Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes
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Publication
Gender and Digital Development in Thailand
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-09-26)The wave of digital transformation has swept across the globe, with its pace significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which expedited the adoption of digital technologies by several years. However, this rapid digital metamorphosis is not without the risk of escalating gender inequality. The digital divide, defined as "the distinction between those who have access to and can utilize digital communication services and those who are excluded from these services", exhibits a gendered aspect. This gender digital divide reflects the inequalities between men and women in terms of access to and usage of digital technology. This document offers an overview of the gender equality issues in digital development in Thailand, drawing on a literature review, initial findings from research conducted in Odon Thani province in 2022, and findings and recommendations from the 2023 Adult Skills Assessment in Thailand (ASAT). -
Publication
Gender and Informal Work in Thailand
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-09-26)Thailand has made good progress in closing gender gaps in various dimensions, especially human capital development. However, the progress, though obvious, has not done much to get rid of the main deterrents discouraging Thai women from participating more actively in the labor market. Thailand’s labor force participation rate (LFPR) is 94 percent for men and 80.5 percent for women; both have been relatively stable since 2017. More than half of jobs in Thailand are considered informal, but though “informal worker” is in general use throughout the economy, what it refers to has no precise definition. The gender and informality study by the World Bank Bangkok team led to the recommendations covered in this report. -
Publication
Gender and Property Taxes in São Paulo
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-15)This knowledge note provides new evidence on property ownership and taxation patterns across genders in São Paulo (Brazil), the largest city in the Americas, with 12 million inhabitants. We exploit microdata on all commercial and residential properties to document the share of total property and property wealth owned by women, the geographic distribution of female-owned properties, and the implications of this data for property taxes in the city. -
Publication
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Kinshasa’s Path Towards Resilient Urban Development
(Washington, DC, 2023-08-23)With Kinshasa facing infrastructure and social exclusion challenges, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) partnered with the World Bank on the Kinshasa Multisector Development and Urban Resilience Project. This initiative improves transport, urban services, and infrastructure resilience. Supported by a grant from the QII Partnership, the project employed flood risk mapping and resilient infrastructure development, leveraging Japanese expertise in urban transport. As a result, the municipal government is better positioned to manage climate risks, develop robust, resilient infrastructure, and prioritize infrastructure investment opportunities. -
Publication
Lao PDR Maximizing the Benefits of Public Workfare Programs
(Washington, DC, 2023-08-23)The World Bank’s Road Maintenance Group project in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic offered road maintenance jobs to women in remote villages, targeting the poorest households. The project had three objectives: to increase the longevity of new roads, mitigate poverty, and empower participants. An independent evaluation revealed that the program significantly increased women’s engagement in paid work, plus their earnings and empowerment. While increasing welfare among all participants, the project had higher impacts on relatively less poor households. A study conducted under a grant from the Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) Partnership provides insights into these results as well as recommendations on how better to integrate social inclusion and gender equality in programs. -
Publication
Tajikistan - Enhancing Opportunities for Female Cross-border Traders
(Washington, DC, 2023-08-23)Women entrepreneurs in Tajikistan confront disproportionate challenges in their businesses compared to their male counterparts, with cross-border traders being no exception. The World Bank initiated the Fourth Phase of the Central Asia Regional Links Program in 2020, aiming to boost Tajikistan’s regional transport connectivity and foster cross-border trade. Complementing this program, the Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) Partnership provided a grant to address gender disparities in cross-border trade and augment the economic opportunities for female cross-border traders. The grant funded activities are set to incorporate gender-responsive practices within Tajikistan’s Customs Service and strengthen the capacity of women entrepreneurs involved in cross-border trade. -
Publication
Government Financial Support for Childcare Services: A Study of Regulations in 95 Economies
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-25)This brief presents new data collected by the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project on childcare legislation in 95 economies around the world. It focuses on government measures aimed at making childcare more affordable. The data used in this brief are based on a conceptual framework that considers both demand and supply-side constraints of the childcare market that limit the uptake and provision of childcare services. e data, current as of October 1, 2021, indicate that only 41 of these economies have policies to encourage the use of childcare by reducing its costs for parents, either through direct financial support to parents, support for private providers, or both. This brief offers a comprehensive overview of government support strategies to reduce costs and increase the affordability of childcare services; such an overview can guide further empirical analysis to assess the impact of these provisions. -
Publication
Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG): Disaster Risk Management Brief Second Edition
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-11)Disasters triggered by climate and other natural hazards are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide. Disasters, whether from natural hazards or man-made, cost lives and livelihoods, and do not have an equal effect on everyone. Women, girls, children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples,— especially in lower-income countries — are often disproportionately affected by disasters. Emerging evidence suggests that violence against women and girls (VAWG) increases in disaster settings. Managing the growing disaster risks associated with VAWG should therefore be integrated into all aspects of development. This brief, updating the previous DRM brief published in 2015, contains guidance on ethics and safety; resources for conducting a rapid situation analysis; specific ideas for implementation of policies and programs at the institutional, sectoral, and community levels at three stages (before, during and after the emergency); detailed examples of promising practices with a menu of indicators for use in monitoring and evaluation; and several active links to more-detailed resources and toolkits for working at the intersection of DRM and VAWG. -
Publication
Typology of Economic Women’s Groups Programs in South Asia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-04-13)Women’s groups models vary widely across contexts but context-specific documentation is limited. This wide variation coupled with inconsistent terms used to describe these groups creates challenges in using the evidence collected on group-based interventions to inform policy. The typology presented in this brief focuses on economic women’s group models implemented in South Asia. Using program documents and evidence from evaluations, it identifies implementation models, key characteristics, and the implications of investing in women’s groups to improve economic outcomes in South Asia. -
Publication
What do We Know About Interventions to Increase Women’s Economic Participation and Empowerment in South Asia?: Financial Products
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-04-07)The World Bank’s South Asia Region Gender Innovation Lab (SARGIL) is conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions with direct or indirect effects on measures of women’s economic empowerment. The review focuses on changes in labor market outcomes, income, and other empowerment indicators. The goal is to document what has and has not worked for women in the region (covering all countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), understand the types of interventions implemented, and identify gaps in knowledge and action. Interventions are organized into five categories: Skills, Assets, Financial Products, Care, and Empowerment. This brief summarizes the main findings from the financial products category.