Other ESW Reports

262 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.

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The Brazil of the Future: Towards Productivity, Inclusion, and Sustainability

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-13) World Bank Group

In 2022, Brazil celebrated its 200th anniversary. What will Brazil celebrate at its 220th anniversary, in 2042? Following the recent elections there is a window of opportunity for reforms that will shape Brazil’s development over the next decades. “The Brazil of the Future: Towards Productivity, Inclusion, and Sustainability” takes a long-term perspective on Brazil’s development, exploring how prudent actions today can generate opportunities for a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable society over the next 20 years. The report aims to stimulate public debate about a virtuous cycle for 2042, illustrated by four alternative future scenarios. With the right reforms Brazil can become an economic powerhouse that offers opportunities for all. A more inclusive social contract can facilitate critical reforms.
Abordando las brechas de derechos humanos de las personas migrantes y refugiadas venezolanas considerando aspectos de género en el Perú

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-03) World Bank

Las Ollas Comunes son espacios autogestionados, conformados principalmente por mujeres, que han surgido históricamente en países de América Latina para responder a crisis multidimensionales y a las necesidades alimentarias de las personas más vulnerables. Este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar oportunidades de integración social entre mujeres peruanas y mujeres migrantes y refugiadas venezolanas mediante su intervención en las Ollas Comunes de Lima. A través de métodos cualitativos y participativos con enfoque etnográfico, se describe la participación de las mujeres en estos espacios comunitarios, se analizan sus dinámicas y se identifican las brechas de derechos humanos basadas en aspectos de género existentes. Los hallazgos del estudio muestran el potencial que poseen las Ollas Comunes como espacios de integración social; por ejemplo, mediante su contribución en la creación de redes de apoyo. En esa línea, el estudio incluye recomendaciones para incrementar el impacto positivo de las Ollas Comunes en la integración social de mujeres venezolanas refugiadas y migrantes a las comunidades de acogida.
Towards Better Labor Migration Systems in Northern Central America: Overview of Findings from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-01) World Bank

This note aims to close the knowledge gap about the effectiveness and capacity of labor migration sending systems in NCA countries. The report assesses whether NCA countries have the fundamental elements of an effective labor migration sending system, identifies the missing elements, and offers recommendations for strengthening the systems over time. Filling such a knowledge gap is critical to inform policies that maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of economic migration. Programs and policies that help expand legal pathways for regular migration will not only promote mutually beneficial migration, but could be a step, albeit small, towards dissuading individuals from pursuing risky migration patterns. Indeed, evidence from Mexico indicates that investing in legal labor pathways can reduce irregular migration (Clemens and Gough, 2018). In this context, this note summarizes the main findings from three institutional diagnostics of the labor migration sending systems in NCA countries, with a view to deepening the understanding of the supply side of labor flows. To this end, and building on previous World Bank experience globally, a diagnostic tool was developed to identify what steps the NCA governments have taken to recognize and respond to foreign demand for workers. The tool examines if appropriate structures, systems, processes, and resources exist to prepare and deliver adequate labor supply arrangements in the context of bilateral agreements (BLAs) or Temporary Work Agreements (TWAs) with other countries. The diagnostic tool is organized around four main pillars to regulate, facilitate, fortify, and further access of labor migrants to international labor markets.
Using Behavioral Science in Communication Outreach to Increase Female Participation in Natural Resource Management in Mexico

(Washington, DC, 2022-02-06) World Bank

While a range of public programs in Mexico exist to incentivize communities to conserve and manage forest natural resources, a gender gap persists in the use of these initiatives. The experiment discussed in this report was commissioned by the climate investment funds’ (CIF) evaluation and learning (E and L) initiative to understand how to improve outreach to and encourage women to engage in productive natural resource management (NRM) programs. Following an earlier behavioral diagnostic study, the World Bank and local partners conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effectiveness of behaviorally informed additional outreach and engagement measures for NRM programs in Mexico. This report summarizes the findings of a field experiment commissioned by the CIF E and L initiative, with additional financing from the forest carbon partnership facility (FCPF). The experiment was designed to help identify promising strategies to improve outreach to women in order to encourage them to engage in productive natural resource management programs. This report presents the methodology used for the intervention and experimental design. It provides an analysis of the results at the locality and individual level. Finally, it provides conclusions and policy recommendations.
Accelerating Paraguay’s International Integration through Enhanced Trade, Investment and Competition Policies

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

This report seeks to inform the policy dialogue on how to accelerate Paraguay’s international economic integration and in turn its medium- and long-term growth prospects. It benchmarks Paraguay’s global integration; analyzes trade, investment and competition policies and the quality of related institutions; and provides recommendations for strengthening them and accelerating the country’s global connection. Chapter 2 benchmarks Paraguay’s trade outcomes along several dimensions, including export diversification, quality upgrading and export survival, and Chapter 3 follows with an analysis of how trade policies and the quality of the institutional framework are affecting trade performance and identifies opportunities for improvements. It also estimates the impact of the MERCOSUR-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement on Paraguay. Chapter 4 focuses on FDI patterns and the strengths and shortcomings of the supporting FDI policy framework to help integrate in regional and global value chains. Chapter 5 examines competition challenges in Paraguay’s markets that could be affecting trade and FDI attraction and provides recommendations for strengthening competition policies and institutions. The preparation of this report has benefitted from the analysis of multiple data sources as well as extensive consultations with stakeholders from the private and public sectors.
Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers ML/ TF Risk Assessment Tool: Guidance Manual

(Washington, DC, 2022) World Bank

The World Bank’s VA and VASP ML/TF Risk Assessment Tool (VA-RA) and this Guidance, aims to assist countries in assessing the ML/TF risks of VA activities and the service providers in the financial and non-financial sectors involved in these activities. It outlines the steps and explanations to assist countries to understand the ML/TF risks associated with VA activities. It examines VA activities and VASPs that fall within the scope of the FATF Recommendations, as these VASPs have the same full set of obligations as financial institutions or Designated Non-Financial Businesses or Professions (DNFBPs). It also considers other actors within the technology providers sector that may fall within the definition of FATF VASPs if they provide any of the functions defined in the FATF Recommendation 15.
Non-Profit Organizations TF Risk Assessment Tool: Identifying the FATF NPOs at Risk of Terrorist Financing Abuse - Guidance Manual

(Washington, DC, 2022) World Bank

The National Money Laundering/Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment (NRA) Toolkit has been developed by World Bank Group (WBG) staff members to support WBG client countries and jurisdictions in self-assessing their money laundering and terrorist financing risks.The nonprofit organization (NPO) tool of the NRA Tool serves as an instrument that jurisdictions can use to support their analyses of the terrorist financing abuse of NPOs. Through it, the Working Group will identify NPOs that meet the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) definition, assess the evidence of NPO abuse for terrorist financing, determine the inherent risk (exposure to active terrorist threat), and review the quality of existing mitigation measures. This analysis should seek to complement and draw on national terrorism and terrorist financing risk assessments.
Colombia Public Finance Review

(Washington, DC, 2021-12) World Bank

Over the past twenty years, fiscal policy has become one of the three pillars of macroeconomic stability for Colombia, the other two being the flexible exchange rate and inflation targeting. The credibility and sustainability of fiscal policy is the result of strong institutions (in particular, the fiscal rule and the medium-term fiscal and expenditure framework) and a prudent management of public finances. After the 1999 crisis, Colombia managed to reduce the general government deficit and built buffers, which allowed it to respond to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Colombia successfully withdrew the 2008–09 deficit expansion and ran one of the highest fiscal balances in Latin America, until the COVID-19 crisis hit. The COVID-19 crisis has created a large shock to the economy and to public finances .Growth contracted to a minimum not seen in over 35 years. The economic contraction and the response needed to address the health emergency and to sustain activity pushed the central government’s deficit and the debt to their highest levels in decade, 7.8 and 64 percent of GDP respectively. Gains in poverty reduction reached over the past 10 years were wiped off.
Informality in Colombia : Implications for Worker Welfare and Firm Productivity

(World Bank, 2010-03-01) World Bank

The level of informality in Colombia's labor market is high and persistent. When measuring informality of workers in terms of their contributions to health insurance and pension systems, 74.2 percent of all Colombian labor force was considered informal in 2008. The informality debate has taken on a new sense of urgency, as Colombia's robust economic growth in recent years has not led to significant declines in informality. Even during the period of high economic growth experienced between 2001 and 2007, the share of workers in the informal sector remained very high. This report presents new insights to develop a better understanding of the nature, causes, and consequences of informality and its implications for social policies. The study analyzes informality using the conceptual framework presented in the World Bank flagship study on informality (Perry et al 2007), which shows that informality in the region is a function of both exclusion and exit, with some workers and firms opting out of the formal sector based on their assessment of the relative benefits and costs of formality versus informality. The focus of this report is on exploring options to enhance worker welfare and firm productivity through access to public goods and services, including social protection and productive inputs. Hence, the report adopts definitions and measures of informality separate measures for workers and firms that directly capture the extent to which they are linked to the state and, thus, to public goods and services.
Brazil - Minas Gerais - World Bank Partnership : Building on a Strong Foundation and Leading to Next Steps

( 2007-06-06) World Bank

This document, Minas Gerais World Bank partnership: building on a strong foundation and leading to next steps, points the direction for next steps and emphasizes the elements and principles of a possible follow-up operation to the Development Policy Loan (DPL) that completed disbursement in April 2007, recognizing that it was premature to discuss the specifics of such an operation during this exercise. These elements and principles would provide the incentives and motivations for the choice of focus sectors under a possible Bank operation with Minas Gerais. Lead actively by the Governor and Deputy Governor, the Minas authorities have clearly identified enhancing the living conditions of citizens in the state as the overall priority. Nevertheless, the Minas Gerais targets are ambitious and by international standards there is ample room for additional progress. The report points out that fiscal policies and public sector reforms in Minas Gerais could be expected to yield continued stronger than national average economic growth and progress in creating jobs. The focus of this Partnership document is mainly on the Plano Mineiro de Desenvolvimento Integrado (PMDI) 2007-2023 long-term development strategy with an emphasis on broadening reforms. In short, the sectoral assessments are at the heart of the Partnership dialogue and could be used as the foundation for future development of the relationship, especially in areas of technical assistance or future Bank operations with Minas Gerais.