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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Pharmacovigilance in Brazil: Creating an Effective System in a Diverse Country

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-08-15) Wang, Huihui ; Figueras, Albert ; Marquez, Patricio V. ; Bieliaieva, Kseniya

The ability to oversee and monitor the use of all newly authorized drugs and vaccines, both brand name and generic, is critical to ensure that they work correctly and that their health benefits outweigh their known risks when used in daily clinical practice. This process, known as pharmacovigilance, plays a vital role in ensuring that patients receive appropriate vaccines and medicines that are safe and effective. While this may seem obvious, the process of building the necessary capacity and even recognition of the importance of this work has taken decades. Brazil is a particularly notable example because it ranks in the top five amongst the largest and the most populated countries—two characteristics that difficult the deployment and consolidation of a pharmacovigilance system.
Gender-Based Violence Country Profile: Brazil

(Washington, DC, 2023-06-01) World Bank

In Brazil, violence against women and girls (VAWG), which is a manifestation of gender-based violence (GBV), is a major concern. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence. The COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 added new layers of complexity to the already unsettling GBV situation in the country. Services that are part of the national network to end violence against women, including health, social assistance, public security, and justice services, were stalled during critical transmission peaks, and faced budget cuts, as resources were redirected to fund emergency response actions related to the pandemic.
Opportunities for All: Brazil Policy Notes 2022

(Washington, DC, 2022-12) World Bank

This package of Public Policy Notes is directed to Brazilian policy makers and society to present the World Bank Group’s overview of key challenges facing the country at this juncture, and possible ways forward to address them. We present an agenda prioritized around four issues of core relevance to Brazil’s recovery and its future resilience. First is the goal of financing development sustainably given the immediate challenge of situating the country’s enormous growth, inclusion and climate action needs within a credible macroeconomic framework and efficient and effective fiscal policies. The second theme addressed in this note is building opportunities through productivity-led growth. With the growing reliance of Brazilians on social assistance policies, it is critical to keep sight of growth and jobs as the most important vehicles for the dignity and upward mobility of the poor. Third is increasing the capabilities and economic inclusion of the poor so that they are better able to capture the opportunities that come with growth. Thefourth theme we address in this note is meeting Brazil’s potential as a as a leader in green and climate friendly development. This document is accompanied by a package of six policy presentations and an underlying set of more detailed policy reports that can be accesses here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/brazil.
Brazil Human Capital Review: Investing in People

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-06-30) World Bank

How much talent is lost in Brazil because of unideal education and health conditions The Brazil Human Capital Review is part of the Human Capital Project, a global initiative of the World Bank Group that aims to raise attention on the importance of investing in people. Its focus relies on the conditions hindering children to flourish their potential labor productivity in Brazil. As a first step, this report proposes the Human Capital Index (HCI) to estimate the expected productivity of a child born today by the age of 18 when education and health conditions remain unaltered. Or simply, the HCI estimates the productivity level of the next generation of works. The results are alarming. How can Brazil recover from a decade lost in terms of human capital formation Mitigating the effects of the pandemic should be a priority. In the short-term, recommendations include: (a) adapt and strengthen policies already in place that have proven effects on human capital; (b) use the national conditional cash transfer program to support those more heavily affected by the pandemic; and (c) set as utmost priority a learning recovery and acceleration plan for the coming years.
Subnational Civil Servant Pension Schemes in Brazil: Context, History, and Lessons of Reform

(Washington, DC, 2022-03) World Bank

Brazil's pension system takes up an oversized proportion of its social protection spending. It comprises of Regime Geral de Previdéncia Social (RGPS), covering private sector workers, and over two thousand Regimes Pröprios de Previdéncia Social (RPPS), insuring public civil servants at federal and subnational levels. While the total membership of RPPS only stands at about 10 percent of RGPS coverage, its spending amounts to almost half of RGPS pension outlays. This paper attempts to present an integrated view of RPPS pension schemes, their influence on subnational budgets, and their interaction with human resource policies. After a brief introduction, Chapter 3 starts by documenting the history of civil service and its associated pension schemes, looking for explanations on how subnational RPPS became so big, dispersed, and difficult to reform. The fiscal consequences of subnational civil service pension scheme expansion and maturation, including RPPS role in the fiscal challenges and policies of the last few years, are discussed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 attempts to expose important interlinkages between pension and human resource policies and argues for the need of integrated policy approach. Chapter 6 describes the history of previous RPPS reform attempts, while Chapter 7 focuses on the effects of federal pension reform of 2019 on subnational civil servant pension schemes. The paper ends with lessons and policy recommendations for the future.
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.
Brazil - Trade Facilitation Challenges for Women Traders and Customs Brokers: Survey Findings and Recommendations

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

Gender equality and inclusion are central to the World Bank Group’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Research has shown that the expansion of international trade is essential for poverty reduction, and it provides better job opportunities and increased returns particularly for women working in export-oriented sectors because exporting companies tend to offer more stable employment, higher wages, and better working conditions than the domestic, informal sector. To better understand the cross-border trade and trade facilitation environment in Brazil, especially whether there are gendered differences or disparities between those that identify as belonging to ethnic minority groups or having special needs, the World Bank Group undertook a study through telephone surveys of cross-border trade firms. Customs brokers were also surveyed given that a large majority of traders in Brazil hire customs brokers and/or other agents to facilitate import and export processes and procedures. The work related to this report was undertaken as part of a larger package of technical trade facilitation support to the government of Brazil. The overall objective of this work was to identify specific barriers, broken down by gender, that men and women-led companies and customs brokers face in the cross-border trade of merchandise goods. Where possible, the work high-lighted the experiences of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. This report summarizes the main challenges that cross-border traders (at the firm level) and customs brokers are facing related to import and export processes and procedures in Brazil. This report also includes recommendations to address the challenges identified, primarily within the scope of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA).
Street Lighting Impacts in Brazil

(Washington, DC, 2020-09) World Bank

Over the next 13 years, Feira de Santana, in the state of Bahia (BA), and Aracaju, in the state of Sergipe (SE) will both benefit from significant investments in street lighting. Several studies have discussed the many benefits of this type of investment, including the effects of street lighting on people’s perceptions of safety and security. This study aims to provide a baseline to support those lighting interventions and contribute to an evaluation exercise at the end of the investment cycle. The analysis contained herein tries to explore the potential impacts on people’s behavior and perceptions of safety and security, especially among women. It also addresses education and job opportunities.