Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes

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Sub-national Differences in Human Capital in the CEMAC Region
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-22) World Bank
Countries in the CEMAC region could strengthen their human capital by investing more in education, health and social assistance. A human capital index of between 0.27 and 0.46 suggests that residents of CEMAC countries achieve between a quarter and a half of their potential. In addition, sub-national analysis reveals significant disparities within the countries. Gaps between urban and rural areas, as well as other regional divergences, generate inequalities that can be mitigated by more strategic and efficient spending. This report presents heat maps for different dimensions of human capital available for the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad and the Republic of Congo. The analysis could not for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, in the absence of recent sub-national data.
Regional Poverty and Inequality Update Spring 2024
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-12) World Bank
This is the April 2024 issue of the bi-annual Regional Poverty and Inequality Update for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which summarizes the main facts related to poverty and inequality in LAC using the new wave of harmonized household surveys from the Socio-Economic Database for Latin America and the Caribbean (SEDLAC). This brief was produced by the Poverty and Equity Global Practice in the Latin America and Caribbean Region of the World Bank.
Monitoring Impacts of COVID-19 and Other Shocks on Households in Uganda: Findings from the 17th Round of the High-Frequency Phone Survey, Round 17, January - February 2024
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-06) Atamanov, Aziz; Cochinard, Frédéric; Ilukor, John; Kemigisha, Audrey; Mupere,, Andrew; Ponzini, Giulia
In June 2020, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in collaboration with the World Bank, officially launched the Uganda High Frequency Phone Survey (UHFPS) to track the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic regularly. In June 2022, the scope of the survey was expanded to monitor economic sentiments and the socioeconomic impact of other shocks, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ebola outbreak, and extreme weather events. In addition, the survey is also being used to collect perceptions on different development policies and programs. The survey aimed to recontact the entire sample of households interviewed during the Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS) 2019/20 round and that had phone numbers for at least one household member or a reference individual. The sample was refreshed in the 13th round, conducted in July/August 2023, by adding households from the Uganda National Household Survey 2019/20. This brief focuses on the socio-economic well-being of Ugandans, as reported in the 17th round conducted in January-February 2024.
Ghana’s Portfolio-Wide Child Labor Risk Management Pilot: A Systematic Approach to Managing Child Labor Risk in the Project Cycle - Executive Brief
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-16) Okereke, Nneka; Nordenmark Severinsson, Anna; Darimani, Abdulai
This note summarizes a systematic approach developed in 2021-2023 by the Social Sustainability and Inclusion (SSI) team of the Ghana Country Management Unit (CMU) to strengthen the management of child labor risk in the portfolio of projects of the CMU. The approach evolved from two processes, namely a portfolio-wide risk mitigation assessment on child labor that identified a potential to strengthen how child labor risk is managed in multiple projects of the CMU portfolio, and the subsequent development of a toolkit to help teams and Project Implementation Units (PIUs) take a systemic approach to how they manage risks related to child labor in projects. The outcomes of these processes were presented to selected managers and professionals in the World Bank and underwent a peer review in 2022. This has been followed by a series of trainings for Project Implementation Units in Ghana in 2022 and 2023, as well as bank-wide dissemination meetings and trainings. The work continues in 2024.
Delivering Education in the Midst of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (FCV)
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-22) World Bank
Ensuring a safe environment for children to learn is more than a mission for the WorldBank. It is an urgent imperative. In large part, the success of our FCV Strategy is predicated on education. There are few spheres of development with so much potential to contribute to violence prevention and peace building. Schooling, therefore, has a critical role in developing the social cohesion for stability, as well as the skill base needed for our client countries to advance in their development and achieve economic prosperity.
Convergence in the Sahel: How to Link Humanitarian Cash Assistance and National Social Protection Systems?
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-18) Saidi, Mira; Santamaria Ruiz, Claudia
Convergence is the merging or coming together of separate elements. In the realm of social protection, this translates into the effective coordination and alignment of different humanitarian and development initiatives toward a shared national vision. Convergence between humanitarian operations and national social protection systems has gained momentum in the last few years, as reflected in the humanitarian-development nexus. In the Sahel, a growing overlap between humanitarian activities and government interventions is emerging, particularly with the advent of adaptive social protection. Humanitarian assistance tends to operate in emergencies and volatile contexts with short-term horizons. In contrast, national social protection systems, including regular social safety nets, typically are longer term, more predictable, and focus on issues such as structural poverty rather than emergencies. However, both types of interventions share a broad goal to protect the poorest and most vulnerable and to promote their resilience to future shocks. Hence opportunities to better connect humanitarian assistance to the national social protection system do exist, particularly in the context of protracted crises.
Ukraine - Human Development Update in Focus: Disability and Inclusion
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-04) World Bank
The adverse impact of Russia’s invasion on persons with disabilities is the main focus of this human development update. It looks at how the Government of Ukraine is strengthening the protection of vulnerable groups to ensure inclusive service delivery.
Does Fiscal Policy Have a Role in Improving Child Well-Being in Ethiopia?
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-01) Ambel, Alemayehu A.; Belete, Getachew Yirga; Fiala, Oliver
Taxes, government spending, and public transfers affect the well-being of children and adults, albeit in different ways. There is, however, a dearth of empirical evidence on the impact of these policies on the well-being of children in low-income countries. This policy brief summarizes a recent study by Ambel, Belete, and Fiala (2024), which investigates the effects of fiscal actions on poverty and inequality among children in Ethiopia. The study applies the Commitment to Equity for Children (CEQ4C) methodology on survey data integrated with administrative data. It finds that the fiscal system in Ethiopia is progressive, poverty-reducing, and equalizing for children. However, there are observed differences in the effects of some of the fiscal policy components, as many of these effects are stronger for girls and children in rural areas. The study also highlights the essential role of public services in improving children’s well-being.
Nepal Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis: Policy Brief
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) World Bank
Crisis preparedness is cral to preventing shocks from becoming crises. Investments in ex ante preparedness are especially relevant in countries like Nepal that face high levels of exposure and vulnerability to a range of risks. In seeking to identify opportunities to strengthen the Government of Nepal’s (GoN’s) capacity to prepare for crisis events in an effective and timely manner, this Technical Annex presents findings from the application of the Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis (CPGA) diagnostic in the country. It provides details on findings and entry points across the five componnts of crisis preparedness. For a summary, please refer to the accompanying CPGA Nepal Briefing Note. Following a brief description of the CPGA methodology, the Technical Annex presents a summary of findings from each CPGA component alongside identification of entry points and opportunities to strengthen crisis preparedness in the country. To provide a holistic assessment of preparedness, the CPGA focuses on five core components of crisis preparedness. These are (i) Legal and Institutional Foundations, (ii) Understanding and Monitoring Risks, (iii) Financial Preparedness, (iv) Primary Response, and (v) Social and Livelihood Support.
Using Disaster Risk Financing to Build Adaptive Social Protection for Climate Shocks in Malawi: Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods
(Washington, DC, 2023-12-04) World Bank
The Government of Malawi put in place a mechanism that enables its flagship unconditional cash transfer program—the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP)—to scale up response to additional beneficiaries when shocks occur. Making the SCTP shock-responsive is a key strategic pillar of the government’s Disaster Risk Financing Strategy. The SCTP scalable mechanism was first implemented during the 2021/22 rainfall season in three initially selected districts (Blantyre, Ntcheu, and Thyolo). It covered 74,000 poor and vulnerable households that would be eligible to receive a cash transfer in the event of a shock, and in fact a drought and compounding shocks resulted in a payout for the households. In 2022/23, the mechanism was expanded to cover over 100,000 households in six districts; the long-term goal is to make it a nationwide mechanism. This note summarizes the gpvernment’s process for establishing this mechanism and presents key results and lessons learned.