Sector/Thematic Studies

6,688 items available

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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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Now showing 1 - 10 of 150

Hiking Market Research and Opportunities in Cabo Verde

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-29) World Bank

The World Bank, in coordination with the Government of Cabo Verde, has partnered with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) to develop a research study about the current status of the adventure tourism sector in Cabo Verde, particularly the hiking segment. The purpose of this research is to understand the potential of Cabo Verde as an adventure travel destination and the island of Santo Antão as a world-class hiking hotspot. The methodology followed a four-pronged approach to incorporate the vision of travelers visiting the country, the trade industry and international tour operators, a technical expert analysis, and secondary research of the hiking sector globally. The analysis provides a roadmap to advise the country's stakeholders in taking the relevant decisions to accelerate the path to achieve this objective.
Literature Review and Framework for Institutional Investor Mobilization

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-28) Kahn, Charles M. ; Silva, Anderson Caputo ; Martinez Torres, Gonzalo

This literature review and framework for mobilization of financing from institutional investors is part of a wider project conducted by the World Bank Group to examine the effectiveness of activities undertaken by the Multilateral Investment Bank (MDBs) to encourage private institutional investment. The current paper begins with a review of the theoretical and econometric literature regarding the use of the MDBs to crowd in private investment. The existing literature is limited and focuses heavily on infrastructure finance. Such focus ignores the importance of other investment sectors for development. It may also bias an understanding of the possibilities for mobilization across those sectors. Therefore, the rest of the paper uses the more general theoretical literature in finance and economics concerning incentives and intermediation to establish a framework, as well as to develop some basic hypotheses regarding the encouragement of institutional investment. The framework and hypotheses are designed to be applicable to the investigation of other sectors as well, thus establishing the types of intervention in which the MDBs can have comparative advantages. In addition, they address the approaches that can have the greatest impact, including the specific roles that the MDBs will play in enhancing mobilization of institutional investor capital to various sectors.
Stronger Social Protection and Labor Systems in Central America for a Resilient and Inclusive Recovery

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-17) World Bank

Social Protection and Labor (SPL) Systems help individuals and societies manage risk and volatility and protect them from poverty through instruments that address the challenges of resilience, equity and opportunity. SPL systems include social safety nets, social insurance, and labor market programs. As recent events have shown, the relative emphasis among goals – resilience, equity and opportunity - can change over time, with demands put on SPL program design and delivery systems differing in each context. In relatively stable times, programs are likely to focus on human capital formation, equality of opportunity, poverty reduction, and redistribution. This was the case in Central America prior to the COVID-19 emergency, albeit with some shortcomings. The goal of shock-responsiveness (resilience) dramatically came to the fore during the pandemic, even if recognized earlier during natural disasters and now more broadly with climate change. Globally and in Central America, SPL systems had a critical role in the response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Taking Stock, August 2023: Making Public Investment Work for Growth

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-10) World Bank

The latest Taking Stock report shows that Vietnam’s economic growth slowed from 8% in 2022 to 3.7% in the first half of 2023. It forecasts a moderate growth of 4.7% in 2023, gradually accelerating to 5.5% in 2024 and 6.0% in 2025. However, the economy faces external and domestic headwinds. Vietnam has ample fiscal space and a proactive fiscal policy supporting short-term demand, removing barriers to the implementation of public investment, and addressing infrastructure constraints can help the economy achieve these targets and promote long-term growth. The report’s special chapter studies Vietnam’s public investment management and how it can contribute to the goal of becoming a high income economy. To harness the power of public investment, the report recommends that Vietnam sustain its level of investment, improve the quality of the proposed project, and address deficiencies in public investment management and inter-governmental fiscal institutions.
Advancing Disaster Risk Financing in Sint Maarten

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-04) Boyer, Mary ; Wielinga, Doekle ; Gunaskera, Rashmin ; De Kort, Rendell Ernest ; Wrede, Peter ; Whyte-Givans, Sophia ; Justiniano, Ivelisse ; Macabuag, Josh

Historical losses due to hurricanes have been significant in Sint Maarten (SXM) since 1960, with the most severe impact having been experienced in 2017 following Hurricane Irma. The objective of this report is to provide recommendations to the Government of Sint Maarten (GoSXM) for the formulation of a country-specific comprehensive disaster risk financing (DRF) strategy based on the assessment of the legislative, financial management, fiscal, and insurance market environment in SXM. It is envisioned that this report will be used as a planning tool for the potential development of an all-encompassing DRF strategy that would equip the GoSXM with information and instruments to manage contingent liabilities posed by disasters.
Building Better Formal TVET Systems: Principles and Practice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

(Washington D.C., Paris, Geneva: The World Bank, UNESCO, and ILO, 2023-07-25) World Bank ; UNESCO ; ILO

Reform of formal technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is urgently needed in most low- and middle-income countries. Demographic trends, coupled with higher rates of students completing lower levels of education, can lead to an exponential increase in the number of secondary TVET students in the next 20 years, particularly in low-income countries (LICs). However, there are significant risks attached to expanding a system that is often considered a second-tier educational track and to which challenged learners are often directed. Because of a broken link between TVET systems and labor markets in low- and middle-income countries (LICs and MICs, together: L/MICs), TVET cannot deliver on its promise. The urgency is compounded by megatrends associated with globalization, technological progress, demographic transformation, and climate change, which affect both skills demand and the distribution of economic opportunities. This report offers guidance to policymakers designing and implementing TVET reforms, emphasizing core principles and practical considerations for L/MICs. There is much to be learned from recent L/MIC reform experiences like those in Bangladesh, El Salvador, and Mongolia, about identifying effective reform strategies and the likely impact of megatrends on future demand for TVET. The report focuses on secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary formal TVET, defined as TVET obtained within the formal education system that leads to diplomas, degrees, or other formal certifications. This overview, summarizing the main messages from the report, has three parts. The first, the TVET Promise, looks at the potential of TVET systems to deliver access to equitable, quality, and relevant training and contribute to employment and productivity. The second, the TVET Challenge, articulates the main limitations in practice for L/MIC TVET systems. The third, the Way Forward to Better TVET, proposes three interrelated transformations (three E’s) and six policy priorities to help TVET deliver on its promise in L/MICs.
Mobilizing Finance for the Just Energy Transition in the European Union

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-24) Calice, Pietro ; Demekas, Dimitri G

Minimizing the adverse social and economic consequences of the energy transition is an important social aspiration. It is the essence of the “just transition,” the connective tissue that binds together climate goals with social outcomes centered around jobs. This policy note proposes the first iteration of a just transition policy framework built around three interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars. These include: (i) a system for determining a hierarchy of priorities for activities, sectors, or groups that are to be compensated for the negative impacts they suffer from the transition to a low-carbon economy or supported because they contribute directly to a more equitable sharing of the costs and opportunities from the transition; (ii) a fiscal transfer mechanism to allocate public funds consistent with these priorities; and (iii) financial flows enablers, a set of instruments or policy interventions to facilitate private financial flows to activities or projects that are deemed to contribute to a more just transition. The assessment provides seven key takeaways for consideration by competent authorities to strengthen further the EU just transition policy framework going forward. These are: (i) narrowing the scope of the framework by focusing on social support and/or land restoration, while encouraging private sector funding for economic revitalization projects; (ii) enhancing data collection on social impact assessment to better understand the negative effects of climate transition initiatives and prevent "social washing"; (iii) embedding just transition considerations in sustainability regulations by including relevant indicators and metrics; (iv) providing guidance on assessing just transition-related risks for financial firms in prioritized regions and sectors; (v) clarifying supervisory expectations for financial firms regarding just transition-related litigation and liability risk; (vi) encouraging the development of financial instruments for the just transition; and (vii) maximizing the role of multilateral development banks in de-risking just transition projects, especially in member countries with limited resources and capacity.
Chad Economic Update - Special Chapter: Improving Resilience to Floods

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-20) World Bank

This 2023 Economic Update for Chad is articulated in two chapters, plus a spotlight. The first chapter presents the recent economic and poverty developments as well as the outlook from 2023 to 2025. This chapter is followed by a summary of the macroeconomic-poverty impact analyses for Chad in the World Bank Sahel Country Climate and Development Report (2022). The second chapter offers a deep dive on Chad’s disaster risk profile and the drivers that make floods an increasingly important threat to economic growth and provides policy options to reduce the impact of floods and improve resilience.
Sailing Rough Seas: Accelerating Growth and Fostering Resilience to Climate Change in Cabo Verde

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-20) World Bank

Cabo Verde is a young, small, and vibrant island nation with an open economy. Rising above its daunting geographical challenges and limited endowments, the country is a story of economic success. Reforms to the rule of law and the market have prompted significant economic and social progress since the country’s independence from Portugal in 1975, leading to democratic and macro-economic stability. Its robust, albeit highly volatile, economic growth has been driven by tourism, remittances, and foreign direct investment, enabled by structural reforms and social and political stability. Despite remarkable social and economic progress, Cabo Verde’s development model has been showing signs of fatigue since the 2008 global financial crisis. To guide Cabo Verde in meeting these challenges, this Country Economic Memorandum (CEM) contains two modules: (1) empowering complementary engines of growth; and (2) fostering the resilience of growth to disaster and climate-related shocks. The CEM benchmarks Cabo Verde’s performance against other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), structural peers (Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, and Vanuatu), and aspirational peers (Mauritius, Seychelles, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia). Structural peers are countries that share similar economic characteristics and endowments, while aspirational peers are countries that have been able to grow faster and more sustainably than Cabo Verde, despite sharing similar structural conditions (Annex 1).
Nepal Fiscal Federalism Update, June 2023

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-06-30) World Bank

The World Bank Nepal Fiscal Federalism Update aims to report annually on the progress of fiscal federalism in Nepal and identify implementation gaps. This first such update reviews the progress on fiscal federalism since the publication of the Federalism Capacity Needs Assessment (FCNA) in 2019.