Sector/Thematic Studies

6,525 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

Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions Insight

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Ethics and Corruption in the Federal Public Service: Civil Servants' Perspectives

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-12-09) World Bank

This Survey on Ethics and Corruption in the Federal Public Service was held online from April 28 to May 28, 2021, in partnership with the Office of the Federal Comptroller General (CGU), the Ministry of the Economy, and the National School of Public Administration (ENAP). All civil servants were represented in the sample, totaling 22,130 respondents. The sample covered all federative units and ministries. Most civil servants report having witnessed some sort of unethical practice during their time in the public sector. Of all respondents, 58.7 percent stated that they witnessed some unethical practice during their career in public service. The most frequent practices were using one's position to help friends or family and bending the rules under pressure from one’s superiors. Over the past three years, around one third of all civil servants (33.4 percent) witnessed some unethical practice, according to their reports. Corruption in the public service is multifaceted, thus requiring granular information about its nature, prevalence, and vulnerable actors. In view of its scope, thematic scope, and representativeness, the data generated by the study could become a valuable source for the development of knowledge about corruption in the federal public service. We hope that this Survey on Ethics and Corruption in the Federal Public Service becomes a tool to complement current and future efforts to fight corruption.
Toward More Accountable PPPs: A Review of the Development, Implementation, and Post-Implementation Experience of Improved Disclosure Practices in PPPs in Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, and Nigeria

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11-12) World Bank

In the face of declining fiscal space and the need to build back better after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, governments are turning to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to deliver infrastructure assets and services. Disclosure of information plays an important role in PPP programs. Several clients of the World Bank Group, including those with well-established PPP programs, currently do not disclose PPP information in a structured way throughout the project life cycle. Responding to these challenges, the World Bank developed a series of knowledge products to understand disclosure in PPPs, as well as to provide tools to governments for improving PPP disclosure. Post implementation of national PPP disclosure frameworks in the pilot countries, it became important to document the process, as well as assess the experience and perceptions related to the changed disclosure environment culminating in the disclosure of information via public-facing web portals. To support this task, a study was carried out over 2019-2020 to capture the enhanced disclosure environment, understand the perceptions of stakeholders vis-à-vis structured disclosure, identify what was working well, as well as indicate areas for improvement. This paper is a culmination of this effort to document the process and analyze the experience gained from the four-country pilot carried out in Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, and Nigeria. Section 1 of the paper provides the general background within which PPP disclosure is located, as well as the key elements of the World Bank’s Framework for Disclosure in PPPs. Section 2 documents the process followed in developing and implementing customized national frameworks in the pilot countries.
The Evolving Role of the Planning Function: International Experience and Reform Options for India

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11-01) World Bank

This note presents the main trends in strategic planning across public sector administrations in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, South Korea, and Colombia. It was prepared in response to the Indian Government's interest in understanding the emerging trends in the evolution of strategic planning in a range of countries and effectively adapting this function across public administration at the national and subnational levels.
Ukraine Water Supply and Sanitation Policy Note: Toward Improved, Inclusive, and Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Services

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-18) World Bank

This policy note outlines key challenges and identifies specific recommendations for improved, inclusive, and sustainable development of Ukraine’s water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector, which is important for the health and well-being of the country’s people, the economy, and the environment. Water touches every aspect of development and is linked with nearly every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The issues facing the water sector, if not addressed, will affect other development agendas in Ukraine, such as food and energy security, jobs, equal access to services, and social inclusion, as well as adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Like many other countries, the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected Ukraine by exacerbating problems in poor performing sectors and increasing inequalities by driving people into poverty. The situation calls for integrated solutions to reverse that impact through greener, more resilient, and inclusive sustainable development. This WSS Policy Note aims to outline key challenges in the Ukrainian WSS sector and to recommend needed reforms toward sustainable WSS service provision to policy makers.
South Africa Financial Ombud System Diagnostic

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-10) World Bank

The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice of the World Bank Group (WBG) aims to help countries build financial systems that are deep, diversified, inclusive, efficient, and stable essential to promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and increasing shared prosperity. One core activity is supporting national authorities to achieve their objectives for financial inclusion, by supporting policy, legal, regulatory, and supervisory reforms in areas such as financial consumer protection, including financial-sector alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Through the South Africa Financial Sector Development and Reform Program, the WBG is supporting the national reform process, which includes achieving an efficient and effective ADR system, so that financial customers can hold financial institutions to account if there is a dispute. This diagnostic review valuates the current financial-sector Ombud system in South Africa, Compares it against international good practice, and recommends reforms to provide good-quality outcomes and good value for money for the future.
Governance of Retail Payment Systems: Keeping Pace with Changing Markets

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

As innovation in retail payments continues and the systems evolve, effective governance of them becomes more complicated and increases in importance. Retail payment systems are essential for the economy to function efficiently, and more and more, they are something on which all individuals rely on in order to participate in economic life. Effective governance arrangements of retail payment systems are critical not just for the stability, reliability, and efficiency of the financial system but also for its capacity to manage and respond to the changing policy and market environment. Governance calls for focused attention, and retail payment systems deserve and require distinct and specific guidance regarding governance. This is because issues related to retail payment system governance go beyond the typical corporate issues, precisely because of the underlying public interest and the broader public policy objectives of safety and efficiency. This paper provides context and considerations regarding the governance of retail payment systems within this changing environment. It provides examples of approaches specific to the governance of retail payment systems and the different factors that influence and guide them. It refers to related legal frameworks, principles, and reference materials that may be useful in conducting reviews. And it draws on and shares examples of the challenges, frameworks, and arrangements of specific countries and systems. The paper provides specific guidance for practical matters, such as the regular assessment and revision of governance arrangements, the importance of acknowledging public interest, maintaining access rules that are in line with market needs and developments, achieving and maintaining a high degree of transparency regarding governance, and in ensuring that the board and management have the right skills and knowledge. The paper concludes with several themes for consideration that will help authorities and other relevant stakeholders navigate the topic of governance for retail payment systems.
Building a Financial Education Approach: A Starting Point for Financial Sector Authorities

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-01) World Bank

While the importance of financial capability has been studied empirically, questions remain about program effectiveness, whether and how effectively these skills can be taught to consumers, and if financial education programs lead to sustained behavioral changes that improve one’s financial wellness and inclusion. When studied analytically, the results of financial education have been mixed. The objective of this report is to help guide financial sector authorities to build a more effective approach to financial education. The report synthesizes available resources and complements existing knowledge about financial education. It also explores the appropriate role for financial sector authorities within financial education and outlines a practical approach for financial sector authorities who choose to develop financial education agendas or strategies. Lastly, the report provides an overview of the best tools and practices to improve the effectiveness of financial education initiatives.
Econometric Analysis of Framework Agreements in Brazil and Colombia

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

Procurement of commonly used items is a challenge for government agencies. If the items are repeatedly purchased in one-off fashion, so that the total volume is significant, there may be potential problems like loss of economy of scale, loss of efficiency, lower competition, and no long-term partnership with suppliers. Framework agreements (FAs) have emerged as a potential solution for the issues. Many countries (particularly in Americas and Europe) have used FAs successfully, though the use of FAs by countries outside these regions is still very low. Hence there is tremendous potential for scaling-up the use of FAs in developing countries. This study uses public procurement data from Brazil and Colombia, two major users of FAs. The subsequent chapters will describe the data used for the analysis, the methodology, and the findings. The country contexts, designs of FAs, available data and research questions vary across Brazil and Colombia, and therefore the empirical findings are not comparable between these two countries. For each country case, the analysis provides insights on the benefits and costs of using FAs and useful lessons that can be informative for other countries that are considering adopting or strengthening the use of FAs with similar design. Chapter one gives introduction. Chapters two and three cover data analytics from Brazil and Colombia respectively. Additionally, following annexures are part of this report: annexure-A: a brief introduction to regression analysis; annexure-B: supporting data and information - Brazil; and annexure-C: supporting data and information - Colombia.
Opportunities and Challenges for Public Procurement in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From an Experts Survey

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-19) World Bank

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented circumstances and challenges in many dimensions, without clear ex ante directions and guidance on the best strategies for coping with the emergency, including in public procurement. As a result, especially in the first months of the pandemic, governments responded to the COVID-19 crisis in myriad ways. To rationalize and take stock of these diverse experiences and challenges, the World Bank’s Procurement and Standards Global Unit and Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) unit conducted an International Survey of Procurement Specialists and Experts to document the legal and administrative framework for national emergency public procurement in the first months after the global COVID-19 outbreak. The survey was implemented between May and August 2020 and received 136 contributions covering 103 countries. The authors find that (a) some countries relied more heavily on high-risk procedures than on the procedures considered critical for effective and efficient emergency procurement; (b) lack of clarity on procurement needs and lack of coordination were significant bottlenecks experienced by most surveyed countries; (c) transparency and accountability standards deteriorated for COVID-19-related procurement relative to standard procurement; and (d) e-procurement, lessons from previous emergencies, and the quality of institutions are factors that enable national procurement systems to respond in a timely and effective manner to emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis. Using these results, authors provide policy recommendations to guide countries to prepare and adapt their national procurement systems to respond to critical emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis.
Evolution of Quality Infrastructure Investment in Japan

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04) Kriss, Paul ; Miki-Imoto, Haruka ; Nishimaki, Hiroshi ; Riku, Takashi

This report reviews the evolution of Quality Infrastructure Investments (QII) in the Japanese urban sector. The report is structured around the six QII principles (sustainable development, economic efficiency, environmental considerations, disaster resilience, social considerations and governance) and the three phases of post-war development in Japan. Specifically, the evolution of the six principles is reviewed in relation to historical events during the periods 1956–73, 1974–90, and 1990–2020. The report has the associated case studies for urban practitioners' further read.