transit' explores the complex process of transit and land-use integration in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. As one of the most promising strategies for advancing environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and socially inclusive development in fast-growing cities, transit and land-use integration is increasingly being embraced by policy-makers at all levels of government. This book focuses on identifying barriers to and opportunities for effective coordination of transport infrastructure and urban development. Global best-case practices of transit-oriented metropolises that have direct relevance to cities in developing countries are first introduced. Key institutional, regulatory, and financial constraints that hamper integration and opportunities to utilize transit to guide sustainable urban development are examined in selected cities in developing countries. For this, the book analyzes their Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems and their impact on land development. The book formulates recommendations and implementation strategies to overcome barriers and take advantage of opportunities. It asserts that unprecedented opportunities have and will continue to arise for the successful integration of transit and land development in much of the developing world. Many cities in developing countries currently exhibit the pre-requisites - e.g., rapid growth, rising real incomes, and increased motorization and congestion levels - for BRT and railway investments to trigger meaningful land-use changes in economically and financially viable ways. Recommendations for creating more sustainable cities of the future range from macro-level strategies that influence land development and governance at the metropolitan scale to micro-level initiatives, like Transit Oriented Development (TOD), that can radically transform development patterns at the neighborhood level. The book will be of interest to a wide and diverse audience, including mayors, council members and other national and local policy makers, urban and transportation planners, transit-agency officials, and developers and staff of development financial institutions and others involved with TOD projects in rapidly growing and motorizing cities of the developing world.

This publication is part of the Banks multiyear program to enhance its knowledge of HRH policies. The programs ultimate objective is to strengthen knowledge and capacity to collect evidence, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of HRH interventions in the context of a countrys health system strengthening strategy. It specifically addresses the theoretical and empirical evidence on health labor markets in low- and middle-income countries. Health labor market analysis has much to contribute to resolving globally widespread HRH problems, and their continuing neglect provides some explanation for their persistence. Policy makers in countries promulgating or refining strategies for achieving universal health coverage will find it important to understand how key elements in their health labor market are likely to interact and how these interactions could helpor hinderprogress toward universal health coverage. These interactions are complex and multidimensional, and this publication highlights some areas where forces in the health labor market matter most.The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of the key issues when attempting to apply economics to the analysis of health workers labor markets. Though much has been written and planned about health human resources, a major weakness with most of this analysis is that it does not use an economic perspective. The use of an explicit economic framework applied by trained economists moves the focus away from simplistic but costly policy responses such as training more doctors and nurses, toward understanding more carefully the role of incentives, productivity, and the distribution of health workers. The health workforce is but one part of the health system and a focus of analysis on only the health workforce is insufficient to be able to determine the optimal number of health workers. Market forces cannot be relied upon to solve health worker shortages or mal-distribution, due to well recognized market failures in health care. This also has implications for how labor economics and labor market analysis can be applied and used successfully in the health care sector.

Entrepreneurship has attracted global interest for its potential to catalyze economic and social development. Research suggesting that certain entrepreneurial mindsets and skills can be learned has given rise to the field of entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Despite the growth of EET, global knowledge about these programs and their impact remains thin. In response, this study surveys the available literature and program evaluations to propose a Conceptual Framework for understanding the EET program landscape. The study finds that EET today consists of a heterogeneous mix of programs that can be broken into two groups: entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training. These programs target a range of participants: secondary and post-secondary education students, as well as potential and practicing entrepreneurs. The outcomes measured by program evaluations are equally diverse but generally fall under the domains of entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities, entrepreneurial status, and entrepreneurial performance. The dimensions of EET programs vary according the particular target group. Programs targeting secondary education students focus on the development of foundational skills linked to entrepreneurship, while post-secondary education programs emphasize skills related to strategic business planning. Programs targeting potential entrepreneurs generally are embedded within broader support programs and tend to target vulnerable populations for whom employment alternatives may be limited. While programs serving practicing entrepreneurs focus on strengthening entrepreneurs knowledge, skills and business practices, which while unlikely to transform an enterprise in the near term, may accrue benefits to entrepreneurs over time. The study also offers implications for policy and program implementation, emphasizing the importance of clarity about target groups and desired outcomes when making program choices, and sound understanding of extent to which publicly-supported programs offer a broader public good, and compare favorably to policy alternatives for supporting the targeted individuals as well as the overall economic and social objectives.

La evaluación efectiva del desempeño de los sistemas educativos es un componente clave en la formulación de políticas para optimizar el desarrollo del capital humano en todo el mundo. Los cinco libros de la serie Evaluaciones nacionales del rendimiento académico presentan conceptos clave de las evaluaciones nacionales de los niveles de rendimiento estudiantil, desde las cuestiones normativas que deben abordarse cuando se diseña y se lleva a cabo las evaluaciones, hasta el desarrollo de las pruebas, el muestreo, la depuración de datos, las estadísticas, la redacción de informes y el uso de los resultados para mejorar la calidad de la educación. Este primer volumen describe los fines y las características de las evaluaciones nacionales, así como las cuestiones relacionadas con su diseño, su puesta en práctica, su análisis y su comunicación. Describe también las principales evaluaciones internacionales, regionales y nacionales llevadas a cabo en una serie de países. El libro va dirigido principalmente a gobiernos nacionales, regionales y estatales, instituciones de investigación y universidades.

Nonfinancial Defined Contribution (NDC) schemes are now in their teens. The new pension concept was born in the early 1990s, implemented from the mid-1990s in Italy, Latvia, Poland and Sweden, legislated most recently in Norway and Egypt and serves as inspiration for other reform countries. This innovative unfunded individual account scheme created high hopes at a time when the world seemed to have been locked into a stalemate between piecemeal reforms of ailing traditional defined benefit schemes and introducing pre-funded financial account schemes. The experiences and conceptual issues of NDC in its childhood were reviewed in a prior anthology (Holzmann and Palmer, 2006). This new anthology published in 2 volumes serves to review its adolescence and with the aim of contributing to a successful adulthood. Volume 1 on Progress, Lessons, Implementation includes a detailed analysis of the experience and the key policy lessons in the old and new pilot countries and the implementation of NDCs elements in other reform countries. This volume 2 on Gender, Politics, Financial Stability includes deeper and new analyses of these issues that found little or no attention in the 2006 publication. The gender perspective includes 5 chapters with, perhaps, the most complete discussion on gender and pension issues available to date. The financial stability perspective addresses in 6 chapters critical micro- and macroeconomic aspects such as the balancing mechanism, the use of a reserve fund, the handling of legacy costs, and technicalities related to the management of the longevity risk when designing annuities. While the 2 volumes address many issues it also opens a number of new questions for which good answers are not yet readily available.

Teachers and Teacher Performance in Bihar: Implications for Teacher Education is a study undertaken in the low income state of Bihar in India to create effective teacher perfomance measuring standards. Undertaken as a World Bank and Govt. of Bihar collaborative initiative to study has developed benchmarks against which teachers' performance were assessed so that the quality of pre-service training and continuous professional development can be reviewed and improved. These teacher performance standards track (i) teacher subject knowledge; (ii) classroom teaching; and (iii) time on task. These inputs and index based scores of teacher performance feed into and inform the development of Bihar's teacher training strategy. This study undertaken by the ASER Center of Pratham explores a set of interrelated factors that influence how teachers teach. Designed as a series of data collection exercises that were conducted between July 2013 and December 2014, the study covered 400 schools and over 2200 teachers tracked during visits to each school. The study uses teacher surveys and classroom and school observations methods. It evaluates teachers' subject matter knowledge, ability to communicate as well as their ability to learn from children's work. The findings generated by the study provide significant inputs and suggestions for designing future teacher training and teacher professional development programs. The research potentially has utility not only in India but more widely to influence teacher policy reform, identifying cost effective financing strategies, developing accountability measures for effective management of teacher education.

The current distribution of power markets around intermediate structures between full integration and unbundling suggests that there has not been a linear path to reform in practice. Instead, many developing countries may retain intermediate structures in the foreseeable future. This possibility exposes a large gap in understanding about power market structures, since most theoretical work has focused on the two extreme structures and there is limited evidence on the impact of unbundling for developing countries.The study reports the evidence from statistical analysis and a representative sample of twenty case studies selected based on the initial conditions, such as income and power system size. It proposes a novel analytical approach to model market structure, together with ownership and regulation, controlling for several variables, as a key determinant of performance across several indicators, including access, operational and financial performance and environmental sustainability. The results of the analysis provide the following conclusions for policy guidance on power market restructuring for developing countries: There seems to be credible empirical basis for selecting a threshold power system size and per capita income level below which unbundling of the power supply chain is not expected to be worthwhile. Indeed a dichotomy emerges between high income countries characterized by a large system size for which unbundling and other reforms are significantly linked to better performance and low income countries characterized by small system power size for which there is no strong evidence that unbundling and other reforms delivered improvements in performance. Unbundling deliver consistently superior results across the board of performance indicators when used as an entry point to implement broader reforms, particularly introducing a sound regulatory framework, reducing the degree of concentration of the generation and distribution segments of the market by attracting additional number of both public and private players and encouraging private sector participation. Partial forms of vertical unbundling do not appear to drive improvements, probably because the owner was able to continue exercising control over the affairs of the sector and hinder the development of competitive pressure within the power market.

The presence of turbulence in multiple areas of our society--food, fuel, and finances-being but three critical areas presently being impacted means that long-held assumptions are no longer true, that the past is not prologue, and that the future is not clear. And enter into this unstable present the discipline of evaluation-a discipline formed and shaped in the past fifty years of stability, little turbulence, and strong assumptions that everything will go according to plan. If things do not go well, it is because of either a poor theory of change on how to bring about positive outcomes, or weak efforts at implementation. It is not because of the stormy present upsetting our quiet past. As it is, conventional evaluation behavior and beliefs are ill suited for these times. The transformational nature of the 'Arab Spring' is just one arena in which it is clear that a business as usual approach to evaluation is entirely inappropriate.The papers in this volume are from the 2011 Global Assembly of the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS). Nearly 350 development evaluators from eighty-five countries came together in Amman, Jordan to discuss and analyze the consequences of turbulence on evaluation. The intent of these papers is to systematically assess what changes have come during this time of turbulence and how these changes are impacting the craft of development evaluation. To be clear: this book is not about how to assess the impacts of crises on development and on people's lives. It is about the meaning of a changed world and changed assumptions on the concepts and methods used in evaluation.

With international focus on good governance and parliamentary effectiveness, a standards-based approach involving benchmarks and assessment frameworks has emerged to evaluate parliament's performance and guide its reforms. The World Bank's has been a leader in the development of these frameworks, stewarding a global multi-stakeholder process aimed at enhancing consensus around parliamentary benchmarks and indicators with international organizations and parliaments across the world. The results so far, some of which are captured in this book, are encouraging: countries as diverse as Australia, Canada, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia have used these frameworks for self-evaluation and to guide efficiency-driven reforms. Donors and practitioners, too, are finding the benchmarks useful as baselines against which they can assess the impact of their parliamentary strengthening programs. The World Bank itself is using these frameworks to surface the root causes of performance problems and explore how to engage with parliamentary institutions in order to achieve better results. The World Bank can identify opportunities to help improve the oversight function of parliament, thus holding governments to account, giving 'voice' to the poor and disenfranchised, and improving public policy formation in order to achieve a nation's development goals. In doing so, we are helping make parliaments themselves more accountable to citizens and more trusted by the public.

In the wake of the recent global financial crisis and against the backdrop of the ongoing global financial sector reforms, macroprudential policy is being increasingly seen as a must-do reform. At the same time, some policy makers are keen on having a better understanding of what it is and how it works before they embark on implementing it. This Guide attempts to meet this need by providing easy-to-comprehend inputs and practical guidance for establishing and operating macroprudential policy framework as appropriate for relevant jurisdictions. While the elements discussed here can be relevant for several jurisdictions, this work is intended to primarily cater to the needs of policy makers in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) with the following characteristics: a simple bank-dominated system where other financial sector segments are small but growing; banks are supervised by the central bank; financial sector regulation and supervision is not fully integrated; and availability of quality data is not assured. The Guide begins with an introduction to the concept of macroprudential approach to policy and supervision, discusses the available options for institutional framework, including appropriate mandate, powers, structures, and governance arrangements. Next, it explains the components and objectives of early warning systems, how they can be designed and what makes them effective. The Guide also analyses the available range of macroprudential policy instruments, the risks or stresses that they can address and how these can be deployed. All through, the Guide also flags the challenges that the authorities are likely to encounter while establishing and operating macroprudential policy framework and components.Unique combinations of institutional, policy, and legal frameworks in each jurisdiction make it difficult to apply across-the-board and formulaic macroprudential policy solutions. Therefore, any guidance will need appropriate customization and nuancing to achieve best results in each jurisdiction. Accordingly, while offering practical advice, the Guide encourages the authorities to ask the right questions rather than trying to answer all questions that might be raised. Macroprudential policy can promote financial system stability, but it is not meant to replace other public policies, least of all a jurisdictions monetary and microprudential policies.

In Central and Eastern European countries, inequalities for Roma families living in marginalized communities start early and are striking. Some of these inequalities reflect hard-wired family circumstances such as being born in poverty. Others reflect lack of opportunities such as limited access to those basic goods and services that are necessary not only for realizing one's potential in life, but also for living with dignity. Gaps between Roma and non-Roma widen over the lifecycle in a way that reinforces and perpetuates disadvantage and translates into significantly unequal outcomes, despite the fact that Roma report having similar aspirations to those of their non-Roma neighbors. Promoting equal opportunities for disadvantaged Roma is not only an imperative for societies that want to call themselves fair, but it is also a smart economic choice, especially in those countries where populations are aging rapidly. Investing early, with a particular emphasis on supporting healthy and cognitive development for disadvantaged Roma children, is likely to go a long way in promoting fair chances. However, leveling the playing field in childhood is likely not enough: disadvantaged Roma continue being exposed to unequal opportunities at key nodes in their lives, such as when pursuing education or when looking for a job. Therefore, it is as important that a broader set of policies address some of the circumstances in which a large share of Roma children grow up, including access to employment and decent living conditions for their families. Implementing interventions that help overcome these interrelated barriers will require strong ownership at the national level, coordinated policies across different ministries and government levels, and an integrated delivery system that is grounded in approaches that are customized to local conditions and implemented in a participatory manner. Good practices in Europe and elsewhere show that inclusion of the most disadvantaged - including many Roma - is possible and the current programming cycle for European Funds represents a unique opportunity to fund such interventions.

Tunisia in a Changing Climate: Assessment and Actions for Increased Resilience and Development ispart of the World Bank Studies series. These papers are published to communicate the resultsof the Banks ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion.This book provides an assessment of climate risks, as well as opportunities and possibleactions for addressing climate change, in Tunisia. It recognizes that the Tunisian revolution ofJanuary 14th, 2011, created significant change in the country, resulting in new challenges andopportunities for addressing further change. Following the revolution, improvements in access toinformation, institutional capacity, and accountability have enhanced the governance and transparencythat are essential for effective climate change responses. However, political uncertaintyhas affected both foreign direct investment and tourism, which have further impacted already highrates of poverty and unemployment.

Ghana is one of only several African countries to enact legislation and earmark financing for universal health insurance coverage for its entire population. Seven years into its implementation the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has made significant progress in transitioning to universal coverage, but faces significant fiscal and coverage challenges. This study reviews Ghana's health financing system with a special emphasis on its National Health Insurance Scheme. Such an assessment is important because Ghana is often considered a global 'good practice' in terms of earmarking significant amounts of its general revenues for health insurance coverage, providing formal coverage to its vulnerable population groups, and extending coverage by transitioning its existing community health insurance schemes into a national health insurance program. In addition to the global interest in the Ghana 'model', this review is timely in view of recent critiques of the system and questions about its financial sustainability. The study is also unique in terms of evaluating Ghana's NHIS in terms of basic health system goals of health outcomes, financial protection, consumer satisfaction, equity, efficiency, and financial sustainability. The strengths and weaknesses of Ghana's health financing system are assessed on the basis of these performance goals to provide the current health policy reform baseline. The assessment is also based on several new and updated sources of information on: total health spending, inputs, outcomes, household spending, and the macro economy. It also undertakes for the first time an extensive international benchmarking analysis; assesses the financial protection/equity of the system at both macro and micro levels; and, contains an extensive fiscal space analysis based on Ghana's new macroeconomic realities (i.e., the revaluation of Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) upward by some 60 percent in November 2010, making Ghana a lower middle income country). The study concludes with an assessment of potential structural and operational reform options to assure NHISs long-term efficacy and sustainability in the context of its future available fiscal space.

How does the social and political context in which decision-makers find themselves in affect their ability to realize their reform goals? How does this context facilitate or inhibit specific reform agendas and projects? How can we operationalize and evaluate these risks and opportunities in order to decide what reforms and projects are feasible given the circumstances? This book provides the reader with the full panoply of political economy tools and concepts necessary to understand, analyze, and integrate how political and social factors may influence the success or failure of their policy goals. Starting with the empirical puzzle of why corruption, rent seeking, and a lack of good governance emerge and persist in a host of countries and sectors the book reviews how collective action problems and the role of institutions, as well as a host of ancillary political economy concepts can affect the feasibility of different projects. However, the book is not just a one stop shop of political economy concepts, but also provides practical advice on how to organize and use this information via the introduction of stakeholder mapping tools and the development of an actionable political economy toolkit.In other words researchers, graduate students, and policy practitioners interested in understanding, the what, the why and the how of policy reform will find this book an essential tool.

It has been over twenty years since the Brazilian Sistema Unico de Saude (Unified Health System or SUS) was formally established by the 1988 Constitution. The impetus for the SUS came in part from rising costs and a crisis in the social security system that preceded the reforms, but also from a broad-based political movement calling for democratization and improved social rights. Building on reforms that started in the 1980s, the SUS was based on three overarching principles: (i) universal access to health services, with health defined as a citizens right and an obligation of the state; (ii) equality of access to health care; and (iii) integrality (comprehensiveness) and continuity of care; along with several other guiding ideas, including decentralization, increased participation, and evidence-based prioritization. The SUS reform established health a fundamental right and duty of the state, and started a process of fundamentally transforming Brazils health system to achieve this goal. So, what has been achieved since the SUS was established? And what challenges remain in achieving the goals that were established in 1988? These questions are the focus of this report. Specifically, it seeks to assess whether the SUS reforms have managed to transform the health system as envisaged more than 20 years ago, and whether the reforms have led to improved outcomes in terms of access to services, financial protection, and health status.Any effort to assess the performance of a health system runs into a host of challenges concerning the definition of boundaries of the health system, the outcomes that the assessment should focus on, data sources and quality, and the role of policies and reforms in understanding how the performance of the health system has changed over time. Building on an extensive literature on health system assessment, this report is based on a simple framework that specifies a set of health system building blocks, which affect a number of intermediate outcomes such as access, quality and efficiency, which, in turn, contribute to final outcomes, including health status, financial protection, and satisfaction. Based on this framework, the report starts by looking at how key building blocks of Brazils health system have changed over time and then moves on to review performance in terms of intermediate and final outcomes."