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 83

Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in Nepal from Enhanced Regional Connectivity

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-12) World Bank

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. It is a form of modern-day slavery that involves the recruitment, harboring, or transportation of people into an exploitative situation by means of violence, deception, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. In Nepal, the most widespread forms of human trafficking are for forced labor, domestic servitude, prostitution and sexual exploitation, and organ extraction. The country’s open borders with India, and to some extent China, with limited border surveillance, have enabled transnational crimes such as human trafficking. The World Bank has extended technical and financial assistance to large-scale infrastructure projects in Nepal, some for improved transport connectivity and trade facilitation both within the country and within the region. The nature of these investments must be looked at through the lens of enhancing long-term economic growth and prosperity, which is jeopardized by human trafficking. As a result, this study was conducted to draw links between the various aspects of development projects, in particular, improved transport connectivity and migration, that either contribute, mitigate, facilitate, or prevent trafficking in men, women, and children.
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.
Policy Recommendations on Accelerating Inclusive Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Bangladesh

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-25) World Bank

Disability-inclusive development directly responds to the World Bank’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. Disability and poverty are inherently linked, with persons with disabilities having poorer health outcomes; lower education achievements; less economic participation; and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. Poverty may also increase the risk of disability, by leading to the onset of health conditions associated with disabilities, such as malnutrition; low birth weight; lack of clean water and sanitation; and unsafe work and living conditions. The development challenges faced by persons with disabilities need to be addressed through a multisectoral and multidimensional approach that entails measures to improve accessibility and equality of opportunity; promotes participation and inclusion; and increases respect for the autonomy and dignity of persons with disabilities. Ensuring the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh remains a challenge. To break the cycle of disability exclusion and poverty for persons with disabilities and their households, access to work and or livelihoods is essential. This note provides a set of recommendations to support the equitable participation and inclusion of women and men with disabilities in the labor market through a variety of mechanisms, including legislative policies; education and skills development; self and wage employment; social protection; accessibility; and the importance of changing attitudes.
Efficiency in the Programming and Financing of Social Protection

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-07) Sabbih, Mostafa Amir ; Coudouel, Aline

Social protection (SP) in Bangladesh is characterized by a large number of programs. Multiple agencies implement numerous interventions. To maximize the impact of social protection programs, it is critical to: (1) align the allocation of resources with national policies and strategies; (2) design programs that are able to reach their intended beneficiaries with adequate coverage and level of benefits; (3) ensure efficiency in programming and financing; and (4) ensure efficiency in the actual delivery of programs at the local level. This policy note analyses point (3), the processes of budgeting, programming, and reporting on SP budget, highlights areas where challenges remain, and proposes policy recommendations to address those.
Efficiency in the Delivery of Social Protection Benefits and Services to Beneficiaries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-07) Sabbih, Mostafa Amir ; Coudouel, Aline

Most social protection agencies in Bangladesh do not invest enough in core processes of budgeting, management, enrolment, delivery and accountability. To maximize the impact of social protection (SP) programs, it is critical to: (1) align the allocation of resources with national policies and strategies; (2) design programs that are able to reach their intended beneficiaries with adequate coverage and level of benefits; (3) ensure efficiency in programming and financing; and (4) ensure efficiency in the actual delivery of programs at the local level. This policy note analyses point (4), the processes of delivery of SP programs, including beneficiary identification and provision of benefits. It highlights areas where challenges remain and proposes policy recommendations to address those.
Adequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-07) Sabbih, Mostafa Amir ; Coudouel, Aline

In Bangladesh, regular increases in social protection budget have typically prioritized increases in coverage over increases in benefit size or amounts. To maximize the impact of social protection (SP) programs, it is critical to: (1) align the allocation of resources with national policies and strategies; (2) design programs that are able to reach their intended beneficiaries with adequate coverage and level of benefits; (3) ensure efficiency in programming and financing; and (4) ensure efficiency in the actual delivery of programs at the local level. This policy note analyses point (2), the adequacy of SP programs in Bangladesh, and highlights areas where challenges remain and proposes policy reforms to address those. It focuses on the three elements of the design of social protection (SP) programs that are critical to maximum impacts on poverty and vulnerability: (1) the extent to which programs have the right size and coverage; (2) the extent to which programs effectively reach or target the right beneficiaries; and (3) the extent to which programs provide these beneficiaries with the right benefits. The optimal combination of these elements depends on programs’ policy objectives, the needs or demands of target population groups, the types of beneficiaries or programs, and available resources.
Allocative Efficiency: Better Align Social Protection Resources with National Policy

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-07) Sabbih, Mostafa Amir ; Coudouel, Aline

Policy making requires categorizations, which are commensurate with strategic directions. Social protection is a term, which can be used to describe a broad range of programs. The National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) of Bangladesh has a rather broad scope, covering what many define as safety nets or social assistance, as well as insurance against some risks, programs addressing shocks, and interventions focused on employment or productivity. This policy note analyses the extent to which resources are allocated efficiently, in line with national strategies and priorities. In particular, this policy note discusses the importance of policy relevant categorization/classification of programs; gaps and challenges in resource allocation in respect to the needs of different demographic and socio-economic groups and/or in respect to functions Social protection (SP) programs are supposed to play. It proposes reforms which could address some of the challenges identified.
Measuring Women and Men’s Work: Main Findings from a Joint ILO and World Bank Study in Sri Lanka

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-01) Discenza, Antonio Rinaldo ; Gaddis, Isis ; Palacios-Lopez, Amparo ; Walsh, Kieran

Between 2017 and 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, in collaboration with the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) of Sri Lanka, completed a pilot study in Sri Lanka with the goal of developing guidance on good practice in the measurement of women and men’s work through household surveys. The study was designed to enable a comparison of the outcomes of two types of household surveys, namely, the labour force survey (LFS) and the multitopic living standards survey (MLSS). This new framework recognizes that people may engaged in multiple working activities within the same period, thereby enabling a complete accounting all work performed. An additional important development was the adoption of an extended set of labour underutilization indicators to supplement the unemployment rate. This report presents a first summary set of the findings of the pilot study. The findings are being used to generate guidance on the measurement of labour across different types of household surveys. While highlighting issues of measurement, the report also emphasizes the valuable data that can be generated if the guidelines and standards are implemented, such as the more comprehensive measurement of all the working contributions of men and women.
Sri Lanka Development Update 2021: Economic and Poverty Impact of COVID-19

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-20) World Bank

Amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Sri Lanka’s economy contracted by 3.6 percent in 2020, the worst growth performance on record, as is the case in many countries fighting the pandemic. Swift measures enacted by the government in the second quarter helped contain the first wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) successfully, but these measures hit sectors like tourism, construction, and transport especially hard, while collapsing global demand impacted the textile industry. Job and earning losses disrupted private consumption and uncertainty impeded investment. As a result, the economy contracted by 16.4 percent (y-o-y) in the second quarter. The economy began to recover in the third quarter as the first wave was brought under control and containment measures were relaxed. The momentum continued in the fourth quarter as the economy was broadly kept open despite a second wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. The special focus section of this edition discusses the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on poverty in Sri Lanka as of 2021.
Bhutan Development Update, April 2021

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-21) World Bank

Although Bhutan has made progress in recent years, notably by initiating the development of a domestic e-commerce ecosystem, gaps still remain. The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) has prioritized information and communications technology (ICT) development to promote the vision of ‘an ICT-enabled, knowledge society as a foundation for Gross National Happiness.’ Initiatives, such as the Digital DrukYul flagship program, the guidelines on e-commerce and the e-commerce Policy Framework, aim to increase Bhutan’s digitalization and participation in e-commerce. Yet, constraints in the e-trade environment, such as limited Internet connectivity, high costs of payment transactions, an incomplete regulatory infrastructure, and high trade facilitation and logistics costs, still hold Bhutan back, resulting in low levels of e-trade participation at present. The special focus section assesses the main regulatory and trade facilitation priorities for digital trade in Bhutan and makes concrete proposals to develop the country’s e-trade framework. The development of Bhutan’s digital economy and e-trade is contingent on a number of complementary factors including reliable Internet connectivity, mobile and computer penetration, digital literacy, availability of efficient logistical and payment systems, and relevant infrastructure to facilitate those factors. E-trade in goods and services also requires supporting policies in areas such as data protection, cyber security, consumer protection, competition law and the recognition of e-signatures and electronic transactions, which are the basic building blocks of all business online.