Sector/Thematic Studies
6,687 items available
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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 -
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
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Publication
Building Code Checklist for Green Buildings
(Washington, DC, 2023-09-27)Globally, buildings account for 37 percent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. With increasing urbanization and population growth, demand for energy will continue to increase faster than the supply of renewable energy. This means that increasing the efficiency of current energy use is critical to climate change mitigation efforts while also meeting the development requirement of growing economies. Regulations that can increase the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings are thus vital to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping the increase in average global temperature below 2°C. This checklist aims to facilitate a robust approach to reviewing green building provisions in building regulations by providing a discussion of fundamental green building components of building regulations, and a systematic approach to review green building provisions in regulations. -
Publication
Racing Against Time: World Bank Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)Operating in environments marked by fragility, conflict, and violence poses complex and distinct challenges, and the Palestinian case is no different. A significant body of literature has emphasized the specific bottlenecks that exist, ranging from – in the first place – the movement, access, trade, and investment restrictions imposed by the Government of Israel (GoI) on the West Bank, and the near-blockade of Gaza, the noncontiguous geography of the territories, to the program advanced by the Palestinian Authority on structural reforms lacking momentum, and increasing penury of foreign aid. Numerous analytical and policy papers – spanning at least three decades, since the establishment of the AHLC forum – have emphasized the severity of the challenges at hand and the imperative of fostering cooperation among all parties. Despite relative clarity on the objectives, progress on the implementation of priorities has been modest, resulting in increased complexity and urgency at the present day. At the behest of the AHLC, this report aims to guide the renewed efforts of the PA and the GoI, the global community, and – more broadly – all relevant policymakers and stakeholders, as they lay the groundwork for sustainable growth and shared prosperity in the Palestinian territories and the wider region. In line with the above, the findings of this report are unsurprising. Unlocking the economic potential of the West Bank and Gaza requires urgent action, in order to spur per capita growth beyond near-stagnation levels, as well as to put the fiscal situation on a sounder footing. The removal, or at least a significant reduction, of restrictions by Israel is a vital prerequisite. Simultaneously, steadfast commitment by the PA to the implementation of a comprehensive reform agenda will be paramount to bolster both recovery and resilience, along with reinforcing institutional governance. In addition, as this report indicates, addressing shortfalls in the health sector will be pivotal to improve the efficiency of public spending, safeguarding human capital, improving service delivery, and revitalizing economic opportunities in a context marked by decades of fragility. While underscoring the burning pressure of these challenges, the World Bank remains fully committed to continuing its close technical collaboration with the PA, the GoI, and all relevant development partners, to help forging a path towards stability, security, economic progress and prosperity, and to contribute to the collective aspiration for a brighter future. -
Publication
Activating Alignment: Applying the G-20 Principles for Sustainable Finance Alignment with a Focus on Climate Change Mitigation
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)The first action in the G-20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap proposes six high-level principles for the development and global coordination of approaches to align investments with sustainability goals. “Alignment approaches” are national and international frameworks for the financial sector that aim to monitor global sustainable finance flows and ensure that they are contributing to the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and other international sustainable finance objectives. These approaches increasingly leverage “alignment tools,” which include but are not limited to (a) taxonomies (or classifications) of private sector activities that can be labeled as achieving environmental and social objectives; (b) certifications and labels that confirm that products or services have met environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards; (c) disclosure frameworks that guide private sector entities to manage and report on their ESG performance; and (d) transition frameworks that help the private sector design a credible shift to low-carbon technologies and practices. The tools can then be applied in different ways—ranging from national-level regulations to voluntary private sector–led initiatives, to corporate-level practices. The tools can be applied by investors and finance providers for different purposes at different levels: at the “asset level” (as in determining whether a project or activity is compatible with a relevant sustainable finance taxonomy or due diligence framework); the “entity level” (as inwhether a corporate or financial institution has a robust low-carbon transition plan and adheres to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work); or “portfolio level” (as in whether an index is aligned with a credible temperature objective or supports poverty reduction). The G-20 Voluntary Principles for Developing Alignment Approaches provide a common foundation for ensuring these alignment approaches are robust and consistent. -
Publication
West Bank and Gaza Data Governance Framework Assessment
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)Data serves many purposes in the public sector: first as infrastructure that supports services and enables transactions between diverse stakeholders in a network, from government to businesses and to citizens; and second as an evidence base for governance and decision-making. Most recently, the value of data was demonstrated through efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic using data to aid in disease contact tracing, provide information, guide policies, and inform spending of funds. Public sector and government data sources such as censuses, national surveys, and administrative data, combined with data produced by the private sector helping to fill data gaps, provide timelier and finer-scale assessments of programs and policies, and serve public policy and development needs. Businesses can create value from government data by integrating it with data produced by the private sector. This highlights the importance of efficient and effective data sharing, reuse, and interoperability between different actors to better realize development objectives. This report describes the key findings on: leadership on data use and sharing in the government; key enablers for better public sector data use; key legal, regulatory, and policy safeguards that facilitate the trusted use, reuse, and sharing of data in a safe and secure manner; key stakeholders and their role and responsibilities in the data governance framework; and a proposed action plan. -
Publication
Foundational Learning Compact Umbrella Trust Fund Progress Report: January 2021 - September 2022
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)The FLC Progress Report showcases initiatives that have helped create tools and knowledge for countries to improve foundational learning through their educational systems. Since it is the first such report for the FLC, it will cover the transition to the FLC from the previous SABER3 program to its incarnation as the FLC umbrella trust fund. It will also examine recent and current challenges, including the slowdown in the pace of implementation during the COVID related school and ministry closures. The pandemic both stymied and shaped how the FLC initiatives worked, where we worked, and when we worked. We have had to adapt. Fortunately, implementation has picked up in the last year and technical teams have been working tirelessly to accelerate implementation. -
Publication
Navigating Education, Motherhood, and Informal Labor: The Experiences of Young Women in Luanda
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)Gender equality is a key foundation of inclusive and sustainable economic development that can translate into long-term and effective poverty reduction. While gender equality matters on its own as a human right, it also offers instrumental value for individuals, households, and societies at large. Global evidence consistently shows that empowering women and girls reduces poverty incidence and food insecurity, boosts economic growth and productivity, and enhances investments in children’s human capital. Angola, a country where a third of the population lives in poverty and economic output is heavily dependent on its oil sector, stands out in Sub-Saharan Africa for its particularly large gender disparities, especially when compared to countries of same income levels. Family formation, education, and labor market decisions are intrinsically interwoven and connected, which in the case of Angola leads to extreme demographic pressure on an already weak public service system. To begin tackling these significant gender disparities, well-designed and targeted policies are needed. But there are significant knowledge gaps when it comes to understanding the key barriers facing Angolan girls and young women in accessing education and transitioning to the labor market. This report presents insights gained from the voices of young women and girls, their parents, and key informants through a series of interviews carried out in Luanda, home to a quarter of the country’s population, in 2022. Based on these in-depth interviews with low-income young women in Luanda, this report points to the multiple challenges they face across their life cycle - challenges relating to the dimensions of education, family formation, and work. It also shows how those dimensions in a woman’s life are deeply interconnected - and how they are determined by structural constraints including poverty and vulnerability, gender norms, corruption and lack of transparency in access to services and opportunities, and violence in public and private spheres. -
Publication
Assistive Technologies for Children with Disabilities in Inclusive and Special Schools in Indonesia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-09-25)This empirical study of the Indonesian context aims to rigorously examine availability and usage of AT for children with disabilities. It reviews key challenges and support needed in both inclusive and special schools, focusing on teachers in primary and secondary education in Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT). Key questions included: 1) What is the availability and use of AT for students with disabilities in schools in Indonesia? 2) In what ways can teachers, schools, and local and national stakeholders work together to promote equitable and quality learning through AT for children with disabilities? To answer these questions, this study employed a mixed method to enhance the validity and quality of evidence based analysis of AT for children with disabilities in Indonesia, including a national level teacher survey with over 2,000 teachers who participated voluntarily, focus group discussions with teachers, school principals and policy makers as well as an international review of practices on AT for children with disabilities to address the lack of previous studies in Indonesia. -
Publication
Mobilizing Private Finance for Nature: A World Bank Group Paper on Private Finance for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-09-25)Biodiversity and ecosystem services, or nature for short, underpin many aspects of economic activity and are deteriorating at an unprecedented level, with potentially far-reaching implications for economies worldwide. Sustained ecosystem damage can trigger regime shifts and generate systemic impacts on human well-being and economies. For example, the degradation of natural ecosystems has been associated with an increase in the probability of emerging infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely an example of how the disturbance of ecosystems can have systemic consequences. As biodiversity is often seen as a public and therefore open access good, its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use rely heavily on scarce public sector finance. Simultaneously, governments are spending vast amounts to promote economic activities that are potentially harmful to biodiversity. This paper argues that governments and regulators, supported by financial institutions and multilateral development banks (MDBs), hold the key to mobilizing private finance at the scale needed to transform the way we build, produce, and consume to protect nature while fostering sustainable poverty reduction. The analysis looks at two key approaches to mobilizing private finance for biodiversity. First, it assesses opportunities for financing green, that is, the financing of projects that contribute, or intend to contribute, to the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity and its services to people. Second, it looks at greening finance, that is, directing financial flows away from projects with negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystems to projects that mitigate negative impact, or pursue positive environmental impact as a co-benefit. Despite growing innovation in both categories, significant challenges to scaling up private finance remain. These include policies that exacerbate the underpricing of biodiversity; lack of data, measurement, and reporting standards; and issues with biodiversity investment opportunities, which tend to be small scale and noncommercial, making private sector financing a challenge. The paper provides a set of recommendations for governments, regulators, companies, financial institutions, and MDBs. These are synthesized into a set of big five approaches to mobilize private finance for biodiversity: environmental fiscal reforms to realign incentives with sustainable practices; national biodiversity data provision and planning; the establishment of a Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) to support biodiversity reporting; the establishment of a Nature Action 100 to drive change in the companies whose activities most threaten biodiversity; and the provision of catalytic, concessional capital for biodiversity funds and projects. -
Publication
Financing of Essential Public Health Services in the Caribbean Region: Case Study
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-21)This study examines the expenditure by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries on the delivery of Essential Public Health Services (EPHS), in the context of the global response to COVID-19. In particular, the study focuses on financing arrangements enacted to ensure the predictability of funding and the sustainability in the level and flow of funds over the medium and long terms to carry out essential public health functions in Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The study also highlights the close, synergistic relationship between the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and its Member States. -
Publication
Ghana’s Pharmacovigilance Experience: From Vertical Program Activity to Nationwide System
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-21)The objective of this report is to examine the development of pharmacovigilance (PV) in Ghana and illustrate the role it plays in the health system, and more recently, during the COVID-19 emergency response. It concludes by offering some relevant lessons for building PV capacity in other low-and middle-income countries.