Publication:
Independent Evaluation of IFC’s Development Results 2009 : Knowledge for Private Sector Development

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (899.81 KB)
205 downloads
English Text (50.15 KB)
35 downloads
Published
2009-05
ISSN
Date
2012-08-13
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The independent evaluation of International Finance Corporation's (IFC's) development results 2009 assesses the development outcomes and additionality (unique role and contribution) of IFC interventions. It analyzes factors driving results, and reviews performance patterns on a thematic topic. This year's thematic is IFC's Advisory Services (AS), knowledge services that IFC provides to either private companies or governments in support of private sector development. To enhance development impact, the report recommends that IFC: i) effectively manage the tension between protecting the portfolio and responding to opportunities during crisis; ii) set out an overall strategy for IFC advisory services, addressing the need for a clear vision and business framework and more closely linked with IFC's global corporate strategy; iii) pursue more programmatic AS interventions; iv) improve execution of the AS pricing policy; and v) strengthen AS performance measurement and internal knowledge management.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2009. Independent Evaluation of IFC’s Development Results 2009 : Knowledge for Private Sector Development. IEG Fast Track Brief; No. 5. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10560 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Independent Evaluation of IFC's Development Results 2007 : Lessons and Implications from 10 Years of Experience
    (2008) Independent Evaluation Group
    IFC's overriding objective is to help reduce poverty and support sustainable development in developing countries. This report, which assesses the impact of IFC toward that mission, appears at a time of unprecedented levels of private investment in the emerging markets. The report takes a look back at the development results that IFC-supported projects have achieved in the last 10 years, the main lessons that have emerged at the project level and the strategic implications for IFC going forward, in the context of rapid organizational growth. The report finds that IFC-supported project performance is closely linked to the quality of a country's business climate, the presence of a high quality sponsor, well-managed company and product market risk, and in particular, to IFC's work quality (especially at the appraisal and structuring stage, and including oversight of the environmental and social effects of projects). Going forward, the report highlights major challenges IFC faces to achieving overall development effectiveness. IFC will need to adopt a sharper country focus and better exploit synergies with the Bank and other development partners in improving business climates in developing countries.
  • Publication
    Independent Evaluation of IFC's Development Results : Knowledge for Private Sector Development
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2009) Independent Evaluation Group
    Independent evaluation of International Finance Corporations (IFC's) development results 2009 takes stock of the development performance of IFC's investment operations, and examines, for the first time, the development effectiveness of its Advisory Services (AS), thus offering the first holistic review of IFC's development results. On Investment Services (IS), the report finds that 72 percent of operations reaching early operating maturity between 2006 and 2008 met or exceeded their financial, economic, environmental, and social benchmarks, and made contributions to private sector development beyond just the project. This is a significant improvement over the 63 percent achieved between 2005 and 2007. Meanwhile, 70 percent of AS operations reviewed between 2006 and 2008 achieved high development effectiveness ratings. But these development results do not yet reflect the sharp deterioration in global economic conditions, which has just now begun to affect the economic environment in most developing countries. Experience suggests there are considerable risks to development results but crises can also offer new opportunities that need to be grasped. Projects approved in the years prior to a crisis were about 15 percent less likely to achieve good results than otherwise. In the wake of past crises, investing was likely to lead to better results. But measures to protect the portfolio have tended to crowd out the proactive pursuit of new opportunities to broaden impact. This will need to change in IFC's response to the current crisis, so that the tension between protecting the portfolio and responding to opportunities can be effectively managed.
  • Publication
    World Bank Group Assistance to Low-Income Fragile and Conflict-Affected States : An Independent Evaluation
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-01) Independent Evaluation Group
    Fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS) have become an important focus of World Bank Group assistance in recent years as recognition of the linkages between fragility, conflict, violence, and poverty has grown. Addressing issues of recurring conflict and political violence and helping build legitimate and accountable state institutions are central to the Bank Group's poverty reduction mission. This evaluation assesses the relevance and effectiveness of World Bank Group country strategies and assistance programs to FCS. The operationalization of the World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development (2011 WDR) is also assessed, to see how the framework has been reflected in subsequent analytical work, country assistance strategies, and the assistance programs. The evaluation framework was derived from the concepts and priorities articulated in recent WDRs, policy papers, and progress reports issued by Bank Group management, to draw lessons from FCS. The framework is organized around the three major themes emerging from the 2011 WDR: building state capacity, building capacity of citizens, and promoting inclusive growth and jobs. The evaluation focuses on International Development Association (IDA)-only countries, which are deemed to have certain characteristics such as very low average income and no access to private finance, making them eligible for special finance tools and programs. As the benchmark for measuring results, Bank Group performance is evaluated in 33 fragile and conflict-affected states against that of 31 IDA-only countries that have never been on the FCS list. Six new country case studies; analyses of Bank Group portfolios; human resources and budget data; secondary analysis of IEG evaluations; background studies including those on aid flows, gender, private sector development, and jobs; and surveys of Bank Group staffs and stakeholders are also included in the evaluation.
  • Publication
    Development Banks : Role and Mechanisms to Increase their Efficiency
    (2011-07-01) Gutierrez, Eva; Rudolph, Heinz P.; Homa, Theodore; Blanco Beneit, Enrique
    Past performance of development banks, has generally been considered poor and the value of state ownership questioned. There are few institutions that achieve the optimum balance of effectively addressing a policy objective while being financially sustainable. Following the financial crisis, there is a renewed interest in the role development banks can play in weathering the crisis. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the lessons learned following the financial crisis and to present some of the best practices in development banking so that policy makers can be better informed should they be considering how to build strong state financial institutions to address current and future needs in their respective countries.
  • Publication
    Independent Evaluation of IFC's Development Results 2008 : IFC's Additionality in Supporting Private Sector Development
    (Washington, DC : International Finance Corporation, 2008) Independent Evaluation Group
    The Independent Evaluation of International Finance Corporations (IFC's) Development Results (IEDR) is the annual flagship report of the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG). It reviews IFC's effectiveness in supporting private sector development and its contributions to economic growth and poverty reduction, as well as to environmentally and socially sustainable development. The main purpose of the IEDR is to provide an independent assessment to the Executive Board, IFC Management, and the wider development community about recent trends in IFC's performance, and to stimulate debate and action on IFC strategy and operational processes going forward. The report also serves as a source of knowledge and learning about private sector development, in general, and about development impact, more specifically. This year's IEDR contains two main themes. The first is a review of the development results achieved by IFC-supported operations. On the investment side, this means looking at how well operations that reached early operating maturity during 2005-07 performed, in terms of their financial and economic results relative to specific market benchmarks as well as their environmental and social effects and contributions to private sector development beyond the project. For advisory services, the report presents some emerging results of 293 operations that were closed during 2004-06 and which were evaluated on a pilot basis as part of wider efforts under way to assess performance in this area. The second theme of the report is a preliminary, ex-post look at the 'additionality' or unique role and contribution that IFC brings to its clients through its investment and advisory services operations.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, June 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10) World Bank
    The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.
  • Publication
    Green Technologies: Decarbonizing Development in East Asia and Pacific
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-05-19) de Nicola, Francesca; Mattoo, Aaditya; Tran, Trang Thu
    The East Asia and Pacific region is helping the world decarbonize and is encouraging the domestic adoption of renewables. But there is an imbalance: while the region’s innovation and investment improve global access to green technologies, its own emissions continue to grow because of the reluctance to penalize carbon-intensive practices. The disparity between domestic supply and demand spills over into international trade, provoking measures by other countries that limit access to markets and technologies. "Green Technologies: Decarbonizing Development in East Asia and Pacific" argues that deeper reform of the region’s own policies will encourage the domestic diffusion of cleaner technologies and may also foster greater international cooperation—on climate as well as on innovation and trade in green goods. The book proposes a framework to guide policy on green technology development and diffusion. It will be of interest to policy makers, businesses, and researchers working at the intersection of economics and environmental policy.
  • Publication
    Reboot Development: The Economics of a Livable Planet
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-09-01) Damania, Richard; Ebadi, Ebad; Mayr, Kentaro; Russ, Jason; Zaveri, Esha
    “Reboot Development: The Economics of a Livable Planet” explores how the foundational natural endowments of land, air, and water—long taken for granted—are under growing threat, putting at risk the very progress they helped create. For generations, natural resources have powered development, supporting health, food, energy, and economic opportunity. Today, strains on these resources are intensifying. This report argues that failing to maintain a livable planet is not merely a distant environmental concern, but a present economic threat. Drawing on new data, the report shows that over 90 percent of the world is exposed to poor air quality, degraded land, or water stress. Loss of forests cuts rainfall, dries soils, and worsens droughts, costing billions of dollars. The nitrogen paradox emerges—fertilizers boost yields but overuse in some regions harms crops and ecosystems. Meanwhile, air and water pollution silently damage health, productivity, and cognition, sapping human potential. The report warns that these hidden costs are too large to ignore. Yet the message is not one of constraint but of possibility. Nature, when wisely stewarded, can drive growth, create jobs, and build resilience. The report shows that more efficient resource use—like better nitrogen management and forest restoration—yields benefits that far exceed the costs. It also urges a shift to cleaner sectors and producing “better things,” noting that these provide new sources of growth, creating more jobs per dollar invested. The findings are clear: Investing in nature is not only good for the planet, it is smart development.
  • Publication
    Business Ready 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03) World Bank
    Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16) World Bank
    Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.