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Publication
Compendium of International and National Legal Frameworks on Child Marriage: Second Edition - June 2022
(Washington, DC, 2023-03-29)The initial idea for this compendium came out in 2016 of a collaboration between the Legal Vice Presidency and the Education Global Practice at the World Bank on the role of law to end child marriage. The discussions took place within the context of a global study being conducted by the World Bank and the International Center for Research on Women on the economic and social costs of child marriage with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children Investment Fund Foundation, as well as additional support from the Global Partnership for Education under a grant for work on out of school children. In 2022, the Empowering Women by Balancing the Law (EWBL) initiative of the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank decided to update and upgrade the first edition of the Compendium. The EWBL aims to advance gender equality through substantive legal contributions to promote gender inclusivity in the law. It is rooted in the conviction that gender equality and equity under the law are preconditions for enabling women’s full participation in society and for countries to achieve tangible development outcomes. However, to date, billions of women and girls worldwide face systemic barriers due to outdated and discriminatory laws that hinder their rights and opportunities. This Compendium can participate in the protection of women and girls’ fundamental rights and the promotion of strong, peaceful, and just societies, as well as to the achievement of mission to end poverty and promote shared prosperity. This Compendium is limited to 194 countries (54 countries in Africa; 44 countries in Asia; 14 countries in Oceania; 23 countries in North and Central America; 12 countries in South America; and 47 countries in Europe). -
Publication
Social Sustainability in Development: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-15)All development is about people: the transformative process to equip, link, and enable groups of people to drive change and create something new to benefit society. Development can promote societies where all people can thrive, but the change process can be complex, challenging, and socially contentious. Continued progress toward sustainable development is not guaranteed. The current overlapping crises of COVID-19, climate change, rising levels of conflict, and a global economic slowdown are inflaming long-standing challenges—exacerbating inequality and deep-rooted systemic inequities. Addressing these challenges will require social sustainability in addition to economic and environmental sustainability. Social Sustainability in Development: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century seeks to advance the concept of social sustainability and sharpen its analytical foundations. The book emphasizes social sustainability’s four key components: social cohesion, inclusion, resilience, and process legitimacy. It posits that •Social sustainability increases when more people feel part of the development process and believe that they and their descendants will benefit from it. •Communities and societies that are more socially sustainable are more willing and able to work together to overcome challenges, deliver public goods, and allocate scarce resources in ways perceived to be legitimate and fair so that all people may thrive over time. By identifying interventions that work to promote the components of social sustainability and highlighting the evidence of their links to key development outcomes, this book provides a foundation for using social sustainability to help address the many challenges of our time. -
Publication
The Economics of Electric Vehicles for Passenger Transportation (Conference Edition)
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023-03-13)"The Economics of Electric Vehicles for Passenger Transportation" provides answers to three critical questions: Why should developing countries pursue e-mobility? When does an accelerated transition to electric vehicles (EVs) make sense for developing countries? How can governments make this transition happen? A key finding from the research is that there is a strong economic case for EVs in many developing countries. This is news because, despite growing momentum and interest in the sector, 90 percent of EV sales are still concentrated in major markets such as China, Europe, and the United States. According to original models developed by the report’s authors, developing countries can look to electric buses as well as to two- and three-wheeled vehicles as entry points to this critical transition. Readers will find many examples of countries already benefiting from e-mobility solutions. For example, Brazil, Chile, and India are leaders in electric bus fleets. Their progress, made possible by innovative financing and procurement practices, is improving mobility in cities, reducing local air pollution, and reducing congestion in fast-growing downtowns. Readers will also see examples from Asian and East African countries, which are embarking on battery-swapping schemes to lower upfront costs of ownership for two- and three-wheeled vehicles. Based on the unique modeling, analysis, and benchmarking of results across 20 developing countries—complemented by a compilation of actual organic and diverse experiences of developing countries with electric mobility adoption—this report provides policy guidance on how governments can accelerate EV adoption, and when and where it makes economic sense to adopt electric mobility more quickly. This report is a critical read for anyone interested in the future of transport and its links with development progress. -
Publication
Women, Business and the Law 2023
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-02)“Women, Business and the Law 2023” is the ninth in a series of annual studies measuring the laws and regulations that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies. The project presents eight indicators structured around women’s interactions with the law as they move through their lives and careers: Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension. The 2023 edition identifies barriers to women’s economic participation and encourages reform of discriminatory laws. This year, the study also includes research, a literature review, and analysis of 53 years of reforms for women’s rights. Examining the economic decisions that women make throughout their working lives as well as tracking regulatory changes from 1970 to today, the study makes an important contribution to research and policy discussions about the state of women’s economic opportunities. By presenting powerful examples of change and highlighting the gaps still remaining, “Women, Business and the Law 2023” is a vital tool in ensuring economic empowerment for all. Data in “Women, Business and the Law 2023” are current as of October 1, 2022. -
Publication
Rising from the Depths: Water Security and Fragility in South Sudan
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023)In 2022, South Sudan was ranked as the world’s most vulnerable country to climate change and the one most lacking in coping capacity. South Sudan is also one of the world’s most politically fragile countries. Rising from the Depths explores opportunities and trade-offs for aligning South Sudan’s water-related investments and policies with its commitment to peace and its climate change adaptation needs. This report elevates water security as an issue critical for national development and stability—not just as a humanitarian need. With a focus on water security for people, production, and protection, the report shows that water insecurity is an existential threat to South Sudan. One in two South Sudanese live in areas exposed to moderate flood hazard; the country ranks seventh in the world for share of population exposed to river floods. Lack of access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation is also a core concern: more than 60 percent of the population use unimproved sources and 75 percent practice open defecation. Women and girls tend to be disproportionately impacted by these water-related threats. The report illustrates the negative implications of these challenges on health and nutrition, forced displacement, gender, and conflict. Yet, the challenges of water in South Sudan are also an opportunity. Rising from the Depths shows that South Sudan can harness the ubiquity of water as a tool to advance national development and stability. Priorities include strengthening nascent policy and institutional frameworks to guide water sector investments and ensure their sustainability, using a portfolio of infrastructure options to manage water resources, and addressing the country’s water supply and sanitation crisis. The identification, design, and implementation of investments should be guided by comprehensive feasibility assessments that include the investments' impact on the country’s rich biodiversity and social and conflict dynamics. Although infrastructure will be needed, it will not be enough. Water security in South Sudan will be achieved not solely by trying to control water and divert its flow but also by focusing on increasing community preparedness; delineating areas for water; and making productive use of water for household consumption, livelihoods, and development. -
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Planning National Telemedicine and Health Hotline Services: A Toolkit for Governments
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023)For many low- and middle-income countries, telemedicine and health hotlines are the best way to increase community access to health information and health care. This became even more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic, when countries with low health-care-worker-to-population ratios--and large populations that do not live close to a health center--needed better ways for their citizens to access health information and care. These services have played an important role in filling access gaps for decades, but to ensure they sustain impact at a national scale, the government must be brought in from the beginning with a longer-term plan for the government to steward the solution. For a solution to be sustainable, it must be incorporated into country strategies and budgets, and the government must have ownership of the solution, even if all or parts of the operation are outsourced. This toolkit focuses on health hotlines and telemedicine, specifically on the telemedicine systems used for primary care services, rather than those for specialized care such as tele-dermatology, tele-oncology, and others. This toolkit will outline the multi-phased approach needed to set up a health hotline or telemedicine service at a national scale while providing tools that can be used to, for example, cost out and design the system, contract service providers, or engage mobile network operators. -
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Planning National Telemedicine and Health Hotline Services: A Toolkit for Service Providers Working with Governments
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023)For many low- and middle-income countries, digital health solutions are the best way to increase community access to health information and health care. This became even more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic, when countries with low health-care-worker-to-population ratios--and large populations that do not live close to a health center--needed better ways for their citizens to access health services. In many countries, telemedicine and health hotline services have played an important role in filling access gaps, which can present private sector providers with opportunities for growth. When the private sector and government work together it can lead to major advances in health services that reach more communities. However, just because a solution is impactful does not mean it will be sustainable. To ensure any solution sustains impact at scale, it is important for the government to lead it from the beginning, and eventually regulate, and perhaps own, the solution even if it outsources all, or parts, of it to service providers. This toolkit is designed for software or call center service providers interested in working with government to establish nationwide telemedicine or health hotline services. -
Publication
Engendering Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia: Overview
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023)Building a skilled and diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is crucial for economic development, cross-border trade, and social inclusion in South Asia. However, underrepresentation of girls and women in STEM education and careers remains a persistent issue. What kinds of macro and micro socioeconomic interventions are needed to increase girls’ and women’s access to and participation in STEM education and careers in South Asia? Engendering Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia compares trends in South Asia with global trends to examine how access to and choices of STEM fields affects girls’ enrollment in upper secondary education, technical and vocational education and training, and higher education in the region, as well as selection of careers. Based on the analysis, it offers recommendations to policy makers and practitioners to improve inclusion. The following are among the findings: •Four key intervention points to increase inclusion in STEM education and careers and staunch the “leaky pipeline” are at enrollment in the upper primary, lower and upper secondary, and tertiary education levels; and during early career years. •A strong pathway from STEM education to career depends on an integrated, systematic approach that motivates students to pursue STEM fields, builds STEM skills, and removes barriers to diversity. •With the increasing migration of workers between countries in South Asia, preparing a critical mass of semiskilled and skilled STEM migrant workers has cross-border value, especially for workers migrating from smaller to larger economies. New ways of defining STEM occupations are required to help develop and sustain female interest in STEM education and careers. Potential strategies that governments can pursue include raising awareness and building knowledge and skills in STEM outside the formal academic environment, such as in after-school programs, science fairs and competitions, and summer camps, and developing and systematically disseminating standardized resources. Inclusion and diversity must be championed by governments, the private sector, and by stakeholders who stand to benefit from more diverse workforces. Though women themselves would likely be credible champions, in South Asia they are often constrained by a range of factors. This report addresses some of those factors. -
Publication
Off the Books: Understanding and Mitigating the Fiscal Risks of Infrastructure
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023)Developing countries face massive infrastructure needs, but public spending on infrastructure is inadequate, and public investment has been declining in recent years. Rising debt levels and tightening fiscal and monetary conditions are putting further pressure on the funds available for infrastructure, heightening the importance of increasing the efficiency of infrastructure spending. Off the Books: Understanding and Mitigating the Fiscal Risks of Infrastructure shows that however governments deliver infrastructure—through direct public provision, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), or public-private partnerships (PPPs), the risk of fiscal surprises is high in both good times and bad. As a result, infrastructure service delivery often ends up costing significantly more than expected, eroding limited fiscal space for productive spending. This book makes a unique contribution by quantifying the magnitude and prevalence of fiscal risks from electricity and transport infrastructure and identifying their root causes across a range of low- and middle-income countries. Drawing on important new sources of evidence and compiling many others, the analysis sheds light on how much is at stake in the good governance of infrastructure sectors. It allows policy makers to weigh the magnitudes of different types of risks and examine how they vary across contexts. Off the Books shows how a deeper understanding of the fiscal risks of infrastructure can help policy makers target reforms to areas where they can be expected to have the greatest impact. It lays out a reform agenda for mitigating the fiscal risks associated with infrastructure based on building government capacity; adopting integrated public investment management and integrated fiscal risk management; improving fiscal and corporate governance of SOEs; and ensuring robust PPP preparation, procurement, and contract management. The book will be of enormous value to policy makers, practitioners, and academics who have an interest in infrastructure and fiscal policy. -
Publication
Deep Trade Agreements: Anchoring Global Value Chains in Latin America and the Caribbean
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022-07-12)International economic integration offers unexploited opportunities to Latin America and the Caribbean. This report studies how the region’s countries can leverage trade agreements to promote their economies’ participation in global value chains (GVCs).The gaps between potential and actual GVC integration follow from the region’s Economic fundamentals, such as geography, market size, institutions, and factor endowments. But policy choices matter as well. The report, based on new data and evidence, shows that trade agreements can drive policy reforms and help the region overcome some of its disadvantageous fundamentals. The report makes specific policy recommendations to guide Latin American and Caribbean countries in leveraging trade agreements to pursue greater international integration and economic growth. Four main findings emerge from the analysis: (i) Latin America and the Caribbean’s poor international integration and limited participation in GVCs have contributed to its low economic growth over the past decade; (ii) Although the region’s countries increasingly participate in preferential trade agreements (PTAs), there are gaps in the content of these agreements; (iii) Deep trade agreements present an avenue to promote trade and boost GVC integration and upgrading, thus contributing to improved economic performance; (iv) Four areas of deep integration - trade facilitation, regulatory cooperation, services, and state support - are priorities to improve these countries’ GVC participation and upgrading.