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 10
-
Publication
Reducing Pandemic Risks at Source: Wildlife, Environment and One Health Foundations in East and South Asia
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-06-29)The majority of human infectious diseases are of animal origin, and many recent emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), such as HIV/AIDS, the Nipah virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), highly pathogenic avian influenzas (HPAIs), and Ebola virus disease share a common feature: their wildlife origin. Wildlife-originated EIDs are also increasing in frequency over recent decades. As shown by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of EIDs disproportionately affect the poor and other vulnerable groups, increasing inequality and threatening decades of development progress. The acceleration of EID events of epidemic and pandemic potential calls for a paradigm shift in how we manage and interact with our natural and built environments, while stressing the urgency to develop and implement comprehensive One Health approaches to achieve optimal health outcomes. Furthermore, it is important to recognize the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environments. East and South Asia, renowned global hotspots for disease emergence, have suffered from and continue to experience major economic impacts from outbreaks. A team comprised of experts from the World Bank and FAO, and leading wildlife and One Health experts from around the world have worked together to analyze the causes. This report outlines the risks of EIDs of wildlife origin and proposes how to reduce emerging pandemic threats at their source; it includes background material, state-of-the-art knowledge, and recommendations for strengthening systems to prevent, detect, and manage EID outbreaks caused by wildlife trade, wildlife farming, food systems, and habitat degradation. Furthermore, it examines the scope of existing policy frameworks, institutional mandates, level of multisectoral engagement, investments, wildlife-health information systems, and capacity building related to wildlife in the context of emerging disease risks. -
Publication
RICH Food, Smart City: How Building Reliable, Inclusive, Competitive, and Healthy Food Systems is Smart Policy for Urban Asia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03-03)Across Asia, cities are contending with a wide range of food-related issues but most lack a dedicated or coherent set of food policies. For most cities in Asia, food has been a policy and governance blind spot, while national food policy has distinctly lacked an urban perspective. Arguing that food system outcomes are central to the topmost priorities of Asian cities, RICH Food, Smart City calls for cities of all sizes to “get smart to get RICH”—that is, to pursue food policies that foster reliable, inclusive, competitive, and healthy (“RICH”) food systems, better aligned with cities’ contemporary challenges and aspirations. Based on the first systematic survey of urban food policies in 170 Asian cities in 21 countries, RICH Food, Smart City finds that only 8 percent of surveyed cities are “food-smart” and intervene in the food system in ways that are forward-looking, holistic, and inclusive. Nearly three-fourths are either at an early stage of effective engagement or fully in reactive mode, responding to problems as they emerge. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the need for coherent multisectoral strategies and coordinated action was becoming apparent. The pandemic has now drawn attention to the essential functions of urban food supply chains and businesses and further exposed the vulnerability of urban populations to food insecurity, zoonosis, and foodborne disease. But the crisis has also shown us the potential of the food economy, through its displays of resilience coming from informal marketing channels and budding e-commerce networks and capacities. Rich Food, Smart City illustrates how Asian cities and urban leaders can take on vital food system issues, including food security, diet quality, environmental sustainability, and climate neutrality; and how building RICH food systems can help cities pursue their goals. The book will be of interest to urban planners, policy makers and leaders at the city and national levels, as well as to food system and development practitioners, and others interested in urban food policy and governance. -
Publication
Clearing the Air: A Tale of Three Cities
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-29)Air pollution presents an increasingly apparent challenge to health and development across the globe. Exposure to PM2.5 is a major health risk and worldwide, an estimated 4.13-5.39 million people died prematurely in 2017 from exposure to PM2.5 pollution. The health impacts of pollution also represent a heavy cost to the economy. Lost labor income due to fatal illness from PM2.5 pollution globally in 2017 was in the range of US$ 131-317 billion, equal in magnitude to about 0.1-0.3 percent of GDP. Countries appear to follow growth paths with different levels of pollution intensity, suggesting that policy decisions, investments, and technologies all have an important role to play in affecting the pollution intensity of growth, and that countries cannot simply grow their way out of pollution. The experiences of three cities – Mexico City, Beijing, and Delhi – offers some lessons on how countries can tackle the growing challenge of air pollution. Notably, there is no silver bullet, and air pollution will only be tackled through sustained political commitment. Information, incentives, and institutions are the three prongs of an effective air pollution management strategy for any country. -
Publication
Financial Inclusion Beyond Payments: Policy Considerations for Digital Savings
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-04-15)The report discusses key policy issues that enable and constrain digital savings market development and offers policy considerations within the context of the G20’s High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion. Based on current market observations, three policy considerations seem most important for facilitating digital savings account deployments: Enable banking institutions to pursue digital savings partnerships with nonbank entities. Support the development of interoperability between banks and nonbank e-money issuers. Harmonize customer due diligence standards for emoney wallets and low-risk bank deposits. -
Publication
Public Private Partnerships on Public Financial Management Reforms in Asia: Opportunities and Lessons
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-05)The growing investment needs in the South Asia Region (SAR) and East Asia and Pacific Region(EAP) necessitate high quality public financial management in order to sustain the growth momentumand achieve the desired development objectives. As these regions operate within limited fiscalspace for development, efficient public financial management is essential to achieve the best results for every dollar spent. However, challenges persist in implementing timely reforms in Public Financial Management (PFM), building ownership to drive reforms and strengthening capacity to implement, embed and sustain such reforms.This PFM retrospective study uses a two-pronged approach. It illustrates examples of good practices of partnerships in financial management reforms between the public and the private sector and draws lessons learned from effective financial management reforms in the private sector in SAR and EAP. The study cites country specific examples through case studies from the following countries (listed in alphabeticalorder) India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where collaboration between the public sector and private sector have contributed to successful public financial management reforms. While exploring these various forms of public-private collaboration, it also looks at additional types of partnerships such as with peer institutions in other countries, development partners and regional groups. The study identifies the enabling environment conducive to collaboration. Three significant factors pertinent to the cases are covered in detail, namely: (1) windows of opportunity; (2) leadership and change agents; and (3) the institutional environment. The development strategies of the governments covered in the cases, such as the New Economic Model of Malaysia, are considered as windows of opportunity for private sector involvement as they led to scaling up of PFM reforms and created the need to collaborate with the private sector to implement reforms. In particular, the following organizations and individuals stand out in the case studies as leaders and change agents that connect the public and private sectors to move the PFM reform agenda forward: Director, Department of Municipal Administration—state of Karnataka; a combination of high and working level champions of reforms from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF);the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) and its public sector wing staff and council members; the Secretary General of the Treasury and the Accountant General in Malaysia; and the past and current Auditors General in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. -
Publication
Advancing Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance in ASEAN Member States : Framework and Options for Implementation, Volume 2. Technical Appendices
(Washington, DC, 2012-04)This report is part of a project being jointly conducted by the World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). It aims to provide capacity building on disaster risk financing and insurance (DRFI) in ASEAN Member States. DRFI is a relatively new topic and, therefore, training and capacity building of local stakeholders is essential. Governments must understand the benefits and the limitations of disaster risk financing and insurance as part of their comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategies. This report presents main findings and recommendations on DRFI in the ASEAN region. Following the World Bank disaster risk financing and insurance framework, it consists of five chapters, including this introduction. Chapter two presents a preliminary economic and fiscal risk assessment of natural disasters in ASEAN Member States. Chapter three provides an overview of the fiscal management of natural disasters currently implemented by ASEAN Member States. Chapter four reviews the state of the private catastrophe insurance markets, including property catastrophe risk insurance, agricultural insurance, and disaster micro-insurance. Chapter five identifies five main recommendations for strengthening the long-term financial and fiscal resilience of ASEAN Member States against natural disasters, as part of their broader disaster risk management and climate change adaptation agendas. -
Publication
Advancing Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance in ASEAN Member States : Framework and Options for Implementation, Volume 1. Main report
(Washington, DC, 2012-04)This report is part of a project being jointly conducted by the World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). It aims to provide capacity building on disaster risk financing and insurance (DRFI) in ASEAN Member States. DRFI is a relatively new topic and, therefore, training and capacity building of local stakeholders is essential. Governments must understand the benefits and the limitations of disaster risk financing and insurance as part of their comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategies. This report presents main findings and recommendations on DRFI in the ASEAN region. Following the World Bank disaster risk financing and insurance framework, it consists of five chapters, including this introduction. Chapter two presents a preliminary economic and fiscal risk assessment of natural disasters in ASEAN Member States. Chapter three provides an overview of the fiscal management of natural disasters currently implemented by ASEAN Member States. Chapter four reviews the state of the private catastrophe insurance markets, including property catastrophe risk insurance, agricultural insurance, and disaster micro-insurance. Chapter five identifies five main recommendations for strengthening the long-term financial and fiscal resilience of ASEAN Member States against natural disasters, as part of their broader disaster risk management and climate change adaptation agendas. -
Publication
Assessment of Innovative Approaches to Flood Risk Management and Financing in Agriculture : The Thailand Case Study
(Washington, DC, 2009-05)The World Bank recently conducted research and concept-testing activities to investigate the expansion of the index approach from drought to flood. The main objective was to assess prerequisite conditions, as well as practical and efficient methods, to conceptualize and potentially implement index-based insurance for agricultural flood losses. In addition, the work assessed how modern technologies such as flood modeling and remote sensing-which are widely used to support flood risk mapping, and flood detection, warning and control-could be harnessed to support the design of such flood insurance programs for rural clients. This paper summarizes the findings from work carried out from September 2005 to April 2008 in the Muang Petchaboon District of the Petchaboon province in Thailand. The next section illustrates the importance of flood risk in agriculture and challenges in providing flood insurance. The following section describes the flood index insurance concept and methodology that were tested during the feasibility study. Section four highlights the findings from the Petchaboon province of Thailand, and the final section synthesizes lessons learned and recommends areas for future research and applications. Finally, it is important to recognize that the process of quantifying weather risk, and of creating an operational system which combines risk and asset information, have much broader applications than simply for index-based weather insurance or other risk transfer solutions. -
Publication
A Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Risk Transfer : Toward Concrete Action in South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific
(Washington, DC, 2008-05)This is a summary report of the South Asia Region and the East Asia Pacific regions training workshop from April 28-30, 2008 on the importance of disaster risk reduction and risk transfer including major concepts, models, and various applications of disaster risk reduction around the globe. This report represents an analysis and summary of the main presentations made during the course of the workshop. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the major points of discussion and an overview of the salient issues that emerged during the event. Specific policy recommendations are also outlined here which will serve as an important instrument for relevant Bank projects and client governments facing issues of how to mainstream disaster risk reduction practices into development initiatives. -
Publication
The Impact of Structural Gender Differences and its Consequences on Access to Energy in Rural Bangladesh
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-12)This report studies the impact that gender differences in Bangladesh have on access to energy and energy services and the consequences of these impacts based on review of recent literature on the matter. The report concludes that the structural gender differences that arise from cultural and religious norms can lead to various impacts in access to energy services which in turn can have long term consequences on women and all these factors must be considered while designing rural energy- gender projects.