Other Public Sector Study

315 items available

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2206

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Brazil : The SOL-ution for Smart Community Procurement: Simple, Efficient, and Transparent Government Systems

(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022) World Bank

SOL is the Portuguese acronym for Online Bidding Solution (Solução Online de Licitação). SOL is a GovTech solution for community-level procurements carried out under community-driven development (CDD) projects, and it addresses the procurement challenges that the communities usually face. Piloting SOL in selected projects in Brazil showed the app’s potential to increase the efficiency, transparency, and governance of the procurement process. The app facilitates the connection between community associations and their suppliers and automates the full procurement process. In addition, as all procurement data is generated and safely stored in the app, the app enhances the audit capacity of governments and the World Bank. Given the many positive results, SOL is to be upgraded with new features and translated into other languages to facilitate scale-up and use by other countries, including in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Building SOE Crisis Management and Resilience: Emerging Practices and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Crisis

(Washington, DC, 2021-09) World Bank

This note is one of a series produced by the World Bank’s Governance Global Practice to help client countries address the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on their economies and governance structures. Addressed to central governments and the management of individual state-owned enterprises (SOEs), this note analyses the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for the public sector and provides guidance on how governments and SOEs can use this crisis to build or strengthen their crisis response systems. Suggested measures involve calibrating risks and introducing proper risk management systems, ensuring business continuity and resilience in emergency situations, as well as supporting the ability of public enterprises to bounce back in the post-crisis environment. This note draws on existing World Bank analysis of emerging global trends in governments’ COVID-19 response measures as pertains to SOEs. It includes practical recommendations that can be considered for implementation by governments and by individual SOEs. In addition, the note lists examples of policy measures that can potentially be supported through the World Bank’s budget support operations.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Municipal Finance

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2021-06-30) World Bank

City local governments have been facing multiple challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic to secure adequate financial resources for response and recovery. This report assesses the impact of the pandemic on local governments’ financial situations through cross-country analysis and comparison. Three indicative types of local government adjustments are discussed and scenario analysis is used to highlight the risks and uncertainties associated with the pandemic’s impact and subsequent economic recovery.
Listing State-Owned Enterprises in Emerging and Developing Economies: Lessons Learned from 30 Years of Success and Failure

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-23) World Bank

In this report, the authors investigate state-owned enterprise (SOE) listings as a solution to promote local capital markets development. Thus, SOE listings can offer governments an enormous opportunity to kick-start the development of their local capital markets while achieving other divestment objectives, such as harnessing the SOE’s value and raising fiscal revenue. In this report, the authors aim to shed light on this question by investigating emerging and developing economies (EMDE’s) experience with SOE listings over the past 30 years. The authors combine a thorough literature review with a case study analysis of 14 frontier and emerging markets, including interviews with key stakeholders from the public and private sector. In particular, the authors aim to answer the following three questions: (1) what has been the impact of SOE listings on local capital markets development in EMDEs?; (2) what have been the pre-conditions to successfully list a SOE?; and (3) once listed, what have been the drivers for creating a positive impact on capital markets development? Because listings have significant effects on the broader economy and potentially harness the value of SOEs in a different way, this report also attempts to evaluate the impact of SOE listings on other key economic variables - in particular firm performance, the quality of public service delivery, employment, wealth distribution, and fiscal revenue. The sole objective is to provide policymakers with sufficient information to make an educated decision on whether or not SOE listings are a suitable solution for their respective country.
The Regulation of Digital Trade: Key Policies and International Trends

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-01-04) Daza Jaller, Lillyana ; Gaillard, Simon ; Molinuevo, Martín

One day, people will wonder how global trade was even possible with before goods and services were bought and sold in global digital markets without regard or even knowledge of where sellers and buyers where located. We are not there yet --not by a long shot. For now, digital trade remains segmented mostly along national and regional boundaries, due largely to a combination of lack of consumer trust in online transactions and regulatory differences across borders, as well as the inherent challenges of moving goods internationally. Regulation plays a central role in building the foundations of digital markets. It can provide the legal tools necessary for remote contracts, clarify the rights and obligations of the multiple actors involved in digital transactions, and establish a framework that promotes consumer trust in digital markets, even when the consumer does not know the merchant or when the merchant is in a different country. However, regulation can also further segment digital trade, de facto restricting digital transactions to within national boundaries, or allowing for cross-border transactions with some partners to flourish, while limiting others. This can be the intended result of regulatory measures that limit cross-border data flows or online purchases or may be the undesired effect of regulatory differences across countries that leads businesses to offer different goods and services across boundaries.
Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector: Maximizing Opportunities, Managing Risks

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020) World Bank

The paper curate’s knowledge residing in public documents and aims to distill lessons learned on how to adopt and use AI as part of a public sector modernization strategy. The paper’s primary scope is on governance-related aspects. Chapter two elaborates on the opportunities being availed by governmentsaround the world using AI. These opportunities should be availed while managing associated risks, which are discussed in chapter three. For maximizing opportunities and managing risks, governments need to adopt AI ethical principles and institutional arrangements, discussed in chapter four. Chapter five discusses the ethical dimensions that need a broader policy response at the national level. Chapter six enumerates the building blocks necessary for a successful long-term AI strategy. The appendices contain information for practitioners. Appendix A provides technical information and additional resources for further support, and Appendix B highlights solutions that rely on AI for improvements in efficiency, scientific analysis, and prediction within the disciplines. To fully comprehend the impact that AI might have on governments, it is necessary to develop a solid understanding of key AI concepts. The paper does not offer in-depth coverage of work in specific sectors. The findings in the paper were validated through interviews with industry experts. Special efforts have been made to ensure the architectural design approaches discussed in the paper incorporate the best industry knowledge. The paper goes to great lengths to maintain a practical approach, with ‘handson’ examples of architectures and applications.
Moldova Mobile ID Case Study

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-12) World Bank

The Republic of Moldova was among the first countries in the world to implement Mobile eID, whichhas been implemented through the innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. In recognitionof Moldova embracing mobile technologies as an opportunity to tap the potential of mobile phones toimprove government initiatives, the government of Moldova was awarded the Best mGovernment Awardby the GSMA during the 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The concept of Mobile eID, also known as mobile signature, works as an ID in the virtual world, allowing users to authenticate themselves in cyberspace, with the aim to prove their identity with the help of a cell phone or electronically sign a legally-binding transaction or document. For the regular users, the advantage of mobile eID lies in its simplicity, since no separate card reader or drivers areneeded, as the phone itself already performs these functions. Implementation of Mobile eID in Moldova was part of a larger digital transformation initiative supported by a 20 million US Dollars World Bank–funded loan as part of Governance eTransformation Project (GeT), and assuch, it benefited from increased political support. Moreover, the approval by the government of Moldova of the strategic e-Transformation program further paved the way for eID implementation, by expressly stating that mobile electronic identity is "a means to ensure data integrity and security in eservice delivery and financial transactions."
Disaster Risk Finance Country Note: Uzbekistan

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-12-01) World Bank

This disaster risk finance country note was prepared within the Uzbekistan strengthening disaster resilience technical assistance. It aims at: (a) raising awareness about fiscal impacts of disasters in Uzbekistan; (b) providing an overview of the way the Government of Uzbekistan (GoU) currently finances disaster losses; and (c) identifying potential measures to strengthen financial protection against disasters. The GoU has a number of regulations that govern post-disaster financing. They include provision that the first line of defense against natural disasters lies with the local level, while resources of a national reserve fund of the cabinet of ministers are drawn only when the local resources are exhausted. Therefore, the GoU can consider the following major steps to strengthen post-disaster financing in Uzbekistan: (a) improving collection of information related to disasters and accounting for fiscal risks; (b) developing a financial protection strategy against natural disasters; (c) improving disaster insurance; better understanding disaster insurance market in the country is an important first step; and (d) improving effectiveness and targeting of the resources available.
Stimulating Business Angels in the Czech Republic

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-10) World Bank Group

This report provides a systematic assessment of business angel activities, and the ecosystem surrounding innovation finance, in the Czech Republic. Based on literature reviews, published data sources and local stakeholder interviews, the report distills findings related to the demand for and supply of risk investments, and offers policy recommendations for stimulating business angels. The report characterizes the Angel ecosystem as emerging with potential for growth. It is small both in terms of the number of investors and the amount invested. There appears to be a general lack of syndication of investments and concentration of investments in the capital (Prague) and in the information, communication, and technology (ICT) sector. On the demand side, a credible deal flow does exist, although it falls short of constituting a critical mass needed to support the development of the market. While issues in the local environment may affect the flow of angel investments, these are not insurmountable, based on the country’s competitive ranking on relevant global and European indicators. Finally, the report proposes a number of policy recommendations for enhancing business angel awareness and investments, including data collection and mapping of early stage market activities (short-term), creation of Czech National Angel Association (medium-term), and implementation of incentivization measures such as co-investment funds and tax incentives (long-term).
Toolkit for Impact Evaluation of Public Credit Guarantee Schemes for SMEs

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-09) World Bank Group

Limited access to finance, particularly bank credit, is a long-standing hurdle for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs), with varying severity of financing constraints across countries. SMEs face higher transaction costs and higher risk premiums since they are typically more opaque and have less or inadequate collateral to offer. Financing is also a major constraint in advanced economies, where financing gaps for SMEs were exacerbated by the 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis. SMEs face higher transaction costs and higher risk premiums since they are typically more opaque and have less or inadequate collateral to offer. These market failures and imperfections provide the rationale for government intervention in SME credit markets. An increasingly popular form of government intervention is represented by credit guarantee schemes (CGSs). These are specialized institutions or programs set up by the government which pledge to repay some or the entire loan amount to the lender in case of default of the SME borrower. The toolkit for impact evaluation of public credit guarantee schemes for SMEs has been created with the objective of identifying a set of uniform methodologies for assessing the financial and economic impact of public CGSs as systematically and objectively as possible. After the introductory Module, the Toolkit is divided in nine parts. Module 2 provides an overview of impact evaluation and introduces different modalities of impact evaluation such as prospective and retrospective evaluations. Module 3 provides a roadmap for designing and implementing a CGS impact evaluation. The later modules (5 through 10) finally touch upon some operational steps to implement an impact evaluation such as collecting data, setting the evaluation team, budgeting and timing for the evaluation, and producing and disseminating the results.