Sector/Thematic Studies

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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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Now showing 1 - 10 of 64

Colombia - Evaluación de las Capacidades de Preparación y Respuesta ante Futuras Pandemias y Emergencias en Salud Pública

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-05-31) Urquijo Velasquez, Lenis Enrique ; Valderrama, José ; Arango Soler, Juan Manuel ; Aguirre Martens, Gabriel Eduardo ; Toro, Juan Pablo ; Campbell, Jonathon Robert ; Veillard, Jeremy Henri Maurice

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.
Colombia Jobs Diagnostic: Structural Challenges for the Creation of More and Better Jobs

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-05-05) Carranza, Eliana ; Wiseman, William David ; Eberhard-Ruiz, Andreas ; Cardenas Martinez, Ana Lucia

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.
Digital Economy for Latin America and the Caribbean: Country Diagnostic - El Salvador

(Washington, DC, 2022-04) World Bank

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.
Sistematización y Revisión de la Experiencia de Chile para las Políticas y Medidas Educativas en el Contexto de la Pandemia

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-03-08) World Bank

La pandemia del COVID-19 generó una disrupción sin preceden - tes en los sistemas educativos de todo el mundo, obligando a los gobiernos a reaccionar con urgencia implementando soluciones para permitir la continuidad del aprendizaje durante el cierre de las escuelas. Simulaciones del Banco Mundial indican que el rezago en el aprendizaje causado por el cierre de las escuelas podría resultar en pérdidas de hasta US$17 trillones en ingresos futuros (calculados a valor presente) para la actual generación de estudiantes, equivalente a 14% del PBI mundial. A las pérdidas de aprendizaje, hay que añadir los costos en términos de bienestar físico y mental, y de habilidades socioemocionales relacionados con el cierre escolar. Mientras la emergencia sanitaria continúa significando una serie de retos hacia el regreso a clases pre - senciales, los gobiernos deben enfrentarse a otra urgencia: la recuperación de las enormes pérdidas académicas, donde existe evidencia de una concentración en los estratos más vulnerables de la población. La recuperación no es una tarea de corto plazo, sino un desafío que requerirá un esfuerzo de mediano y largo plazo sin precedentes.
Strengthening Public Health Surveillance Through Wastewater Testing: An Essential Investment for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Future Health Threats

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-01-19) Manuel, Doug ; Amadei, Carlo Alberto ; Campbell, Jonathon R. ; Brault, Jean-Martin ; Veillard, Jeremy

Since early 2020, an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly across the world. Latin America and the Caribbean remains an epicenter of the pandemic, with some of the world’s highest death rates. All countries in the region have been impacted, and more than 1.5 million people have died. With its relentless social and economic consequences, COVID-19 threatens to undo recent decades of progress on health outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean and diverts attention from work on remaining health sector challenges. This report explores the value, potential, and challenges of wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Latin America and the Caribbean, including in areas without a sanitary sewerage system. Providing examples from across the world, the report also outlines what countries should consider in creating a national wastewater surveillance program as part of their broader efforts to control the impacts of COVID-19.
The Argentine Pension System, its Success and Challenges: Contributions to an Informed Policy Debate

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Apella, Ignacio (ed.)

Over the last two decades, the Argentine pension system has made extraordinary progress in extending coverage--now reaching to nearly one hundred percent of the elderly--by expanding its non-contributory scheme and establishing automatic benefit adjustment mechanisms and increasing the replacement rate. Nonetheless, important challenges remain which may require public policy interventions in the near future. Some challenges are relevant in the short term, relating to coverage and equity of the system, while others are important in the longer term associated with the financial sustainability of the system in the context of population aging. The non-contributory benefits to reduce the coverage gap did not consider the labor history of workers and their past partial contributions, generating a horizontal inequality problem. Additionally, the coexistence of different pension schemes is a source of inequity within the national system, where provincial schemes and special and differential regimes coexist, each with its own rules and different generosity of benefits. The achievements of the pension system in terms of coverage and adequacy have impacted costs. In 2020, public spending on pensions reached almost 12 percent of GDP, similar to that of developed countries where population aging is considerably higher. In this context, policy options presented in this paper seek to redefine the objectives of the system, seeking greater equity and sustainability. Based on this premise, the document explores the benefits of redesigning the system using a two-pillar model, i.e. a universal and basic benefit related to the protection against the risk of ending up in a situation of poverty plus a contributory scheme, proportional to the contribution made by workers during their employment history. Addressing the coverage issue by incorporating this dimension would not only improve equity of contributions and benefits, but also generate incentives to extend the working life of older adults. At the same time, a strategy that harmonizes rules across different schemes, eliminates inequities and management issues, and focuses on the beneficiary —and not on the benefit— as the center of the system, would bring the model closer to a more equitable and sustainable system.
Reconocimiento y Revalidación en Chile de Títulos Obtenidos en el Extranjero

(Washington, DC, 2022) World Bank

El proceso de reconocimiento y revalidación de títulos y grados académicos es de gran importancia para la inclusión laboral de las personas migrantes en Chile. Un título profesional, técnico-superior o de grado académico faculta a quien lo obtuvo a ejercer la profesión correspondiente. Por lo tanto, el reconocimiento o revalidación de un título de educación superior es de gran importancia para las personas migrantes quienes, habiendo obtenido un título o grado de educación superior (el 26,8% del total de la población migrante) en su país de origen o en otro país, puedan ejercer su profesión en Chile y participar en el mercado laboral desempeñándose acorde a sus habilidades y competencias. Un proceso de reconocimiento y revalidación de credenciales efectivo no solo contribuye a la inserción laboral de quienes migran sino también a la productividad y crecimiento económico del país.
360° Resilience: A Guide to Prepare the Caribbean for a New Generation of Shocks

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-27) Rozenberg, Julie ; Browne, Nyanya ; De Vries Robbé, Sophie ; Kappes, Melanie ; Lee, Woori ; Prasad, Abha

Caribbean countries, a set of mostly Small Island Developing States (SIDS), have a history of dealing with large shocks. The region is threatened by both economic and natural hazards. Nations have specialized in tourism and commodity exports, disproportionately exposing them to global economic cycles through changes in tourism demand and commodity prices. They are also located in a region that is highly exposed to a range of natural hazards, from volcanic eruptions to earthquakes and hurricanes, which damage their infrastructure stock, reduce tourism demand, and destroy agricultural production. Hazards have often caused severe damage to economies and livelihoods in the region. This report reviews existing assessments of past losses from natural and economic shocks in the Caribbean, looking at impacts on physical capital, private sector activity (especially tourism and agriculture), economic growth, poverty, and well-being. It concludes that, despite the damage to physical capital experienced by countries due to natural hazards (especially in housing and transport infrastructure), the impacts on growth are short-lived, possibly because many mechanisms are in place to help economies bounce back rapidly. However, natural hazards have a high impact on poverty and human capital and threaten the sustainability of economic growth.
Pieces for Development: Policy Notes for Chile

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-18) World Bank

There is no doubt that more sustainable, resistant, and beneficial growth would benefit Chile and its inhabitants. However, this is a difficult and complex issue, with several interconnecting pieces and many different opinions about the best way to achieve this. At the same time, the experience of other countries shows that certain pieces must be in their place in order to achieve this objective. Chile has incorporated several pieces in this puzzle. However, some critical pieces are still needed in order to overcome this challenge. These notes seek to make recommendations about what some of those pieces can be and how to integrate them to complete the puzzle of Chile’s development.
Argentina: Valuing Water

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-08-17) World Bank

This report assesses water security in Argentina, using a conceptual framework developed by the World Bank. The effects of the pandemic reinforce the importance of safe access to water, hygiene, and sanitation, both as the first barrier against virus transmission and as an essential factor during recovery to mitigate secondary impacts on livelihoods and community well-being. The clear need to ensure that water is available in sufficient quantity and quality for human and productive uses, together with controlling the effects of the excess of water, highlights its central role in the economy, and in particular in securing the well-being of vulnerable communities. Argentina is already taking key steps to close water security gaps. It is increasing access to water and sanitation services with a focus on the most vulnerable; defining planning instruments such as national water plans; reinforcing tools such as the national information system for water and sanitation, the national water network information system (SNIH) and management and results plans (PGRs) for public service companies; expanding the regulatory framework with law 27,520 on minimum budgets for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change; and creating new entities such as the national directorate of drinking water and sanitation (DNAPyS). This study builds on these efforts and recommends steps to take toward becoming a more water-secure country by 2030.