Other ESW Reports

256 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2209

This includes miscellaneous ESW types and pre-2003 ESW type reports that are subsequently completed and released.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 40

Promoting Innovative Entrepreneurship in Viet Nam: An Ecosystem Diagnostic

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-12-05) World Bank

This report provides a diagnostic of Viet Nam’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and details a set of targeted recommendations for improving conditions for innovative entrepreneurship in the country. The diagnostic consists of four components: 1.) An overview of the Vietnamese private sector, with a focus on market dynamism; 2.) A demand side analysis focused on the flow of ideas, skills, and technology that contribute to the pipeline of innovative startups; 3.) A supply-side assessment of public support and private risk finance throughout the firm lifecycle, and 4.) An analysis of the ecosystem framework conditions. The report finds that the overall quality and the level of public support for entrepreneurship is low; founders have challenges with key aspects of running a business, such as developing product-market fit, growth strategies, and team building; and risk capital markets are heavily dependent on foreign funds and investors and have gaps in early-stage finance. The report concludes with three policy recommendations for improving Viet Nam’s entrepreneurial performance: 1.) Reorient the national flagship Program 844 on "Supporting the National Innovation Initiative to 2025" toward building a pipeline of investment-ready, innovative startups; 2.) Address regulatory barriers related to risk capital investments; and 3.) Increase the contribution of the public research sector to the innovative startup agenda.
Pacific Maritime Transport Systems: Hazard Exposure Technical Note

(Washington, DC, 2023-12-04) World Bank

This Technical Note supplements the overarching regional report 'A Blue Transformation for Pacific Maritime Transport (World Bank, 2022)'. It provides more detail on, and analysis of, natural hazards in the Pacific affecting port infrastructure and operations. While natural hazards are a major issue for all Pacific Island states and dependencies, this Technical Note looks particularly at the experiences of 12 World Bank member countries, referred to collectively as the PIC12 countries. These are the Melanesian countries of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji; the Polynesian countries of Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu; and the Micronesian countries of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau, Kiribati, and Nauru. This Note aims to assist technical specialists, client country teams, and donors, to identify needs and priorities for more detailed, site-specific risk studies. These risk studies will form the basis of port master planning, project design, asset management, and capital upgrade projects, as appropriate, to increase resilience in ports to the impacts of natural hazards. This Technical Note has six sections, as follows: overview: a summary of why Pacific ports is particularly exposed to natural hazards; mapping Pacific Islands’ Current Exposure to Hazards: descriptions of the seven natural hazards facing Pacific Island countries (PICs), and maps showing where in the Pacific their main impacts are felt; identifying where the greatest hazards lie, a hazard heat map for the pacific: quantitative and qualitative measures of the hazard intensities are summarized for primary and hub ports, with general observations and conclusions; current status of infrastructure upgrades in Pacific ports: a summary of work, both completed and planned, in each of the PIC12 primary ports, between 2007 and 2022; port master planning to future-proof Pacific ports: a brief outline of port master planning, strategic asset management and risk analysis, and principles of asset management for port infrastructure; and conclusions and recommendations.
Gender Inclusive Legislation in Vietnam: How to Design a Gender Equality Law Inclusive of Sexual and Gender Minorities

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-21) Buchhave,Helle ; Rana,Trishna Rajyalaxmi ; Arnal Rodriguez,Lucia

In every country, including Vietnam, certain groups confront barriers that prevent them from participating equally in their nation’s political, economic, and social life. These groups are excluded through a number of practices, ranging from stereotyping, to stigmatization, to superstitions. Because of deeply entrenched prejudice and harmful social norms sexual and gender minorities continue to endure discrimination, economic and social exclusion, and violence. The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) of Vietnam is undertaking an update to the country’s Gender Equality Law (GEL) of 2006. Because the country’s legal framework refers to gender equality in binary terms male and female without reference to inclusion based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), this update presents a great opportunity and critical entry point to broaden the scope and definition of gender equality to include SOGIESC. The note begins by examining the available data on LGBTI people globally, including the many challenges they face. After presenting the economic case for inclusion, the note examines international policy frameworks on SOGIESC inclusion. It then analyzes the legal framework for SOGIESC inclusion in Vietnam and goes on to assess the key gaps in the current GEL in addressing the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities. The note proposes concrete recommendations to make the GEL more inclusive of LGBTI people with recommendations for new or updated text to specific articles in the current GEL.
Crisis and Recovery: Learning from COVID-19’s Economic Impacts and Policy Responses in East Asia

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-11) World Bank

More than three years after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region, it is time to take stock of the lasting effects—and opportunities—of the pandemic and identify which policies may have helped stem the economic losses suffered by households and firms. To do so, this regional report examines the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on households and firms in six countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. This volume examines: (a) the links between impacts on firms and households, in particular through the employment channel, and (b) governments’ fiscal responses to the COVID crisis, through transfers, subsidies, and taxes. It identifies and explains changes in household well-being by examining the economic effects of the pandemic on labor markets. As the source of employment and wage income, businesses have a direct role in determining jobs and earnings, and, indirectly, welfare, poverty, and inequality. When faced with a shock, firms responded by adjusting employment, reducing wages, increasing prices, and reducing services provided. All of these channels directly affected households’ wellbeing. For this reason, the report focuses on firms in addition to households. Governments responded through various instruments, providing transfers and subsidies and lowering the tax burden to both households and firms.
A Growing Crisis: Work, Workers, and Wellbeing in Myanmar

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-06-15) Sinha Roy, Sutirtha ; Demarchi, Giorgia ; Rhoads, Elizabeth

Myanmar’s economy has been affected by numerous internal and external shocks since 2020. This report takes stock of the effect of these shocks on Myanmar’s workers and their well-being using a reliable new source of household data. The report compares employment indicators from 2017 and 2022 to spotlight the extent of adversity faced by workers and households. Employment indicators for 2017 are based on official Myanmar living conditions survey (MLCS) data. MSPS provides reliable employment indicators at the sub-national level for 2022 that are comparable with baseline official data from 2017. MSPS provides reliable employment indicators at the sub-national level for 2022 that are comparable with baseline official data from 2017. While anchored in the MSPS, this report complements quantitative data with qualitative insights from the community welfare monitoring surveys, in particular the March 2023 round, conducted by the World Bank since 2020. This report is organized as follows: chapter 1 provides a snapshot of overall labor market changes since 2017 and focuses on disparities by gender, employment type, industry of occupation, and other worker characteristics. Chapter 2 analyzes similarities and differences in level employment indicators by state and regions. Chapter 3 concludes by spotlighting key township level characteristics that have influenced workers, their work prospects, and their overall well-being.
Digitalizing SMEs to Boost Competitiveness

(Washington, DC, 2022-10) World Bank

While Malaysia’s digital economy had already been growing rapidly over the past decade, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has further accelerated this trend. In particular, increased access to digital platforms has enabled businesses of all sizes to mitigate the crisis’ adverse impacts. At the same time, the depth and breadth of small and medium enterprise (SME) digitalization has remained limited, suggesting a growing risk of digital divide in the country. This report analyzes opportunities and challenges for Malaysian SMEs to better leverage digital tools and platforms to increase their productivity and competitiveness. It is structured around three complementary analytical pillars: (i) a digital business landscape diagnostic presenting the extent of digitalization and use of digital platforms among SMEs in traditional sectors, and the constraints that SMEs still face to digitalize; (ii) an institutional and policy mapping reviewing the government of Malaysia’s efforts to foster SME digitalization; and (iii) a digital market regulations assessment evaluating the adequacy of Malaysia’s digital regulatory environment, to identify shortcomings that may undermine SMEs’ capacity to access and benefit from the use of digital platforms. The analysis has been undertaken with a view to inform the implementation of the Malaysia Digital Blueprint (MyDIGITAL).
COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea - Economic and Social Impacts: Insights from the Fourth Round of High Frequency Phone Surveys - Data Collected in December 2021

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-07-18)

This report focuses on the socio-economic impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Papua New Guinea. The report shows insights from the fourth round of high frequency phone surveys conducted as of December 2021. Economic recovery was weak with household incomes falling. Low vaccination rates may further hinder recovery and welfare outcomes.
COVID-19 in Solomon Islands - Economic and Social Impacts: Insights from the January-February 2022 Round of High Frequency Phone Surveys

(Washington, DC, 2022-07) World Bank

This report focuses on the socio-economic impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Solomon Islands. The fourth round of the high frequency phone survey (HFPS) interviewed 2,671 households in January-February 2022 on the socio-economic impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19), including employment and income, community trust and security and COVID-19 vaccination. The January-February 2022 round occurred at the onset of the first wave of COVID-19.
Ecological Compensation in China: Trends and Opportunities for Incentive-Based Policies Towards a Greener China

(Washington, DC, 2022-02-11) World Bank

China is a global leader in the use of ecological compensation (“eco-compensation”)—fiscal transfers for environmental and natural resources management. China is one of the most fiscally decentralized countries in the world, with 85 percent of government spending occurring at subnational levels. In this context, fiscal transfers are one of the national government’s most important tools for motivating and aligning environmental actions across levels of government and jurisdictional boundaries. The government has signaled a strong interest in expanding eco-compensation as part of reforms towards a higher quality greener growth model. Drawing on a unique dataset built from records across government, academia, and news media, this report traces the rise of eco-compensation, explores its current use, provides recommendations to strengthen impacts, and distills broad lessons from China for similar policies globally.
Dealing with Disasters: Analyzing Vanuatu’s Economy and Public Finances Through the Lens of Disaster Resilience

(Washington, DC, 2022-02-01) World Bank

This report provides a selected analysis of Vanuatu’s economy and public finances, emphasizing the lens of disaster resilience. It draws upon the analysis and tools from two core World Bank diagnostic products, the Country Economic Memorandum (CEM) and Public Expenditure Review (PER) while bringing the depth and breadth of the analysis to scale with country context and key constraints. In terms of the economic analysis, the report first examines the country’s recent economic performance, followed by an analysis of the agriculture sector, labor mobility, and the tourism sector. In terms of public expenditure analysis, the report first discusses overall fiscal trends and prospects, after which the overarching Public Financial Management (PFM) framework is analyzed. The report concludes with an analysis of public spending in the education and health sectors.