Sector/Thematic Studies

6,525 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

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 180

Taking Stock, March 2023: Harnessing the Potential of the Services Sector or Growth

(Washington DC, 2023-03-14) World Bank

The services sector has been a critical contributor to economic growth in Vietnam but its performance lags comparators The services sector has been the economy’s largest sector for the past decade. Looking ahead, services could play a crucial role in supporting Vietnam to sustain productivity growth and achieve its ambition to become a high-income economy by 2045. However, the performance of Vietnam’s services sector lags peer countries. Small scale of firms, restrictions to services trade, low technological adoption and few inter-sectoral linkages affect productivity. Based on the preliminary analysis presented in this report, the four broad policy directions can be identified. First, Vietnam could further reduce restrictions to services trade and foreign investment. Second, Vietnam should encourage further adoption of digital technologies within firms to spur innovation. Third, focus should be on strengthening workers skills especially basic digital skills and the capabilities of firms and managers. Lastly, Vietnam should leverage services to promote further growth of other sectors, especially manufacturing.
Taking Stock, August 2022 : Educate to Grow

(Washington, DC, 2022-08) World Bank

As the two-year Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis appears to wane, new economic shocks have cast shadows over the global economy heightening uncertainty about the short-to-medium path to recovery. The supply shock associated with the war in Ukraine is expected to blunt the promising economic recovery around the world and has raised the specter of stagflation in advanced countries, leading to tightening conditions in global financial markets. Measures undertaken by China to control the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are also impacting its growth and the performance of global value chains. Additional risks threaten the recovery prospects of the global economy. New COVID-19 variants continue to be a severe risk, and as people around the world grow weary of pandemic-measures, this ‘fatigue’ could hamper attempts at controlling the spread. Vietnam’s economy is rebounding after two bruising years but faces domestic challenges and an unfavorable external environment in the short-to-medium-term. High vaccination rates facilitated the re-opening of the Vietnamese economy after the lockdowns of Q3-2021. Chapter 1 of this Taking Stock report reviews the recent developments in Vietnam’s economy and assesses its short-to-medium term prospects. It examines the country’s growth performance, its external balance, and monetary and fiscal policy responses during the first half of 2022. Chapter 2 reviews the performance in tertiary education access and outcomes.
Policy Brief : Reduction of Single-use Plastics in Vietnam

(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022-04) World Bank

Vietnam is one of the world’s major plastic litter polluters; every year an estimated 280,000 to 310,000 tons of plastic leak into the ocean. The roadmap focuses on reducing the single use plastics (SUPs) polluting Vietnam’s environment such as non-degradable plastic bags; EPS food containers; plastic straws, cutlery, cups, lids, and drink stirrers; and shampoo and other toiletry bottles. The government of Vietnam has committed to banning the production and importing of plastic bags by 2026 and most single-use plastic products by 2031.
Toward a National Single-use Plastics Roadmap in Vietnam: Strategic Options for Reducing Priority Single-use Plastics

(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022-04) World Bank

The government of Vietnam has set ambitious targets for reducing marine plastic litter. In its National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter by 2030, Vietnam’s government committed to cutting marine plastic litter by 50 and 75 percent, respectively, by 2025 and 2030. Reducing plastics pollution requires a three-pillar pathway that aligns with the 2021 ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combatting Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States (2021–2025). Pillar 1: Reduce Inputs into the System focuses on upstream measures such as reducing the use of single-use, low-value plastics. Pillar 2: Enhance Collection and Minimize Leakage focuses on improving solid waste management systems and putting extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy reforms in place. Pillar 3: Create Value for Waste Reuse focuses on the development of markets for plastics recycling and reuse. This report specifically focuses on Pillar 1: Reduce Inputs in the System and provides policy options for how to reduce single use plastics (SUPs). However, significant progress on all three pillars is needed to achieve the ambitious commitments in Vietnam’s National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter by 2030. Policies for Pillars 2 and 3 do not tackle reducing SUP consumption, directly; instead, they focus more on sustainable alternatives and waste management. The objective of this report is to present short-term policy options for Vietnam’s government to consider implementing over the next five years (2022–2026) to achieve significant reduction in the use of single-use plastics. This report summarizes a broad range of policies for eliminating SUPs that include restricting the distribution of SUPs, charging fees when SUPs are used, and banning certain SUPs, and it includes a roadmap for how to implement the proposed policies. In order avoid disruptive economic impacts, the roadmap recommends reducing SUPs in phases, which begin with restrictions and fees, and then gradually progress toward total bans.
No Time to Waste: The Challenges and Opportunities of Cleaner Trade for Vietnam

(World Bank, Hanoi, 2022-01-12) World Bank

The Twenty-sixth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was held in early November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland, at which Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Phạm Minh Chính, pledged once again that Vietnam would be part of the global climate change solution. The country aims to increase the share of clean energy in its total primary energy supply to at least 20 percent by 2030 and 30 percent by 2045 and has pledged to phase out coal-fueled power generation and made a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Trade can be a central part of the solution to climate change Vietnam is experiencing and will have to deal with in years to come. Green trade or cleaner trade, trade in environmental or environmentally friendly goods can help Vietnam achieve not only its climate commitments but also its development ambition to become a high-income economy by 2045 as set out in the 2021–2030 Social Economic Development Strategy (SEDS). This edition of Taking Stock reviews the recent developments in the Vietnamese economy and discusses the economy’s short- to medium-term prospects, highlighting domestic and external risks associated to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second part of the report elaborates on how Vietnam can harness the impacts of climate change on its trade sector, address challenges and take advantage of new opportunities
Access to Social Assistance Among Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Dutta, Puja Vasudeva

In recognition of the growing inequality of opportunity for ethnic minorities, the Government of Vietnam has expanded the social assistance system to explicitly cover ethnic minorities. However, ethnic minorities, particularly women, often face barriers of access to these programs. This paper identifies potential barriers of access at every stage of social assistance delivery; it also examines patterns in the use of social assistance transfers. The aim is to apply this knowledge in designing context-specific pilot(s) to address the specific constraints identified. The analysis is based on anthropological desk reviews of selected ethnic minority groups, quantitative analysis of recent household surveys and qualitative research in four provinces (Ha Giang, Quang Nam, Tra Vinh and Lam Dong). The authors focus primarily on the 13 main ethnic minority groups in these four provinces.
Supporting Resilient Coastal Economies in Vietnam: PART A : Practical Guidance for Assessing the Value of Key Natural Assets in Coastal Areas

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

Inclusive and environmentally sound sustainable development requires managing natural resources that societies depend on for the long term. In the context of marine and coastal resources which provide an important source of income for large numbers of households and revenue for countries, this implies balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the use of the natural resources in marine and coastal areas. The term “blue economy” is increasingly being used to describe this balanced approach. For coastal countries such as Vietnam, the importance of its marine economy is well known. The country has used the goods and services provided by the natural assets in its near-shore and coastal areas – including fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, lagoons, and sandy beaches – for tourism, production of seafood, and controlling climate events that cause erosion and weathering. This report focuses on adapting guidance for the valuation of key natural assets in coastal areas to Vietnam’s context, considering data availability and the nature of the natural assets in the country. The content of the report was developed following efforts to value natural assets in coastal areas in selected locations in Vietnam with the intention of providing relevant guidance for scaling out such efforts and ensuring they are done in a systematic manner and can inform the implementation of the Marine Strategy to 2030 with a view to 2045.
Supporting Resilient Coastal Economies in Vietnam: Technical Guidance for Implementing Coastal Setback Lines

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

Inclusive and environmentally sound sustainable development requires managing natural resources that societies depend on for the long term. In the context of marine and coastal resources which provide an important source of income for large numbers of households and revenue for countries, this implies balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the use of the natural resources in marine and coastal areas. The term “blue economy” is increasingly being used to describe this balanced approach. For coastal countries such as Vietnam, the importance of its marine economy is well known. The country has used the goods and services provided by the natural assets in its near-shore and coastal areas – including fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, lagoons, and sandy beaches - for tourism, production of seafood, and controlling climate events that cause erosion and weathering. This report focuses on a critical issue related to effective integrated coastal zone management - establishment of coastal setbacks. The purpose of this report is to help operationalize the requirements associated with establishing coastal setbacks. The work focuses on providing practical guidance drawing on experiences in various provinces.
What Is It Worth?: Testing a Practical Approach to Assess and Value Natural Assets in Coastal Areas of Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province and Tam Giang – Cau Hai Wetland in Thua Thien Hue Province

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

Inclusive and environmentally sound sustainable development requires managing natural resources that societies depend on for the long term. In the context of marine and coastal resources which provide an important source of income for large numbers of households and revenue for countries, this implies balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the use of the natural resources in marine and coastal areas. The term “blue economy” is increasingly being used to describe this balanced approach. For coastal countries such as Vietnam, the importance of its marine economy is well known. The country has used the goods and services provided by the natural assets in its near-shore and coastal areas – including fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, lagoons, and sandy beaches – for tourism, production of seafood, and controlling climate events that cause erosion and weathering. This report focuses on testing a practical approach to assess and value natural assets in select coastal areas of Vietnam. The content of the report was developed in close coordination with the provinces where the work was conducted and involved collection of primary data (during the time of COVID). The intention of this report is to provide practical example of the type of data that can be collected and compiled to estimate the extent and value of key natural assets and inform decision making.
Supporting Resilient Coastal Economies in Vietnam: Informing the operationalization of Vietnam’s Marine Strategy with international experiences

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

Inclusive and environmentally sound sustainable development re - quires managing natural resources that societies depend on for the long term. In the context of marine and coastal resources which pro - vide an important source of income for large numbers of households and revenue for countries, this implies balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the use of the natural resources in marine and coastal areas. The term “blue economy” is increasingly being used to describe this balanced approach. For coastal countries such as Vietnam, the importance of its marine economy is well known. The country has used the goods and services provided by the natural assets in its near-shore and coastal areas - including fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, lagoons, and sandy beaches - for tourism, production of seafood, and controlling climate events that cause erosion and weathering. The purpose of this report is to inform the operationalization of the strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy by 2030, with a vision to 2045 by providing relevant insights from international experiences with blue economy development. The World Bank definition for blue economy - to promote economic growth, social inclusion, and preservation or improvement of livelihoods while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability – is used as a guiding framework for this work.