Sector/Thematic Studies
6,688 items available
Permanent URI for this collection
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
-
Country Gender Assessment -
Recent Economic Development in Infrastructure -
Emerging Technologies -
Energy Study -
Energy-Environment Review -
Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions Insight -
Debt and Creditworthiness Study -
General Economy, Macroeconomics, and Growth Study -
Legal and Judicial Sector Assessment -
Gender Innovation Lab Federation Causal Evidence Series
Items in this collection
1 - 10 of 19
-
Publication
Competitiveness of the Kyrgyz Economy in the Wake of Accession to the Eurasian Customs Union: Selected Issues and Opportunities
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)This report explores the sectors that will be instrumental for positive CU impact and competitiveness in the medium term. The initial chapter analyzes the gaps and opportunities the Kyrgyz NQI presents for capturing benefits of access to the enlarged common market across sectors. The next three chapters take an in-depth look at three high-growth sectors and identify adaptation priorities and opportunities. Agriculture, services, and garments are a large and growing share of exports and are the sectors most likely to be transformed by accession to the CU and the increased tariffs to countries outside the EEU. Services added 56 percent to GDP in 2013, while agriculture contributed 18 percent, and manufacturing 16 percent. Exports in the garment sector were close to US$200 million in 2013, employing over 150,000 workers. The main findings of each chapter are summarized below followed by a summary of recommendations. This report is relevant to the Kyrgyz experience as it highlights important differences both in terms of regulations and technical requirements. The report highlights differences between the EU and CU regulatory systems in approaches to food safety and legislation, but it also analyzes the differences in infrastructure aspects of the NQI, such as testing laboratories and certification mechanisms between the EU and CU. The Customs Union approach is based on end-product compliance to a specific technical regulation or standard, whereas the European Union relies on preventive measures and minimizing risks associated with each process throughout the complete food chain. In the CU food control system, food control bodies verify that the end-product meets the required technical specifications established by the government; in the EU system, end-product attributes such as size, color, shape, smell, and taste are generally left to the marketplace to judge if they are acceptable. Importantly, the report pinpoints specific technical requirements for EU food safety that differ from the CU requirements (microbiological criteria for foodstuff, contaminants in food; maximum residue limits for residues of pesticides, and pharmacologically active substances). -
Publication
Reconstruction and Recovery Planning in the Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
(Washington, DC, 2014-10-01)This report summarizes the just-in-time advice provided by the World Bank to the government of the Philippines (GoP) immediately after Typhoon Haiyan. The Bank helped the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) develop the Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) plan, providing recommendations and sharing international good practice on key aspects of recovery and reconstruction, including institutional arrangements for recovery implementation, use of remote damage assessment, resilient recovery, and reconstruction of housing, buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. The report is divided into six chapters: 1. Rapid Damage Assessments: Using Remote Sensing Technologies and Risk Information to Help Determine Preliminary Reconstruction Needs 2. Buildings and Infrastructure: Good Practices for Resilient Reconstruction 3. Housing: Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Housing Reconstruction Programs 4. Building Back Better: Restoring Key Sectors, Local Economy, and Livelihoods 5. Roads and Bridges: Enabling Operational Continuity of Lifelines for Evacuation and Post - Disaster Response 6. Institutional Structures: Good Practices and Options for Effective Planning and Implementation of Reconstruction and Recovery. International experience shared through the engagement includes lessons learned from community driven reconstruction in Indonesia and Pakistan; shelter and housing recovery in Haiti; emergency reconstruction in Turkey; resilient infrastructure and hurricane contingency planning in Florida; resilient reconstruction of buildings in California, Haiti, Japan, and Turkey; remote damage assessment in Pakistan; and resilient road and highway management in East Asia and New Zealand. -
Publication
Enhancing Financial Capability and Inclusion in Mozambique : A Demand-Side Assessment
(Washington, DC, 2014-08)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. -
Publication
Regional Economic Impact Analysis of High Speed Rail in China : Step by Step Guide
(Washington, DC, 2014-06-25)This report reflects a two-stage work flow designed to fulfill the research objectives: stage one defined the methodology, and stages two tested this methodology and transferred the know-how to the China Railway Corporation and its consultants through case studies. Chapter two summarizes the theoretical framework within which regional economic impacts are discussed and quantified. Chapter three reviews current regional economic impact analyses in China. Chapter four summarizes the approach to practical regional impact assessment in other countries and reviews the relevance of the main methods in the Chinese context. Chapter five summarizes the work that has been carried out by the World Bank to date in estimating regional impacts in China. Chapter six develops a practical approach to quantifying the regional economic impacts of future HSR in China, including methods for data collection, surveys and interviews. Chapter seven presents the implementation of the methodology in the case studies and the interpretation of quantified model results. Chapter eight summarizes the conclusions and the recommendations for further work. In addition, appendices one to three provide further details about existing assessment studies and methodologies. Appendices four and five show the interview and survey forms. A separate report provides a step-by-step how-to guide for a regional economic impact assessment using a four zone generic example model, which as a simple numerical example complements the presentation of the case study applications on Changchun-Jilin HSR and the northern part of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR. -
Publication
Establishing and Operationalizing an Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund : Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings in the Western Balkans
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-05)An energy efficiency revolving fund (EERF) is a viable option for scaling up energy efficiency (EE) financing in the public sector in the Western Balkans. Under a typical EERF targeting the public sector, loans are provided to public agencies to cover the initial investment costs of EE projects; some of the resulting savings are then used to repay the EERF until the original investment is recovered, plus interest and service charges. The repayments can then be used to finance additional projects, thereby allowing the capital to revolve creating a sustainable financing mechanism. This guidance note is intended for government decision makers interested in establishing such EE revolving funds. It defines the typical structure of such funds, conditions under which they can be useful and effective, ways they can address some of the financing barriers, and implementation options. The note also provides examples, case studies, and lessons learned, and a 'road map' for establishing such funds. -
Publication
Municipal Budgeting and Finance : Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings in the Western Balkans
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-05)Within the Western Balkans region, a secure and reliable energy supply is critical for sustainable economic growth. Expensive, imported energy and inefficient energy use place a huge burden on municipalities that require affordable and reliable infrastructure services to attract investment and provide services to their citizens. With energy prices projected to rise, service delivery costs will increase, further straining municipal budgets and disproportionally affecting poorer households. The ability of municipalities to adequately budget for and finance reductions in energy use thus will be a critical need in the years ahead. Saving energy can also help cities renew their building and infrastructure stock while helping to create employment opportunities, all paid for through the reductions in their energy bills. The municipal budget is the main financial planning document at the local level. It contains a list of municipal revenues and expenditures for the coming year, the latter of which are divided into operating and capital expenditures. Typically, municipal budgets are for a single year. This guidance note will review current policies and procedures for municipal budgeting and financing in the region, identify shortcomings, and present a 'road map' for improvement based on several proposed 'milestones.' These recommendations can help support capital investments for providing a variety of municipal services, not just those for Energy Efficiency, or EE. -
Publication
The Residential Energy Efficiency Program in Lithuania
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-05)This case study, which describes the residential Lithuanian energy efficiency (EE) program and lessons learned, was prepared in support of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)-funded technical assistance activity Scaling Up of Energy Efficiency in Building in the Western Balkans. During the first period (1996-2004), the World Bank- and donor-funded Energy Efficiency Housing Pilot Project was implemented around investments of US$28.6 million. In addition, technical assistance (TA) was included to facilitate energy auditor market development, establish centers to provide legal advice to homeowner associations (HOAs), train bank officials, and develop a housing agency to further promote EE investments in the residential sector. These changes accelerate the modernization process in Lithuania from about 70 apartment buildings a year to 490 buildings a year. Subsidy procedures for low-income persons were also revised: a May 2013 law to provide support to low-income families was amended to require eligible households to implement a renovation project or risk a cut in their state subsidy from 50 percent to 0 percent for heating costs for a period of three years. This has facilitated the renovation decision-making process among low-income apartment owners. -
Publication
Government of Karnataka Public Financial Management Reform Action Plan, 2014, Volume 1. Main Report
(Washington, DC, 2014-05-01)The main report comprises the following chapters: executive summary provides the overall view of the reform action plan. Chapter one outlines the background, scope and methodology for the study; chapter two outlines the overview of the state finances; chapter three describe the accomplishments made against the 2004 agreed PFMA action plan; chapter four provides an overview of the analysis, gaps and recommendations made in the study; chapter five describes the way forward for implementation of the action plan; annex one: PFM reform action plan - 2014 contains a thematic-wise plan outlining the actions to be taken, the responsible department for the actions, and the expected timeframe for completing the actions. The detailed analysis of the issues and the logic for the action plan are provided in the respective sections of the appendix; annex two: 2004 PFMA action plan, outlines the current status of action taken on 2004 PFMA action plan: this contains the action plan as proposed in the 2004 report, updated with the current status of actions in the identified areas. In case where the actions have been taken and completed by the Government of Karnataka, the impact has been documented. The appendix comprises the following sections: section one: theme one: strengthening PFM legal and institutional framework; section two: theme two: enhancing comprehensiveness and credibility of the budget; section three: theme three: strengthening accounting, reporting, controls, and transparency; section four: theme four: improving fiscal assets and liability management system; section five: theme five: strengthening audit and legislative oversight; section six: theme six: improving PFM in local self-governments; section seven: theme six: improving PFM in public sector undertakings (state owned); each section describes the various areas of public financial management in the Government of Karnataka grouped into thematic reform areas. Each reform area has a discussion of the background, the reform actions proposed in the 2004 PFMA action plan, the progress of reforms over the last decade, the issues presently identified, and the rationale for the reform actions proposed; and section eight: 2014 action plan: this section describes the action plan with next steps to be followed under each activity of the action plan. -
Publication
Financing Energy Efficiency Measures for Residential Building Stock : Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings in the Western Balkans
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-05)Within the Western Balkans region, a secure energy supply is critical to sustaining economic growth. Currently, the region relies heavily on imported hydrocarbons and maintains high energy intensity relative to Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This places a huge burden on companies, which require affordable and reliable infrastructure services to be competitive; the public sector, which spends significant budgetary resources on energy; and households, which have to pay a high portion of their income for energy services. As energy pricing is further rationalized, a higher burden will be placed on all sectors, especially poorer households. The residential sector is a significant energy consumer. Its share of total final energy consumption ranges from 28 percent to 32 percent (compared with the EU average of 27 percent). Fairly simple renovations such as insulation, heating system upgrades, and improvements to windows and lighting could reduce consumption in this sector by some 9 percent, with payback periods generally less than 8 years. Such improvements could help ease the impact of future tariff increases while helping reduce the region's projected energy supply and demand gap. -
Publication
Power Sector Policy Note for the Kyrgyz Republic
(Washington, DC, 2014-04)This power sector policy note analyzes the principal challenges in the power sector of the Kyrgyz Republic and identifies possible solutions for overcoming them. To inform the analysis, the note describes historical operational and financial performance of the power sector companies between 2007 and 2012, and projects performance until 2030. It also describes the legal, regulatory and institutional arrangements in the sector, and compares the arrangements in the Kyrgyz Republic to those in other countries' power sectors. The note relies on discussions with, and data provided by key stakeholders, including the power companies, the Ministry of Energy and Industry and the Regulatory Department under the Ministry of Energy and Industry. The analysis in the note is targeted to inform, and support for the on-going reform efforts of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in the power sector. In 2012, the Government approved the Power Sector Development Strategy outlining key medium-term reform objectives for the sector, and in 2013 it approved the action plan for reforming the power sector to operationalize the strategy. The engagement of the World Bank and other donors in the power sector aims to support the implementation of the action plan. The note substantiates the need for reforms through analysis and proposes solutions consistent with the strategy and action plan.