Journal Issue:World Bank Research Observer, Volume 40, Issue 2
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Volume
40
Number
2
Issue Date
2025-08
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A Survey of Judicial Effectiveness
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2024-06-17) Bosio, Erica
Courts around the world are often perceived to be ineffective in delivering justice, as case resolution tends to be slow, costly, and biased in favor of the wealthy and politically connected factors that drive the need for judicial reform. Drawing on a quarter century of empirical research, this paper finds that judicial reform is most successful in enhancing court effectiveness when it aligns with or is driven by periods of extraordinary political change. The study examines four key dimensions of judicial effectiveness - independence, access, efficiency, and quality - and concludes that transformative reforms are most likely to succeed in countries emerging from conflict and violence or those seeking accession to regional or international organizations. In the absence of such conditions, reformers are better advised to focus on procedural rule changes that improve the performance of the existing judicial system. The survey also highlights procedural reforms that have been shown to deliver better outcomes.
The Role of Fathers in Promoting Early Childhood Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2024-06-10) Evans, David K.; Jakiela, Pamela
The role of fathers in parenting young children varies significantly across societies. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), policymakers are increasingly focused on enhancing early childhood stimulation and other investments to boost human capital, promote school readiness, and improve long-term outcomes. Historically, few interventions targeted fathers, and many impact evaluations assumed fathers had little involvement in parenting. This paper reviews emerging literature on fathers’ participation in early childhood stimulation and parenting in LMICs, summarizing findings from rigorous impact evaluations. It reveals that fathers generally spend less time stimulating their children's development than mothers or other household adults, although mothers’ and fathers’ investments are positively correlated. Additionally, while fathers’ participation in parenting programs tends to be low, such programs have shown success in improving fathers’ knowledge and, to a lesser extent, their behaviors.
The Effect of Lead Exposure on Children’s Learning in the Developing World
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2024-08-16) Crawfurd, Lee; Todd, Rory; Hares, Susannah; Sandefur, Justin; Bonnifield, Rachel Silverman
Around half of children in low-income countries have elevated blood-lead levels, raising concerns about the role of lead exposure in explaining poor educational outcomes in these settings. This study presents a new systematic review and meta-analysis of observational research on the relationship between lead exposure and learning outcomes. After adjusting for observable confounds and publication bias, the benchmark estimate indicates a −0.12 standard-deviation reduction in learning per natural log unit of blood lead. Since all estimates are non-experimental, the paper also examines the likely impact of unobserved confounding and summarizes findings from a smaller set of natural experiments. The benchmark estimate accounts for over one-fifth of the learning gap between rich and poor countries and suggests that targeted interventions for highly exposed groups could yield moderate learning gains (approximately 0.1 standard deviations), while broader public health campaigns may result in more modest improvements (less than 0.05 standard deviations).
SMEs, Trade Finance Markets and Instruments
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2024-05-13) Cavoli, Tony; Christian, David; Shrestha, Rashesh
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are an important source of employment and economic activity, but their expansion and growth may be limited by the existence of trade finance constraints due mainly to a lack of access to external sources of finance. The authors present a conceptual framework for understanding trade finance transactions, instruments, and participants; and map this framework to the available data used to measure trade finance. Finally, they present some stylized facts on the relationship between various trade finance instruments, and their possible links to SME outcomes with reference to ASEAN countries. The authors find that there are many (though imperfect) proxies for trade finance activities; and that improving trade finance is associated with more desirable SME outcomes.
International Commodity Agreements and Cartels
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2024-06-13) Baffes, John; Nagle, Peter; Streifel, Shane S.
Throughout the 20th century, countries sought to mitigate the adverse effects of boom-and-bust cycles in commodity prices through international supply management initiatives aimed at maintaining high and/or stable prices. Post-World War I efforts targeted commodities like coffee, copper, wool, and tin, while the Great Depression prompted agreements on tea, natural rubber, sugar, coffee, and copper. Subsequent arrangements in the post-World War II era and the 1970s involved both producers and consumers of tropical commodities and metals. Although some agreements achieved their goals temporarily, all eventually ended or collapsed, often exacerbating price volatility. OPEC stands out for its longevity but faces similar challenges. Historical experiences caution against relying on such agreements, though coordinated action may be justified during periods of significant market stress. These lessons are particularly relevant today as producers of metals and minerals used in renewable technologies may consider forming price-influencing agreements, which, despite potential short-term success, would likely encounter the same issues that undermined earlier efforts.