Publication: Republic of Guinea Overcoming Growth Stagnation to Reduce Poverty: Systematic Country Diagnostic
Loading...
Date
2018-03-16
ISSN
Published
2018-03-16
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Guinea is a country with a rich historical legacy, abundant natural resources, a privileged geographical location - and a rapidly growing population. A successful political transition and the emergence of a vibrant civil society have helped to ensure ethnic peace and the absence of civil wars in the middle of a rather conflict-ridden region. The country faces severe challenges in translating its assets and opportunities into higher incomes for its citizenry. Economic growth has been too weak and volatile to contribute to poverty reduction on a sustained basis. This systematic country diagnostic (SCD) posits that two critical factors have affected Guinea’s development path since its independence in 1958. First, the country endured two long-lived authoritarian regimes and political instability before the inception of democracy in 2010. Such a legacy of attendant poor economic governance led to mismanagement of natural resources, institutional fragmentation of the government, a weak social contract and rule of law, and low and ineffective public investment. Second, the structure of the economy remains dependent on the primary sectors - agriculture and mining - lacking diversification in its sources of growth.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2018. Republic of Guinea Overcoming Growth Stagnation to Reduce Poverty: Systematic Country Diagnostic. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29598 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 Republic of Sierra Leone Priorities for Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-02-06)The objective of this Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) is to describe the current development challenges facing Sierra Leone and offer a set of priority areas of intervention to further the twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The SCD is designed to be an evidence driven exercise that draws together diverse findings into a comprehensive country diagnostic. The SCD argues that, without taking into account the two main foundational constraints governance and fiscal space, it is unlikely that the proposed technical solutions will make a substantial impact on the twin goals. Many of the technical solutions that are in this document have been tried in multiple variations over the last 60 years by government, donor partners, and other stakeholders, but the results have been meager. Despite favorable geography and abundant resources, and after hundreds of millions of dollars in soft loans and grants, smart consultants, sound technical approaches, Sierra Leone continues to have development outcomes that rate among the worst in the world. This SCD argues that unless governance constraints are understood and mitigated this situation is unlikely to change very much. It further takes into account severe fiscal constraints in proposing ways to alleviate this while also avoiding reforms that require substantial financial outlays. If the two foundational issues are appropriately addressed, the priority technical interventions proposed here have the potential to unlock growth, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of the Sierra Leonean population.Publication Republic of Haiti - Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review (PEMFAR) : Improving Efficiency of the Fiscal System and Investing in Public Capital to Accelerate Growth and Reduce Poverty(Washington, DC, 2008-01)After the lost decade 1994-2004, marked by political instability and economic decline, Haiti has reformed significantly and revived growth, especially in the past three years. Macroeconomic policies implemented since mid-2004 helped restart economic growth, reestablish fiscal discipline, reduce inflation and increase international reserves. Financial sector stability has been maintained though weaknesses have emerged. Significant progress was also achieved in the implementation of economic governance measures, mainly in the area of legal framework, core public institutions and financial management processes and procedures. Notably, basic budget procedures were restored, the public procurement system strengthened, and anti-corruption efforts stepped up. Efforts were also made to improve efficiency and transparency in the management of public enterprises. These recent political and economic developments open a window of opportunity to break with Haiti's turbulent past and create the sound foundations for strong and sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. In such an environment, the development challenge of more dynamic growth in order to reduce poverty requires bold policy actions across a broad spectrum covering various areas of Government interventions to: (i) improve security; (ii) expand and improve the quality of the infrastructure base; (iii) expand the economic base and (iv) enhance human capital. But because of Haiti's scarce resources, prioritizing Government interventions is critical to ensure that public resources are allocated to their best uses. This calls for reforms to improve efficiency of public spending. However, public expenditure reforms would not be enough to decisively put Haiti on a strong and sustained growth path unless they are complemented by revenue-enhancing measures. This implies that the country design a comprehensive fiscal reform package. Major policy lesson from this experiment is that strong and sustainable growth depends on the scope and quality of the fiscal reforms. Fiscal reforms should target a broad-based fiscal package, which aims at expanding the fiscal space and improving efficiency in the allocation of public spending. This package would combine: (a) an increase in total public investment; (b) a reallocation of public spending to investment; (c) a crease in the effective indirect tax rate; (d) an increase in direct tax rate; (e) an increase in security spending; and (f) a reduction in collection costs. The Haiti macro-model shows that the fiscal package tends to have positive impact on growth and poverty over time. Foreign aid could play a catalytic role to foster fiscal reforms and help accelerate growth in the short and medium-term.Publication Republic of Mozambique : Evaluation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Process and Arrangements Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility(Washington, DC, 2004-07-06)The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank introduced the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process in 1999 to strengthen the poverty alleviation focus of their assistance to low-income countries. At the IMF, the introduction of the PRSP was accompanied by the transformation of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF), the concessional lending window, into the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), with a view to giving a more central role to poverty reduction and pro-poor growth considerations in the design of IMF-supported programs in low-income countries. The rest of the report is organized as follows. Part two provides background information on poverty incidence in Mozambique, as well as on political and economic developments since the early 1990s. The relevance of the PRSP approach to Mozambique s situation, application of the underlying principles, and preliminary evidence on results, are examined in part three. The effectiveness of IMF assistance, including alignment of the PRGF and technical assistance to PRSP objectives is assessed in part four. Part five considers the effectiveness of World Bank support, also including alignment of that support to the objectives of the PRSP approach. Part six reviews IMF-World Bank collaboration in relation to the PRSP process, and part seven presents the main conclusions and lessons.Publication Burkina Faso Priorities for Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-03)The rate of Burkina Faso’s progress towards the eradication of extreme poverty and the reduction of inequalities over recent years has been sub-optimal. This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) is an analytical report prepared by the World Bank Group (WBG) in an attempt to identify and analyze the factors that can help Burkina Faso accelerate its quest towards the achievement of the twin goals of reduced poverty and shared prosperity. The SCD assesses Burkina Faso’s performance in order to identify the constraints and to formulate a set of key priorities to facilitate the achievement of these goals. By focusing on the most significant issues affecting theachievement of these goals, the SCD is intended to inform the formulation of the upcoming Country Partnership Framework (CPF) and thus to facilitate the optimization of the WBG’s assistance to Burkina Faso. The SCD is organized in three parts. Part One establishes a context for the analysis through an assessment of the state of Burkina Faso’s economy and the progress it has made towards the achievement of the twin goals of poverty eradication and shared prosperity. Part Two presents a unified analytical framework to identity the main constraints on the lack of Burkina Faso’s progress towards the achievement of these goals. This framework focuses on two key constraints, these being the limited extent to which productive jobs have been created and the limited degree of access by poor households to a minimal package of services and infrastructure. Part Three attempts to rank policy priorities in the context of the analysis of the key constraints, international experience, and the perceptions of key stakeholder groups in Burkina Faso.Publication Guinea : Strengthening Public Expenditure Management for Poverty Reduction and Growth(2004-06-10)Public expenditure management is at the heart of Guinea's strategy for poverty reduction and growth. The impact of public expenditures on the economy and the poor hinges on the government's ability to improve its performance in the three major areas: (1) the restoration of macroeconomic stability through prudent policies and improved revenue mobilization (the stabilization issue); (2) the strategic allocation of resources reflecting priority sectors (the allocation issue); and (3) the efficient execution of expenditures, notably with regard to externally financed expenditures, to enhance delivery of basic public services through the decentralization and the accountability in the management of expenditures, and the implementation of civil service reforms (the execution issue). The Public Expenditure Review addresses these three key issues--stabilization, allocation, and execution - as well as the effectiveness of expenditures in the three priority sectors of education, health and rural development in terms of outputs and outcomes.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2011(World Bank, 2011)The 2011 World development report looks across disciplines and experiences drawn from around the world to offer some ideas and practical recommendations on how to move beyond conflict and fragility and secure development. The key messages are important for all countries-low, middle, and high income-as well as for regional and global institutions: first, institutional legitimacy is the key to stability. When state institutions do not adequately protect citizens, guard against corruption, or provide access to justice; when markets do not provide job opportunities; or when communities have lost social cohesion-the likelihood of violent conflict increases. Second, investing in citizen security, justice, and jobs is essential to reducing violence. But there are major structural gaps in our collective capabilities to support these areas. Third, confronting this challenge effectively means that institutions need to change. International agencies and partners from other countries must adapt procedures so they can respond with agility and speed, a longer-term perspective, and greater staying power. Fourth, need to adopt a layered approach. Some problems can be addressed at the country level, but others need to be addressed at a regional level, such as developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity Fifth, in adopting these approaches, need to be aware that the global landscape is changing. Regional institutions and middle income countries are playing a larger role. This means should pay more attention to south-south and south-north exchanges, and to the recent transition experiences of middle income countries.Publication Remarks to the Annual Meetings 2020 Development Committee(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-16)David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, announced that the Board approved a fast track approach to emergency health support programs that now covers 111 countries. Most projects are well advanced, with average disbursement upward of 40 percent. The goal is to take broad, fast action early. The operational framework presented back in June has positioned the Bank to help countries address immediate health threats and social and economic impacts and maintain our focus on long-term development. The Bank is making good progress toward the 15-month target of 160 billion dollars in surge financing. Much of it is for the poorest countries and will take the form of grants or low-rate, long-maturity loans. IFC, through the Global Health Platform, will be providing financing to vaccine manufacturers to foster expanded production of COVID-19 vaccines in both part 1 and 2 countries, providing production is reserved for emerging markets. The Development Committee holds a unique place in the international architecture. It is the only global forum in which the Governments of developed countries and the Governments of developing countries, creditor countries and borrower countries, come together to discuss development and the ‘net transfer of resources to developing countries.’ The current International Financial Architecture system is skewed in favor of the rich and creditor countries. It is important that all voices are heard, so Malpass urged the Ministers of developing countries to use their voice and speak their minds today. Malpass urged consideration of how we can build a new approach to debt restructuring that allows for a fair relationship and balance between creditors and debtors. This will be critical in restoring growth in developing countries; and helping reverse the inequality.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.Publication Doing Business 2014 : Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises(Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2013-10-28)Eleventh in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2014 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity: Starting a business, Dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Registering property, Getting credit, Protecting investors, Paying taxes, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts, Closing a business, Employing workers. The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2013, ranks economies on their overall “ease of doing business”, and analyzes reforms to business regulation – identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most. The Doing Business reports illustrate how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy. Doing Business is a flagship product by the World Bank and IFC that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. More than 60 economies use the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground. In addition, the Doing Business data has generated over 870 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals since its inception.