Sector/Thematic Studies

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2110

Economic and Sectoral Work are original analytic reports authored by the World Bank and intended to influence programs and policy in client countries. They convey Bank-endorsed recommendations and represent the formal opinion of a World Bank unit on the topic. This set includes the sectoral and thematic studies which are not Core Diagnostic Studies. Other analytic and advisory activities (AAA), including technical assistance studies, are included in these sectoral/thematic collections.

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Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions Insight

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 225

From Good to Great in Indian Tertiary Education: Realizing the Promise of the National Education Policy

(World Bank, Washington DC, 2023-03-23) Arnhold,Nina ; Dey,Sangeeta ; Goyal,Sangeeta ; Larsen,Kurt ; Tognatta,Namrata Raman ; Tognatta,Namrata ; Salmi,Jamil

India has one of the largest and fastest-growing tertiary education systems in the world. The system enrolls 37 million students across nearly 50,000 institutions. The recently endorsed National Education Policy (NEP) aims at a further doubling of the gross enrollment ratio in higher education from 26.3 percent to 50 percent by 2035. Despite its size and growth rate, and the emphasis placed on tertiary education by Indian policymakers in recent times, the system has faced continuous challenges of equitable access, quality, governance, and financing, with the quality of inputs and outputs not keeping pace with the expansion of the sector. The World Bank has supported tertiary education in India through a series of engagements in technical education at the national level, and general tertiary education in specific states. The NEP’s proposal for broad-based tertiary education reforms as a key step toward transforming the tertiary education sector in India aligns with the Bank’s global tertiary education strategy and presents an opportunity for the Bank’s engagement in this area through analytic work, dialogue with key stakeholders, and strategic engagement with states and tertiary education institutions. Based on this analysis, the World Bank in 2020-2021 expanded its engagement in Indian tertiary education through dedicated analytical and advisory work in the NEP context. Focusing on the areas of access and equity, employability, digitalization, internationalization, academic careers, governance, funding, as well as quality assurance, the World Bank conducted a series of virtual events and prepared technical reports discussing the status quo in Indian tertiary education in the context of the proposed NEP reforms and international trends. The report at hand provides a summary of the outcomes of this work.
Innovation to Strengthen Social Protection and Nutritional Support within a Tuberculosis Control Program: Evidence and Emerging Lessons from India

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-10) World Bank

Eliminating tuberculosis (TB) as a public health concern is not only about saving lives, but also equally an important economic investment. In line with this, the Government of India (GOI) has a target of elimination of TB by 2025, through innovative measures, including providing multiple direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes for patients and providers and using technology to strengthen service delivery. The GOI has implemented DBT for more than 300 social protection schemes, including eleven in the health sector. This policy brief explicitly focuses on the DBT scheme for TB patients. The four supporting DBT schemes for TB include: (i) under the Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY), monetary incentives are provided for each notified TB patient until the completion of the treatment; (ii) Ni-Kshay monetary incentives are provided for the private providers and informants for the notification and until completion of the treatment of patients treated by private providers; (iii) transport monetary incentive for TB patients in notified tribal areas; and (iv) honorarium to treatment supporters who may be individual volunteers or non-profit organizations providing support to TB patients. This policy brief documents and distills lessons from NPY’s early implementation of DBT in three states and six districts in India.
FinHealth Andhra Pradesh (India): Analyzing Public Financial Management Systems that Affect Service Delivery Outcomes

(World Bank, Washington DC, 2022-08) Jha, Rajesh ; Smith, Owen ; Jain, Manoj

While high levels of political commitment to improve health outcomes in the state have ensured that Andhra Pradesh (AP) ranks fourth among the category of twenty-one large states in the NITI Aayog Health Index, the health sector is challenged by an epidemiological transition with rising incidence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The state has made significant achievements in the last five years in almost all key maternal and child health indicators. Despite these improvements, prevalence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) among children under five years appears to be on the rise. Wide inter district variations in the health outcomes indicate challenges in equity and access. Since tax-financed government revenues are essential for progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), and efficient allocation and use of such revenues is more critical in resource-constrained environments, the state government agreed to undertake an assessment of public financial management (PFM) systems within the health sector. In recognition of this agenda, an assessment of the potential for achieving better alignment between the PFM and health systems was undertaken in August 2022. AP was the first state in India for the assessment.
Financing India’s Urban Infrastructure Needs: Constraints to Commercial Financing and Prospects for Policy Action

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022) Athar, Sohaib ; White, Roland ; Goyal, Harsh

India is rapidly urbanizing, with about 600 million people expected to be living in cities by 2036. This will put additional pressure on the already stretched urban infrastructure and services in these cities. This report estimates that India will need $840 billion in investment into urban infrastructure over the next 15 years—or $55 billion per year on average—if it is to effectively meet the needs of this fast-growing population. Despite a recent increase in public sector financing, there is still a large shortfall of resources relative to these needs. Financing from private and commercial sources, such as through municipal debt and public-private partnerships, can play a substantial role in addressing this shortfall. However, the use of such financing is very limited at present even in financially strong cities. This report analyses the demand- and supply-side constraints to raising private financing for urban infrastructure and provides policy actions to address them. It first presents latest estimates of future infrastructure investment needs for Indian cities and reviews recent trends in municipal finance and private commercial financing to meet these needs, focusing on municipal debt (such as loans and municipal bonds) and public-private partnerships. It then assesses the key constraints that undermine the mobilization of private finance for urban infrastructure. Finally, it provides proposals for policy action on how these constraints can be addressed at the demand and supply sides and shows how the Government of India can play an important role in removing various market frictions faced by cities. It proposes sequenced measures that can be taken at the city, state, and federal levels to create an environment in which private commercial finance becomes a much bigger part of the solution to India’s urban investment challenge.
Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector

(Washington, DC, 2022) World Bank

India, recognizing the complex challenges of rising temperatures, was one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive Cooling Action Plan in 2019. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) sets out a long-term vision of ensuring sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits. The ICAP recognizes that cooling is a cross-sectoral challenge, and that sustainable delivery of cooling is needed to deliver climate-resilient economic growth. To help India achieve the ICAP’s bold vision while identifying entry points for World Bank sectoral engagement, the Bank commissioned a study in December 2020, with the aim of identifying practical ways to Support the Implementation of the ICAP, including via identification of the role of concessional finance in delivering cooling solutions. Following a consultation process involving over 20 different stakeholders from academia, industry, thinktanks and the Government, the study found that over the next few decades, the projected growth of cooling-related sectors will result in an exponential rise in cooling and refrigerant demands, and energy consumption in all sectors. This will be matched with an increase in GHG emissions, projected to double by 2027. It concludes that India’s cooling strategy can help mitigate risks of heat on lives and livelihoods, lower carbon emissions, and position India as a global hub for green cooling manufacturing. Additionally, India’s long-term food security and public health security depend on a reliable cold chain network. Unlocking opportunities to create a sustainable cooling strategy will also help India in its post-COVID recovery by boosting investments, creating jobs, reducing emissions, and securing the supply chains of medical care products, health infrastructure, as well as food products. The study includes a series of roadmaps designed to help achieve sustainable cooling in key ICAP thematic areas, i.e., Space Cooling in Buildings, Cold-Chain and Refrigeration (Agriculture and Health), Passenger Transport Air-Conditioning and Refrigerants. The study finds that concessional finance by multilateral development banks, financial institutions and the private sector will play a key role in helping India develop financial instruments and innovative models to accelerate the adoption of sustainable cooling measures. These innovative financial instruments will be crucial to develop and transform the cooling market in India.
Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in Nepal from Enhanced Regional Connectivity

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-12) World Bank

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. It is a form of modern-day slavery that involves the recruitment, harboring, or transportation of people into an exploitative situation by means of violence, deception, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. In Nepal, the most widespread forms of human trafficking are for forced labor, domestic servitude, prostitution and sexual exploitation, and organ extraction. The country’s open borders with India, and to some extent China, with limited border surveillance, have enabled transnational crimes such as human trafficking. The World Bank has extended technical and financial assistance to large-scale infrastructure projects in Nepal, some for improved transport connectivity and trade facilitation both within the country and within the region. The nature of these investments must be looked at through the lens of enhancing long-term economic growth and prosperity, which is jeopardized by human trafficking. As a result, this study was conducted to draw links between the various aspects of development projects, in particular, improved transport connectivity and migration, that either contribute, mitigate, facilitate, or prevent trafficking in men, women, and children.
The Evolving Role of the Planning Function: International Experience and Reform Options for India

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11-01) World Bank

This note presents the main trends in strategic planning across public sector administrations in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, South Korea, and Colombia. It was prepared in response to the Indian Government's interest in understanding the emerging trends in the evolution of strategic planning in a range of countries and effectively adapting this function across public administration at the national and subnational levels.
The Potential of Zero-Carbon Bunker Fuels in Developing Countries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-15) Englert, Dominik ; Losos, Andrew ; Raucci, Carlo ; Smith, Tristan

To meet the climate targets set forth in the International Maritime Organization’s Initial GHG Strategy, the maritime transport sector needs to abandon the use of fossil-based bunker fuels and turn toward zero-carbon alternatives which emit zero or at most very low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout their lifecycles. This report, “The Potential of Zero-Carbon Bunker Fuels in Developing Countries”, examines a range of zero-carbon bunker fuel options that are considered to be major contributors to shipping’s decarbonized future: biofuels, hydrogen and ammonia, and synthetic carbon-based fuels. The comparison shows that green ammonia and green hydrogen strike the most advantageous balance of favorable features due to their lifecycle GHG emissions, broader environmental factors, scalability, economics, and technical and safety implications. Furthermore, the report finds that many countries, including developing countries, are very well positioned to become future suppliers of zero-carbon bunker fuels—namely ammonia and hydrogen. By embracing their potential, these countries would be able to tap into an estimated $1+ trillion future fuel market while modernizing their own domestic energy and industrial infrastructure. However, strategic policy interventions are needed to unlock these potentials.
Strengthening Teacher Mentoring and Monitoring Systems: Evidence from India

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03) Vivek, Kumar ; Bhattacharjee, Pradyumna ; Mani, Subha ; Kumar, Avinav

Over the last 10 years, a special cadre of middle-level management known as Resource Persons (RPs) was specifically created in India for carrying out teacher mentoring and monitoring activities. Despite being allocated almost one-third of the education budget targeted at improving learning outcomes, the RPs are a poorly understood cadre with little known about their roles, responsibilities and effectiveness. In this paper, drawing on detailed data collected from school audits, unannounced classroom observations, student, teacher and RP surveys in approximately 350 primary and upper primary schools in Jharkhand, India, authors assess RPs’ mentoring and monitoring activities. This assessment points to several interesting findings. First, most children are behind their grade level in terms of achieving proficiency in reading and math. Second, teacher absenteeism remains a significant problem. Third, despite high levels of self-reported effort by RPs, these efforts do not translate into effective teaching activities. We postulate that asymmetries in contractual arrangements and demographic and social attributes between RPs and teachers limit RP mentoring efforts. Fourth, student responses on teaching methods are more consistent with independent classroom observations than teacher or RP reports on teaching activities. Our findings have three important policy recommendations: a) for improving teacher mentoring, more educated and qualified RPs must be hired and re-trained who are then entrusted with the sole responsibility of mentoring teachers; b) for improving teacher monitoring, governments should pilot student assessments of teaching activities along with independent school monitoring that eventually builds a culture of feedback based on accurate data to improve teaching and teacher mentoring; c) for improving both teacher monitoring and mentoring, the state should invest in holistically improving the use of enabler technology systems through technologies that work in constrained environments, a robust EMIS with strong data management capabilities, and a workforce with digital competence.
Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-02-16) World Bank

Road crashes endanger the lives and livelihoods of millions of road users globally and in India. Owing to the epidemic of road crashes, in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2011 - 2020 as the "Decade of Action for Road Safety" and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included two important targets on road safety. The risk of a road crash in low-income countries is three times higher than compared to that in high-income countries. Not only does it lead to untold and unaccounted for suffering and loss for victims and their families, but also, it drains the GDP of countries by claiming millions of economically productive young lives. The World Bank estimates the total cost of Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) at 172 billion dollars (INR 12.9 lakh crore) for the year 2016. While it is recognized that RTIs affect the developed and developing world in different ways, it also impacts poor households and disadvantaged sections of the population within developing countries differently. World Bank commissioned a survey-based assessment study in association with the Save LIFE Foundation (SLF) to determine such differential impacts more objectively in India. This study aims to capture the socioeconomic realities and nuances of road crashes at the sub-national level in India. It seeks to document inter-linkages between poverty, inequalities, road users, and road crash outcomes by analyzing data from four States in India, i.e., Uttar Pradesh, Bihar ,Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The four states have been selected on the basis of several criteria including demographic and geographical representation, magnitude of fatality burden and socio-economic parameters such as economic growth, poverty rate and social welfare. One state from each of the four geographical zones of the country were selected which cumulatively represents about one third of total road crash deaths in the country. In terms of economic parameters, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are selected to represent High Capacity States (HCS) whereas Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are selected to represent Low Capacity States (LCS).