Sector/Thematic Studies
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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
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Country Gender Assessment -
Recent Economic Development in Infrastructure -
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 -
Health Sector Review
Items in this collection
1 - 10 of 565
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Publication
Estudio Sobre Capacidades de Preparación y Respuesta Efectiva Ante Emergencias de Salud Pública en El Salvador
(Washington DC, 2023-04-18)La reciente crisis ha evidenciado la necesidad que tienen los países de identificar capacidades y brechas existentes para asegurar que sus sistemas de salud estén preparados para soportar el estrés causado por una emergencia sanitaria, que pueden ser extensas y de gravedad, y que además amenazan la prestación rutinaria de servicios esenciales de salud. En ese sentido, el fortalecimiento de muchas de las áreas del sistema de salud también contribuye a fortalecer la seguridad sanitaria y viceversa, el fortalecimiento de las capacidades de preparación y respuesta ante emergencias en muchos sentidos fortalece el sistema de salud en general. Existe una superposición entre esfuerzos para fortalecer los sistemas de salud para que sean confiables y sostenibles y fortalecer la seguridad sanitaria. Por ello, es importante identificar y promover aquellas inversiones que fortalecen las capacidades de preparación y respuesta ante emergencias sanitarias y que a su vez contribuyan a fortalecer el desempeño del sistema de salud y lo haga más resiliente. -
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GovTech Maturity Index, 2022 Update — Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Brief
(Washington, DC, 2023-04-11)According to the GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) 2022 update for the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, 18 countries in groups A and B are exhibiting significant focus on GovTech initiatives to enhance the delivery of public services and strengthen core government systems and enablers. The remaining 14 countries with medium to low focus are in groups C and D. Within the last two years, significant progress has been made in the pursuit of a whole-of-government approach, coupled with the establishment of dedicated GovTech entities to oversee it. Nevertheless, the regional average GTMI score of 0.547 is marginally lower than the global average of 0.552, which reflects some country-specific gaps in all GovTech dimensions that signify considerable opportunities for improvements in public sector digital transformation as presented in the report. -
Publication
Opportunities for All: Brazil Policy Notes 2022
(Washington, DC, 2022-12)This package of Public Policy Notes is directed to Brazilian policy makers and society to present the World Bank Group’s overview of key challenges facing the country at this juncture, and possible ways forward to address them. We present an agenda prioritized around four issues of core relevance to Brazil’s recovery and its future resilience. First is the goal of financing development sustainably given the immediate challenge of situating the country’s enormous growth, inclusion and climate action needs within a credible macroeconomic framework and efficient and effective fiscal policies. The second theme addressed in this note is building opportunities through productivity-led growth. With the growing reliance of Brazilians on social assistance policies, it is critical to keep sight of growth and jobs as the most important vehicles for the dignity and upward mobility of the poor. Third is increasing the capabilities and economic inclusion of the poor so that they are better able to capture the opportunities that come with growth. Thefourth theme we address in this note is meeting Brazil’s potential as a as a leader in green and climate friendly development. This document is accompanied by a package of six policy presentations and an underlying set of more detailed policy reports that can be accesses here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/brazil. -
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Uneven Recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean: Are Women Being Left Behind?
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022-07)In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the effects of the pandemic on labor market outcomes continue to be pronounced, especially for women. Continued pronounced impacts on women’s employment are partly driven by a slow recovery of sectors that predominantly employ women. Many new jobs created during the pandemic are informal. Among the new entrants into the labor force, women were more likely than men to land in informality. Policy priorities include gender neutral reforms to the organization of the labor market, plus social safety nets and policies that aim to address gender gaps. The latter include affordable and quality childcare, gender sensitive social assistance, improvements in women’s access to finance, and efforts to address persistent norms driving unequal gender roles. -
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Brazil Human Capital Review: Investing in People
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-06-30)How much talent is lost in Brazil because of unideal education and health conditions The Brazil Human Capital Review is part of the Human Capital Project, a global initiative of the World Bank Group that aims to raise attention on the importance of investing in people. Its focus relies on the conditions hindering children to flourish their potential labor productivity in Brazil. As a first step, this report proposes the Human Capital Index (HCI) to estimate the expected productivity of a child born today by the age of 18 when education and health conditions remain unaltered. Or simply, the HCI estimates the productivity level of the next generation of works. The results are alarming. How can Brazil recover from a decade lost in terms of human capital formation Mitigating the effects of the pandemic should be a priority. In the short-term, recommendations include: (a) adapt and strengthen policies already in place that have proven effects on human capital; (b) use the national conditional cash transfer program to support those more heavily affected by the pandemic; and (c) set as utmost priority a learning recovery and acceleration plan for the coming years. -
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Colombia - Evaluación de las Capacidades de Preparación y Respuesta ante Futuras Pandemias y Emergencias en Salud Pública
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-05-31)El sistema de salud en Colombia (SGSSS) se basa en un sistema de aseguramiento que tiene como objetivo garantizar el acceso a los servicios de salud y la protección económica de la población. El SGSSS tiene principalmente dos esquemas de beneficiarios: subsidiado y contributivo 1 . Los beneficiarios de estos regímenes están afiliados a las empresas de aseguramiento (EPS) que los representan y administran sus riesgos de salud coordinando los servicios necesarios, según lo determine el Plan de Beneficios. Este Plan se refiere a la gama elegible de servicios, procedimientos, medicamentos y tecnologías para prevenir, aliviar y tratar enfermedades. Por cada beneficiario, se reconoce y desembolsa a cada EPS, una tasa de prima de salud, la Unidad de Pago por Capitación (UPC). Las EPS organizan su red de prestaciones de servicios y contratan a las Instituciones Prestadoras de Servicios de Salud (IPS), para brindar servicios de salud a sus beneficiarios. Las IPS pueden ser hospitales públicos o privados, servicios de atención ambulatoria o profesionales de la salud por cuenta propia. El sistema de salud se financia principalmente con recursos del Estado central, con recursos adicionales derivados de los aportes de personas y empresas con empleados formales. Otros recursos centralizados son desembolsados a las entidades territoriales para financiar iniciativas de salud pública y complementar el régimen subsidiado. Las entidades territoriales también han destinado ingresos (impuestos a licores y loterías) para atender gastos en salud. La pandemia causada por la expansión a escala global del virus SARS CoV2 y de la enfermedad generada por este agente (COVID-19), ha suscitado una crisis sin precedentes desde la perspectiva sanitaria, social y económica (Organización Panamericana de la Salud, 2020). Tal circunstancia ha develado la necesidad de evaluar hasta qué punto estamos preparados como sociedades, regiones, países, ciudades y municipios para encarar y resistir los efectos devastadores de una epidemia, emergencia o problemática sanitaria de tal magnitud. Por ello, resulta preciso identificar brechas y vacíos en las capacidades de preparación y respuesta identificando el grado de desarrollo de aquellas habilidades, condiciones y potencialidades que resguarden las capacidades de operación de los sistemas de salud y permitan responder efectivamente a estas adversidades. -
Publication
Colombia Jobs Diagnostic: Structural Challenges for the Creation of More and Better Jobs
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-05-05)In mid-2020, the Government of Colombia launched a labor reform consultation process (Misión de Empleo) in response to a deterioration in pre-Covid19 employment indicators and changing economic and labor market conditions. Based on a comprehensive review of Colombia’s labor market performance for the 2009-2019 period, this report seeks to provide analytical underpinnings to this process. At the macro level, the report shows that employment in Colombia is insufficiently diversified relying almost exclusively on job creation in the services sectors. This exposes the labor market to cyclical changes in internal demand that are typical for commodity rich economies like Colombia. At the worker level, the report shows that the economy generates too few formal employment opportunities for those with fewer skills and those living in rural areas, implying low earnings, high rates of self-employment, and high levels of informality. At the firm level, the reports shows that the labor regulatory regime has contributed to strong increases in labor costs with important effects on entry and exit dynamics of firms contributing to a compositional shift towards larger, more capitalized, and more skill-intensive firms. -
Publication
Digital Economy for Latin America and the Caribbean: Country Diagnostic - El Salvador
(Washington, DC, 2022-04)The widespread adoption of digital technologies is transforming how individuals, businesses, and governments interact, as well as creating new opportunities for boosting shared prosperity and reducing poverty. Digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role in El Salvador’s economic development and will play an even larger role as the global economy continues to digitize. Digital transformation can help El Salvador address its persistent growth challenges and explore new avenues toward green, resilient, and inclusive development. This report builds on the strategic priorities of the digital agenda (DA) 2020-2030, assesses the state of digital economy development in El Salvador, and provides detailed analysis and policy recommendations to inform the reform agenda in the country. The report provides a comprehensive overview El Salvador’s digital economy development across six foundational elements of a digital economy: digital infrastructure, digital platforms, digital financial services, digital businesses, digital skills, and trust environment. The diagnostic and recommendations are based on analysis of secondary data, structured interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions with key government and private sector stakeholders. The findings of the report are organized in six chapters - each dealing with a pillar of the digital economy. Policy recommendations are presented in the form of sequenced action plans that can inform relevant efforts by national authorities, the private sector, and development partners. The report summarizes the main findings on each digital economy pillar. -
Publication
DIGITAGRO - Investing in Digital Technology to Increase Market Access for Women Agri-preneurs in Guatemala
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-03-31)Despite the strong role played by the agri-food sector in Guatemala’s economic performance and employment, reflected in high exports and strong results by larger commercial agri-businesses, small producers face daunting levels of market access, revenue generation capacity, and resilience. Schools in remote areas, however, often lack information on which producer to buy their food from, as well as basic knowledge on safe and hygienic cooking practices. These challenges are further exacerbated for women producers, who face higher information gaps, lower market access, and higher informality than their male counterparts, compounded by restrictive social norms and disempowerment. Yet, women who are engaged in agriculture have ample potential to be engaged in the school feeding business, as they tend to specialize in the production of foods that are in high demand by school. The School Feeding Program (SFP) thus represents a crucial window of opportunity for rural women in Guatemala, and a vehicle for their evolution from invisible farmers to proper agri-preneurs – economic agents in their own right in the agribusiness space. Information diffusion through digital technologies can increase market participation in rural areas and holds promise to enhance the status of women in the business sphere. The World Bank’s DIGITAGRO project, piloted digital technologies to improve market access for women agripreneurs, so they could supply the School Feeding Program in a fair, safe, sustainable, and profitable way while helping schools improve children’s nutrition. The purpose of this report is to describe the DIGITAGRO project and to present the findings of the impact evaluation study on the information campaign, in order to derive lessons on the use of digital technologies to promote market access for rural women, with a specific focus on their inclusion in Guatemala’s School Feeding Program The rest of the report is organized as follows. Chapter 2 provides an overview of family farming in Guatemala, including an assessment of the gaps encountered by rural women, and highlights child nutrition issues in the country. Chapter 3 describes the School Feeding Program, highlighting its functioning, the main actors involved, its expected benefits and the challenges it faces. Chapter 4 presents the DIGITAGRO project, providing a rationale for the use of digital technologies in agriculture, describing the main activities of the project, and providing details on the set-up of the impact evaluation study. Chapter 5 presents the experimental setting and main findings of the impact evaluation, whereas the potential mechanisms that could be driving the results are explored in Chapter 6, together with recommendations for promoting participation in the School Feeding Program. Chapter 7 discusses lessons learned and concludes. -
Publication
Guidelines for a Strategy for Ports and Inland Waterways
(Washington, DC, 2022-03-28)Argentina has a fairly developed transport system, which in the case of cargo shows a performance in progressive decline, with remarkable differences between components, logistics chains, and regions. Water transport, a key sector for the country’s connectivity with world markets, encounters difficulties when it comes to facilitating international trade. Two of these difficulties are of a structural nature, the first related to Argentina’s location in global maritime networks, far from key markets and major cargo corridors. The second concerns the limitations inherent to the waterways accessing ports with the largest movements of agri-bulks and containers, on the Río de La Plata and the Lower Parana River. Ports and waterways were subject to far-reaching reforms in the 1990s, fostering the greater participation of the private sector through dredging and port terminal operation concessions. At present, the contractual terms of these reforms are coming to an end, so the government now has the opportunity to redefine them, within the framework of a global context where maritime navigation - and cargo logistics in general - faces major changes and challenges. This is thus an auspicious moment to redefine strategies for ports and inland waterways, looking at safeguarding the country’s maritime connectivity and fostering greater competitiveness in international trade, whose growth is intrinsic to economic development and poverty reduction.