Sector/Thematic Studies

6,688 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.

Sub-collections of this Collection

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 23

Offshore Wind Roadmap for the Philippines

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-04-18) World Bank

This roadmap provides strategic analysis of the offshore wind development potential in the Philippines, considering the opportunities and challenges under different, hypothetical growth scenarios. The goal is to provide evidence to support the Government of the Philippines in establishing policy, regulations, processes, and infrastructure to enable successful growth of this new industry. The roadmap was initiated by the World Bank country team in the Philippines under the umbrella of the World Bank Group’s (WBG’s) Offshore Wind Development Program—which aims to accelerate offshore wind development in emerging markets—and was funded by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Cultivating Opportunities for Faster Rural Income Growth and Poverty Reduction: Mozambique Rural Income Diagnostic

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-03-01) World Bank

Mozambique’s economy has experienced strong growth over the last two decades, with GDP expanding at an annual average rate of 7.2 percent. However, this growth has been unequally shared and rural areas still lag far behind urban centers in both monetary and non-monetary dimensions of wellbeing. As most poor households live in rural areas, increasing rural incomes is essential to reducing poverty and ensuring the benefits of growth are distributed more equally. Income growth opportunities for rural poor households in Mozambique in the next 5-10 years are predominantly in the agricultural sector. Smallholder farming is the chief activity for most rural households, with income from non-farm sources and migration playing a lesser role and often constrained to specific regions. However, low levels of agricultural productivity, low participation in input and output markets, and high vulnerability to seasonality factors and shocks inhibits the capacity of rural households to increase their incomes. This report proceeds as follows: After setting out the framework and methods in more detail in section two, the following section provides some context by detailing the income, assets, and market engagements of rural households in Mozambique, focusing on a characterization of the livelihoods of the rural bottom 40 percent. Section four discusses the opportunities for growth across the main three sources of rural income (farm, non-farm, and migration). Section five then presents the main barriers to taking advantage of these opportunities, detailing the evidence behind this prioritization for the three most binding set of constraints. From this list of priority constraints, policy actions and investments to address the top three groups of binding constraints are discussed.
Papua New Guinea Economic Update, February 2022: Navigating a Fragile Recovery

(Washington, DC, 2022-02) World Bank

Reflecting a strong global economic rebound, Papua New Guinea (PNG) reversed its downward economic growth trajectory in 2021. The World Bank estimates that the PNG economy contracted by 3.5 percent in 2020 before returning to positive economic growth of 1 percent in 2021. Domestic agricultural production continued unabated through the pandemic, and the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related mobility restrictions were not as severe as in some other economies. However, gross domestic product (GDP) growth has lagged global and regional averages. PNG’s economic performance in 2021 was constrained by falling gold and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production that resulted in a decline in extractive sector output for a second consecutive year. Despite reversing the trajectory of the widening fiscal deficit, it remained large at over 7 percent GDP. Public debt exceeded 50 percent of GDP, and the country is at high risk of debt distress, according to the latest World Bank - International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt sustainability analysis. Despite an accommodative monetary policy, private sector lending remained flat due to subdued economic conditions. The current account surplus remained substantial owing to depressed imports and high commodity prices. However, due to the large debt repayments of the extractive sector, shortages of foreign currency remain a key problem for PNG’s economy.
The Time is Now: How Can Uzbekistan Leverage Urbanization as a Driver of Sustainable Development?

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Sivaev, D. ; Kamilov, I. ; Rossitti, G. ; Orlova, N. ; Vaggione, P.

Urbanization and growth of cities are the defining development trends in Uzbekistan, and the country has a unique opportunity to use them as drivers of development. To make the most of the urbanization opportunity, Uzbekistan needs to learn from global experiences, understand the challenges that growing cities face, and act quickly to create favorable conditions for urbanization. While reforms directly affecting urbanization are already underway in Uzbekistan, they can be more effective if they are based on a better understanding of the ongoing urbanization process and its challenges. Government of Uzbekistan initiatives such as the propiska reform, land privatization, and administrative reforms (among others) will have a direct impact on how cities develop, and whether they become drivers of social and economic progress. This report offers an overview of key characteristics of the urbanization process in Uzbekistan and issues associated with it, and thus sets a baseline for detailed work on advancing policy reforms related to urbanization and urban development. The second chapter of the report offers a review of the key outcomes of urbanization in Uzbekistan thus far and opens discussion about the two critical conditions that could be holding Uzbekistan back: factor market distortion and poor urban management. The third chapter presents more detailed analysis of key urbanization trends in Uzbekistan today and demonstrates the channels through which inefficient factor markets and deficient urban management limit the development benefits of urbanization. Chapter 4 digs deeper into these factors that might be causing the inefficient and unsustainable urbanization trends and attempts to identify policy-relevant conditions that might be driving these trends. Finally, chapter 5 discusses key directions for policy reform that are pivotal for effective and sustainable urbanization and urban growth in Uzbekistan.
Bangladesh Rural Income Diagnostic: Enabling Faster and More Equal Income Growth in Rural Bangladesh

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2021-11-30) Genoni, Maria Eugenia ; Ahmed, Md Mansur ; Gautam, Madhur ; Tillan, Pablo Antonio

This Rural Income Diagnostic (RID) aims to answer the question: “What are the main opportunities and constraints to faster, sustained income growth for poor and vulnerable households in rural Bangladesh” This analysis is motivated by recent evidence highlighting the centrality of rural areas for poverty reduction in Bangladesh and the need to update our understanding of rural income dynamics to better inform policy solutions. The objective of the analysis is to inform the World Bank Systematic Country Diagnostic and governmentplanning. The analysis focuses on areas where progress can be made in the next five years, consistent with the country’s long-term development path. The focus on short-term priorities to accelerate rural income growth needs to be implemented in a manner that is consistent with, and does not distract from, long-run goals and investments that will have very high future returns, especially for the poor. These include investments in child nutrition, health, and education.
Malaysia’s Experience with National Development Planning: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03) World Bank

Malaysia stands out for its strong economic performance and resilience over a period of sixty years which delivered rapid and inclusive economic growth to its diverse population. This paper describes and evaluates Malaysia’s experience with National Development Planning (NDP). It discusses Malaysia’s approach to national planning and how it has successfully driven economic transformation and helped strengthen social cohesion. In particular, it highlights the strengths of the NDP regime, including the strong political support, institutional consistency and the importance placed on engagement and consultation. The paper also highlights the remaining challenges, including effective implementation, institutional misalignments and resourcing challenges, set against a backdrop of rapid economic, social and political change. The results of the assessment should be of interest and relevance to the growing number of countries that have made (or are considering) a return to planning, or countries that are aspiring to undertake their economic transformation.
Indigenous Latin America in the Twenty-First Century: The First Decade

( 2015) World Bank Group

In 2013 the World Bank set itself two ambitious goals: to end extreme poverty within a generation and to boost the prosperity of the bottom 40 percent of the population worldwide. In Latin America, the significance of both goals cannot be overstated. Indigenous people account for about 8 percent of the population, but represent 14 percent of the poor and over 17 percent of all Latin Americans living on less than United States (U.S.) $2.50 a day. Though the World Bank has chosen two general indicators for measuring progress toward its twin goals - the proportion of people living on less than U.S. $1.25 a day (purchasing power parity, 2005) and the growth of real capital income among the bottom 40 percent of the population - this report acknowledges that these indicators offer only a partial view of the obstacles preventing many indigenous peoples from achieving their chosen paths of development. The report notes that in Bolivia, Quechua women are 28 percent less likely to complete secondary school than a nonindigenous Bolivian woman, while Quechua men are 14 percent less likely to complete secondary school than non-indigenous men. This report seeks to contribute to these discussions by offering a brief, preliminary glance at the state of indigenous peoples in Latin America at the end of the first decade of the millennium. The authors believe that this is the first, necessary step to start working on a concerted and evidence-based agenda for subsequent work in critical areas of development such as education, health, and land rights. The report makes a critical analysis of the many inconsistencies present in much of the data, which in many cases are intrinsic to the difficulties of approaching indigenous issues with tools and data sets not originally intended to account for or include indigenous peoples’ voices and special needs. The report is divided into six sections. The first part, how many and where they are provides a demographic overview of indigenous people in the region, including population, geographic distribution, number of ethnic groups, and indigenous languages. The second section, mobility, migration, and urbanization describes a growing tendency among indigenous people to migrate to Latin American cities, which are becoming critical, though largely ignored, areas for political participation, and market articulation. The third section, development with identity briefly discusses the concept of poverty and reflects on how the use of predominantly Western indicators of well-being might condition the understanding of indigenous peoples’ situations and needs. The fourth and fifth sections broaden this argument by focusing on two particular instances of exclusion - the market and education.
South Africa Economic Update : Fiscal Policy and Redistribution in an Unequal Society

(Washington, DC, 2014-11) World Bank

The global economic recovery remains uneven, as growth in the United States is gaining momentum but appears to be at risk of stalling in the Euro Area and Japan. U.S. growth is expected to gain pace over the rest of the year and into 2015 as employment prospects boost real income growth and confidence. Following the Euro Area s exit from recession in 2013, GDP was flat in 2014, and preliminary data for the third quarter suggest slowing growth momentum amid weak domestic demand, ongoing balance sheet adjustments, a fragmented banking sector, and rising geopolitical risks. In Japan, a sales tax hike in April caused a more significant contraction in activity than expected, while exports failed to pick up.
Enhancing Financial Capability and Inclusion in Mozambique : A Demand-Side Assessment

(Washington, DC, 2014-08) World Bank Group

The key findings and recommendations presented in this report cover 4 main areas: financial inclusion, financial capability, relationship between financial inclusion and capability, and financial consumer protection. The remaining chapters are structured as follows. Chapter one explores the financial inclusion landscape in Mozambique. Chapter two gives an overview of Mozambicans' levels of financial capability, in particular about their financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. The relationship between financial capability and inclusion is discussed in chapter three. The last chapter investigates if the products which financially included individuals use are effectively meeting their needs.
Green Growth Opportunities for Bhutan

(Washington, DC, 2014-08) World Bank

Bhutan has recently made significant progress in sustaining economic growth and reducing poverty. In 2012, average per capita household income was somewhat under USD 2,400/year (Living Standards Measurement Surveys 2012). Growth has averaged around 9 percent per annum over the past decade and is expected to be on the order of 8 percent per annum over the next five years. According to the 2012 Bhutan Poverty Analysis, 12 percent of the population are what is known as consumption poor , half the number as compared to 2007. Furthermore, extreme poverty defined as less than $1.25/day in PPP terms has fallen to only 2 percent of the total population. Bhutan has virtually eliminated extreme poverty within the living memory of one generation. Bhutan s population remains rural to a significant extent. According to a 2005 population census, 69 percent of the population lived in rural areas. And there remain significant income differences between urban and rural areas; average per capita household income in rural areas is estimated to be 28,000 Nu against 80,000 Nu in urban areas. There is, though, significant ongoing migration to population centers in search of increased opportunities. The 2005 urban population share of 31 percent of total population represents a substantial increase from only 5 percent in 1995.