Publication: Overlooked Links in the Results Chain
Loading...
Published
2011
ISSN
Date
2012-03-19
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This paper focuses on evaluations with findings that challenge important assumptions of the development field. Its objective is to pinpoint the areas to watch for in operations or policies that are decisive for results. By drawing the attention of development practitioners, policy makers, and evaluators to these seemingly obvious but often neglected areas, it aims to improve development effectiveness by better connecting interventions to desired results. The lessons follow a logical path from which results should be the focus of attention, to how those results are measured, to how to use evaluation for better results. The examples are mainly drawn from the work of the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank Group.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Thomas, Vinod; Luo, Xubei. 2011. Overlooked Links in the Results Chain. Evaluation Brief ; No 14. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2347 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Managing Pollution for Poverty Reduction and Green Development(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-11-02)The World Bank Group (WBG) has been active in public and private sector pollution management for the past several decades. The Bank has mainstreamed environmental health concerns into its rural and urban services through projects that improved the management of solid and hazardous waste and wastewater, and controlled pollution related to a large variety of sectors including transport, industry, energy, and mining, with each decade having its flagship issues and projects. The changing global context illustrated by the wave of global crises, the rising acknowledgement in different countries of the impacts of climate change and the necessity to address greenhouse gas mitigation, the challenges in reaching the Millennium Development Goals pertaining to environment and poverty, and the voices calling for new approaches through green new deal, green growth, and green development require that pollution management be addressed within a new context.Publication Latin America and Caribbean - Southern Cone Inland Waterways Transportation Study The Paraguay-Paraná Hidrovía : Its Role in the Regional Economy and Impact on Climate Change(World Bank, 2010-03-01)The Paraguay-Parana rivers waterway system (referred to in the text as the Hidrovia, or HPP) is potentially the greatest axis for freight movement in the sub-region and a possible integration mechanism for the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) countries. However, 90 percent of freight in the sub-region is moved by road transport, a significantly inefficient mode of transport in terms of fuel consumption, space use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For over 15 years the Southern cone countries have attempted to coordinate their regulations and policies to improve the navigability of the HPP so that it can reach its full potential. These efforts have been marred by failures and disputes that have resulted in no concrete actions. Given the apparently limited investment needed to make the HPP the principal low-cost, low-impact freight transport system in the sub-region, it is worthwhile to investigate why the HPP has been unable to fulfill its promise. This report attempts to determine why the Hidrovia, one of most significant watercourses in South America, is underutilized. This study analyzes the HPPs role in freight movement and trade in the subregion. It further looks at the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of the improvements and defines what will be required to implement improvements. In the analysis of environmental impacts, the GHG emissions per mode of transport, particularly fluvial transport, are estimated in order to define the HPP's overall climate change impact. Next, it describes the institutional context and assesses the institutional arrangements in each country and the coordination efforts that have been attempted. Finally, it outlines several areas of intervention that the World Bank could explore to collaborate with this endeavor.Publication Energy Efficient Inland Water Transport in Bangladesh(Washington, DC, 2011)IWT is more energy efficient that modes like road or rail. The bigger capacity of IWT units means that the sector is able to ship more tons per kilometer per unit of fuel than what is possible with other modes. This benefits the climate and makes the sector relatively cost-efficient. Even so, few countries fully exploit the potential benefits of IWT and in many countries the share of road transport is increasing at the cost of IWT. There are various possible reasons for this trend. Among the main reasons given by shippers to avoid IWT are advantages of road transport such as speed of delivery and flexibility, limitations imposed by IWT infrastructure (water levels, bridge clearances, port access) and underdeveloped intermodal facilities (transshipment from IWT to truck for pre- and end-haulage). For shippers these arguments are more important than the potential reduction of transport costs and CO2 emissions. Chapter two compares the global energy-efficiency of IWT with that of other transport modes. It also discusses the reasons for differences between modes and the implications of each for CO2 emissions. Chapter three deal with the varying energy-performance of IWT vessels in various regions in the world. Chapter four explores several energy efficiency benchmarking methods. The conclusions of part A are presented in chapter five.Publication Coordination of Strategies and Programs for EU and State-Funded Investments in Romania’s Infrastructure(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-03-27)This report provides a diagnostic and a set of recommendations for the coordination of infrastructure investments in three main sectors in Romania: roads; water and wastewater; and social infrastructure (education, health, culture, and sports). The proposals formulated are targeted primarily at the main client of this work, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MRDPA) and specifically at the Directorate General for Regional Development and Infrastructure (DG RDI), which manages the most important state-budget-funded program for local infrastructure investments – the National Local Development Program (PNDL). Other key stakeholders include the Center of Government (CoG), the Ministry of Public Finances, the Ministry of European Funds, other central authorities in charge of EU and/or state-funded investment programs, Regional Development Agencies, and county and local councils. While customized for the PNDL, the recommendations that follow can be replicated across all state-budget-funded investment programs. This report presents multiple instruments for promoting coordination: dedicated platforms, harmonization of investment programs (design, financing criteria, producers), and knowledge sharing of good practices at the local level.Publication Moving Toward Climate-Resilient Transport(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015)Infrastructure and services are critical to development and form the backbone of economic and community activities at the local, regional, national, and international levels. They enable the distribution of goods and services within and between countries and ease access to schools, markets, and health services. Food security and vaccination programs, for example, require functioning roads and railways and access to ports and airports to move critical supplies to people. While there is agreement on the need for greater connectivity, there is much debate on how to deliver it given the challenges from climate change. The contribution of the transport sector to increasing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and fossil fuel consumption have been at the center of global discussions on climate change. Transport is among the fastest growing sectors for CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, and it is estimated to contribute approximately 23 percent of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2010. Transport enables development, but causes traffic congestion, pollution, noise, and road accidents, that together bring about 2 percent to 10 percent reduction in country-level GDP. Reversing this trend in emissions growth will require action to decouple emissions growth from GDP growth, driven by passenger and freight activity. This includes policies to encourage investment in low-carbon transport modes; programs to curb energy and emissions growth; and action to transform the way countries manage transport services.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.Publication Morocco Economic Update, Winter 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-03)Despite the drought causing a modest deceleration of overall GDP growth to 3.2 percent, the Moroccan economy has exhibited some encouraging trends in 2024. Non-agricultural growth has accelerated to an estimated 3.8 percent, driven by a revitalized industrial sector and a rebound in gross capital formation. Inflation has dropped below 1 percent, allowing Bank al-Maghrib to begin easing its monetary policy. While rural labor markets remain depressed, the economy has added close to 162,000 jobs in urban areas. Morocco’s external position remains strong overall, with a moderate current account deficit largely financed by growing foreign direct investment inflows, underpinned by solid investor confidence indicators. Despite significant spending pressures, the debt-to-GDP ratio is slowly declining.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.