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 180

Developing Islamic Finance in the Philippines

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-06-09) Mylenko, Nataliya ; Iqbal, Zamir

This report was prepared as part of the World Bank engagement in the Philippines to support Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion. It provides an overview on the context for the development of Islamic finance in the Philippines and is accompanied by two focused reports providing further detail and suggestions on enhancing financial inclusion in the Philippines through Islamic microfinance and assessment of the status of financial inclusion in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)and the proposed Bangsamoro territory. The term Islamic finance is used to refer to financial activities conforming to Islamic Law (Shari‘ah). One of the main principles of the Islamic finance system is the prohibition of the payment and the receipt of ribā (interest) in a financial transaction. A pure debt security is replaced with an “asset-based” security, direct financing of a real asset, and different forms of partnerships of which equity financing is the most desirable.The following key principles guide Islamic Finance: i) Prohibition of interest on transactions (ribā); ii) Financing must be linked to assets (materiality); iii) Engagement in immoral or ethically problematic businesses not allowed (e.g., gambling or alcohol production); iv) Returns must be linked to risks. Table 1 provides a summary description of basic financial instruments.Over the past decade Islamic finance has emerged as an effective tool for financing development worldwide, including in non-Muslim majority countries. Discussion and interest in Islamic finance has also appeared on G20 discussions. Major financial markets are discovering solid evidence that Islamic finance has already been mainstreamed within the global financial system – and that it has the potential to help address the challenges of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.In summary, Islamic finance is equity-based, asset-backed, ethical, sustainable, environmentally- and socially-responsible finance. It promotes risk sharing, connects the financial sector with the real economy, and emphasizes financial inclusion and social welfare.
Malaysia Economic Monitor, June 2016: Leveraging Trade Agreements

(World Bank, Kuala Lumpur, 2016-06) World Bank

The MEM is the World Bank's biannual flagship publication on Malaysia. It provides analysis of recent economic developments and the near-term outlook for Malaysia. Each publication also focuses on a special topic related to Malaysia's transformation into a high-income economy. Malaysia is at the forefront of a "new generation" of trade agreements that will shape trade and investment over the next decade. The 14th MEM focuses on how Malaysia can use trade agreements to bring new opportunities to the Malaysian economy and accelerate its transition to high income status.
Lao Economic Monitor, May 2016: Challenges in Promoting More Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-05-01) Najdov, Evgenij ; Phimmahasay, Keomanivone

The Lao economy is estimated to have expanded by around 7 percent in 2015, a slight moderation from 7.5 percent in 2014. Similar to the last decade, the resource sectors (hydropower and extractives) continued to make an important contribution to growth. Power generation got a boost from the commissioning of the first two blocks of the 1,878 MW Hongsa lignite power plant and an additional 250-300 MW of installed capacity in the hydro sector. Furthermore, despite lower global commodity prices, mining output still increased as metal prices remained above the mines’ cost recovery levels. The revised State Budget Law, approved in December 2015, enhances the authority of the National Assembly in budget oversight and Ministry of Finance in budget management. In addition, with regards to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, the Government strengthened key regulations (including on forfeiture of assets, border declaration, penalties for non-compliant entities) recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which helped remove Lao PDR from the FATF’s list of ‘jurisdictions not making sufficient progress’. The outlook will depend on the progress in the implementation of the recommendations and agreed measures. GDP is expected to expand at around 7 percent per annum as a healthy pipeline in the power sector keeps investments strong and increases electricity production and exports by almost 40 percent. Stabilization of growth rates in China and some acceleration in Vietnam and Thailand should increase demand for Lao PDR exports. On the other hand, some gradual fiscal consolidation is expected, largely through broadening the revenue base and efforts to improve efficiency in spending and should help strengthen the outlook for public debt sustainability and lower the risk of debt distress from its current level of moderate, but borderline to high.
Philippine Economic Update, April 2016: Moving Full Speed Ahead--Accelerating Reforms to Create More and Better Jobs

(Washington, DC, 2016-04) World Bank

The Philippine Economic Update (PEU) provides an update on key economic and social developments, as well as policies over the past six months. It also presents findings from recent World Bank studies on the Philippines. It places them in a longer term and global context, and assesses the implications of these developments and policies on the outlook for the Philippines. Its coverage ranges from the macro-economy and financial markets to indicators of human welfare and development. It is intended for a wide audience, including policymakers, business leaders, financial market participants, and the community of analysts and professionals engaged in the Philippines. Poverty reduction is expected to continue if the country is able to maintain the relatively high economic growth and the more positive job trends in recent years, despite recent shocks to agriculture. Recent trends show an improvement in the country’s growth-poverty elasticity, which means growth is becoming more inclusive. However, the recent increase in the underemployment rate and weak agricultural output in 2016 will need to be countered by sustained increase in per capita income growth and a continued focus on supporting the structurally poor through effective social protection programs. Under these assumptions, extreme poverty is projected to further decrease from nine percent in 2014 to 6.8 percent in 2018.
Closing the Health Gaps for the Elderly: Promoting Health Equity and Social Inclusion in Thailand

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04) World Bank Group

Thailand has succeeded in expanding coverage of publicly-funded and publicly-managed health insurance schemes, following the introduction of universal health coverage policy in 2001. While Thailand’s achievement of universal health coverage (UC) is well noted, recent researches and studies have indicated that there are still gaps in health utilization and financial protection. A recent study by Thailand’s health insurance system research office (HISRO) shows that utilization of health services by patients of three main health insurance schemes combined increased markedly after age 45 for both outpatient care and in-patient care but later dropped during an advanced age. Utilization of out-patient care services decreases among patients who are over 75 years of age while that of in-patient care services decreases after 85 years of age. The objective of the study is to identify the gaps of accessing UC scheme’s care system by the elderly population, focusing on utilization and financial protection aspects. The team conducted small-scale area-based qualitative case studies, focusing on elderly UC members who live in selected urban and rural areas in four different geographical regions of Thailand - Central, North, Northeastern, and South. The analysis confirms that there are poor elderly people who still need to pay for the costs of out-patient and in-patient care services at publicly run health facilities.
Transforming Vietnamese Agriculture: Gaining More for Less

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04) World Bank Group

Over the past quarter century, Vietnam’s agricultural sector has made enormous progress. Vietnam’s performance in terms of agricultural yields, output, and exports, however, has been more impressive than its gains in efficiency, farmer welfare, and product quality. Vietnamese agriculture now sits at a turning point. The agricultural sector now faces growing domestic competition - from cities, industry, and services - for labor, land, and water. Rising labor costs are beginning to inhibit the sector’s ability to compete globally as a low cost producer of bulk undifferentiated commodities. Going forward, Vietnam’s agricultural sector needs to generate more from less. That is, it must generate more economic value - and farmer and consumer welfare - using less natural and human capital and less harmful intermediate inputs. The strategic shift was highlighted in the government’s agricultural restructuring plan (ARP), approved by the Prime Minister in June 2014. The ARP defines sector goals in terms of the triple bottom line of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable development. It lays out expected changes in the roles and spending patterns of the government in the sector and discusses the need to work with other stakeholders, including in the private sector. It calls for an ambitious and ongoing process of learning and experimentation, and several potential directions are offered in this report.
Participating in Change: Promoting Public Sector Accountability to All

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-02) World Bank Group

Myanmar has a unique opportunity to enable people’s participation in change by promoting transparency and accountability throughout the public sector, including in revenue collection, the management of public expenditure, public policy making, and service provision. This can have a pivotal impact on the effectiveness of the public sector and thereby its ability to promote inclusive growth. In Myanmar, the public sector’s historically narrow revenue base and its limited role in public service delivery have led to weak development outcomes. A history of opacity and lack of public engagement in policymaking have fueled corruption and compounded the loss of public trust in government.
A Financial Recovery Plan for Vietnam Electricity: With Implications for Vietnam’s Power Sector

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-02-01) Maweni, Joel ; Bisbey, Jyoti

This report sets forth details of a financial recovery plan designed to help Vietnam Electricity (EVN), and the Vietnamese power sector more generally, to address a series of complex and interconnected challenges over the next 3 to 10 years. These challenges are operational and institutional as well as financial, and will lead to fundamental changes over time in the way that EVN and the overall power sector operate.
All Aboard!: Policies for Shared Prosperity in Myanmar

(World Bank, Yangon, 2016-01) Rab, Habib

The November 8, 2015 elections in Myanmar marked a historic milestone in the country’s political and economic transition that began in 2011. Incoming policy makers are preparing to pick up the baton and deliver on the people’s strong aspirations for a harmonious and prosperous Myanmar. In this series of policy notes, the World Bank Group seeks to promote dialogue on critical development challenges and on options for policies and reforms that can contribute to shared prosperity for the people of Myanmar. The policy notes focus on six interconnected areas that are likely to be high priorities for shared prosperity. The first is on closing the gap in access to social services for improving Myanmar’s human development outcomes. This could help to strengthen the productivity and employability of Myanmar’s current and future labor force, which is the critical input to inclusive growth and a precondition to success in all the other areas. The second policy note is on growing together by reducing poverty in rural areas. Policies to boost agriculture productivity and accelerate the delivery of essential services in rural areas, where they lag the most, could help to supply the much needed labor and food for the rapidly expanding industrial, manufacturing and service sectors.
Growing Together: Reducing Rural Poverty in Myanmar

(World Bank, Yangon, 2016-01) Myint, Nikolas ; Badiani-Magnusson, Reena ; Woodhouse, Andrea ; Zorya, Sergiy

Policies that enable rural communities to participate in expanding economic opportunities can be central to inclusive growth in Myanmar. Rural communities are home to the majority of Myanmar’s population, the majority of its many ethnic groups, and 70 percent of its poor. Development in rural areas is constrained by low returns to agriculture, and significantly lower levels of public service delivery and human development outcomes relative to urban areas. Reforms to enhance agriculture productivity are necessary though not sufficient for improving the welfare and livelihoods of rural communities. These have to be complemented with increased access to social and economic services that can raise human and physical capacity to create the conditions necessary for the growth of a dynamic rural non-farm sector. These reforms could help to not only reduce the drag on rural growth and poverty reduction, but also contribute to structural economic transformation so that the welfare of all people in Myanmar can grow together.