Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes

683 items available

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https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9388

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Yemen’s Compounding Burdens: From Drought to Hunger
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-10) World Bank
In this brief the authors combine granular climate data on flooding, drought and extreme heat, and district level food insecurity data and conflict data, to produce district level estimates of the number and percentage of those experiencing multiple deprivations. The authors find that around half of Yemenis are exposed to at least one climate hazard of either extreme heat, drought, or flooding. Moreover, a quarter of the population suffers from the compounding effects of food insecurity and exposure to climate hazards. Most districts that see the highest levels of compounding food insecurity and exposure to climate hazards have also been impacted by the ongoing conflict. To hasten post-conflict recovery, investments are needed that are more area targeted, including shock responsive social protection, agriculture, and water management initiatives to mitigate the long-term harm caused by multiple and intersecting shocks and resulting deprivations.
Political Engagement, Collective Action, and Influence of Private Firms in the European Union
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-03) Francis, David C.
This Brief studies patterns of political engagement among private firms in the European Union (EU). Using representative data, allowing for analysis at the level of NUTS2 regional groupings (EU regions varying from about 800,000 to 3 million inhabitants), various patterns of engagement emerge. In particular, business association membership is widespread, and its variation seems to be largely explained by cross-country patterns. Such differences may be due to differing legal regimes that do or do not mandate membership in business organizations; generally, firms tend to value the services provided by such organizations less when membership is mandatory. Firms may also turn to other forms of political engagement, such as the maintenance of political connections. Overall, patterns of political engagement seeking influence vary widely, including within countries, often along identifiable institutional lines. An estimated Political Influence score is used to measure this activity. Though this score varies, analysis suggests that firms with higher scores show higher measures of firm performance, especially relative to their peer/competitor firms. There is evidence of political competition, where higher influence begets similar activity among peer firms.
How Management Practices Differ in the EU-27
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-03) Viganola, Domenico ; Diallo, Mamadou Yaya
This Brief uses data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) in 27 European Union countries (the EU-27) to gain insights into the adoption of management practices in the region's private sector. A recent, abundant literature studies the connections between firm-level productivity and the strategies owners and managers implement to achieve their organizational and financial goals. These strategies can be summarized by a consolidated index comprising three main categories: monitoring, target setting, and creating incentives. This Brief first analyzes the distribution of the management practices index across EU countries, identifying substantial dispersion within and across countries. Then, the Brief investigates firm-level characteristics associated with the index. Larger firm size, top management external to the family owning the firm, and higher education of the top manager emerge as the most important factors. Finally, the Brief provides evidence of the positive and robust correlation between productivity and the management practices index.
The Deepening Red Sea Shipping Crisis: Impacts and Outlook
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-02-10) World Bank
The Red Sea crisis has emerged as a critical flashpoint of the conflict in the Middle East, upending global trade and maritime transport, port activity in the MENA region, and ecological balance of the Red Sea. The MENA Economic Policy Prosperity team, in collaboration with the DEC Data Lab, has been monitoring the crisis from the outset. Their initial analysis was published in May 2024 in MENA FCV Economic Brief No.1. In this Brief, we provide an update nearly a year after the crisis began, offering an expanded analysis and reflections on the highly uncertain outlook.
Sex-disaggregating Tax Administrative Data: Experience from Colombia’s Tax and Customs Authority
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-12-06) Gamboa, Luis Fernando; Reyes, Luis Carlos; Tribin, Ana Maria; Komatsu, Hitomi
This Knowledge Note aims to document National Tax and Customs Authority's (DIAN’s) experience in sex-disaggregating income taxpayer data and provide examples of the use of disaggregated data for policy analysis. It offers lessons for other revenue authorities and government agencies planning to sex-disaggregate and analyze administrative tax data. It summarizes the institutional strategies, methodologies used, and challenges encountered in this process based on interviews with experts and government officials. We use the term “sex” to mean biological sex at birth unless explicitly stated otherwise.
The Role of Nature-based Solutions in Disaster Risk Management in Fragile, Conflict and Violence-Affected Countries
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-20) World Bank
The World Bank (WB) estimates that, by 2030, up to two-thirds of the global extreme poor will be living in fragile and conflict-affected situations. Of the top 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change, 14 are considered by the WB as fragile and conflict-affected. Households affected by conflict experience greater economic losses and longer recovery time in the aftermath of a disaster. NBS is an umbrella term for a set of interventions that seek to protect, manage, and/or restore natural systems, while addressing multiple development goals such as climate and disaster risk resilience, economic and social prosperity, food security and biodiversity conservation. By providing targeted support and expertise, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is instrumental in overcoming the unique challenges of FCV contexts, ensuring that NBS interventions are not only feasible but also effective in building resilience and stability in these vulnerable regions.
Ukraine - Human Development Update
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-25) World Bank
This Ukraine human development update summarizes the cumulative effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, provides an overview of World Bank support, and synthesizes findings from the third round of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3, February 2024) on damage and losses incurred between February 24, 2022 and December 31, 2023, as well as estimated needs for reconstruction and recovery in the health, education, and social protection and livelihoods sectors. The RDNA3 was conducted jointly by the World Bank, the government of Ukraine, the European Union, and the United Nations and supported by humanitarian and development partners, academia, civil society organizations, and other partners.
Indonesia Coral Bond - An Innovative Ocean Financing Instrument
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-05) World Bank
Thanks to funding support from the PROBLUE and Indonesia Oceans, Marine Debris and Coastal Resources Multi-Donor Trust Funds, the World Bank, the Government of Indonesia, the Global Environment Facility, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and BNP Paribas are joining forces to develop the world’s first impact bond for coral reef conservation. The proposed Indonesia Coral Bond is designed to deliver independently verified conservation and biodiversity outcomes in some of the most biodiverse coral reef ecosystems on the planet. The proposed bond leverages an existing US$210 million World Bank operation (the Oceans for Prosperity Project) supporting the Government of Indonesia to increase management effectiveness in marine protected areas
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.
Dire Strait: The Far-Reaching Impact of the Red Sea Shipping Crisis
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-07) World Bank
MENA FCV Economic Series Brief No. 1 is the first of a new series of World Bank notes analyzing recent economic and social developments and special issues in Fragile, Conflict, and Violence (FCV) situations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.