Publication:
Insights for a Rapidly Changing World: IEG 2020 Annual Report

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (13.19 MB)
517 downloads
English Text (102.91 KB)
34 downloads
Published
2020-10-20
ISSN
Date
2020-11-02
Editor(s)
Abstract
For the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), fiscal year (FY) 20 was a year of both internally and externally driven reform. IEG began the year with a mission to listen to the needs of our clients and stakeholders and improve our methods, relationships, and products to increase the relevance and value of our evaluative work. Thus, when the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) struck in the spring of 2020, IEG was already mobilized to respond to the World Bank Group’s critical needs with agility, flexibility, and innovation. The regular work program included evaluations of Bank Group convening power, country programs in Albania and the Philippines, irrigation, and education. Though before the pandemic, IEG offered just-in-time learning and on-demand learning engagements, the pandemic pushed us to double our efforts by mining our rich data archives to provide important lessons on Bank Group responses to past public health crises and collect knowledge in an online COVID-19 library. FY21 will continue challenging IEG to respond to rapidly changing pandemic conditions, produce just-in-time insights to help decision-making, and evaluate projects and programs with the same rigor as ever. We are committed to finding new ways of sharing knowledge, learning, and evaluating what works in the World Bank Group.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Independent Evaluation Group. 2020. Insights for a Rapidly Changing World: IEG 2020 Annual Report. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34711 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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
    World Bank Group Country Engagement
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-12-20) Independent Evaluation Group
    The World Bank Group’s new country engagement model consists of two separate but connected instruments: the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) and the Country Partnership Framework (CPF). The SCD assesses the constraints and the steps a country needs to take to achieve the twin goals of poverty reduction and shared prosperity, and the CPF is the Bank Group’s program of support to the borrowing country, typically over a five-year period. This evaluation found that the new SCD instrument has been well received, including by governments and development partners. The SCDs were strong in identification of opportunities for economic growth, but there were weaknesses in the dissemination of the reports, and a clear approach to governance was missing in some SCDs. The CPFs build on the country analysis in the SCDs, but aligning new program priorities has proven challenging, and there have also been weaknesses in how identified data gaps will be addressed. The identification of indicators for the results frameworks has been a strong point. The integration of IFC and MIGA into the CPF process has improved significantly, although some budget transparency issues remain. The expected areas of concentration for IFC and MIGA could be highlighted better in the results frameworks.
  • Publication
    Improving Effectiveness and Outcomes for the Poor in Health, Nutrition, and Population : An Evaluation of World Bank Group Support since 1997
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2009) Independent Evaluation Group
    This evaluation aims to inform the implementation of the most recent the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) health, nutrition, and population (HNP) strategies to enhance the effectiveness of future support. It covers the period since fiscal year 1997 and is based on desk reviews of the portfolio, background studies, and field visits. The evaluation of the HNP support of the World Bank focuses on the effectiveness of policy dialogue, analytic work, and lending at the country level, while that of IFC focuses on the performance of health investments and advisory services before and after its 2002 health strategy. The themes it covers are drawn from the two strategies and the approaches adopted by international donors in the past decade. Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) has previously evaluated several aspects of the Bank's HNP support. IFC's support for the health sector has never been fully evaluated. Many lessons have been learned over the past decade about the successes and pitfalls of support for health reform: First, the failure to assess fully the political economy of reform and to prepare a proactive plan to address it can considerably diminish prospects for success. Political risks, the interests of key stakeholders, and the risk of complexity- issues the evaluation case studies found to be critical are often neglected in risk analysis in project appraisal documents for health reform projects. Second, reforms based on careful prior analytic work hold a greater chance of success, but analytic work does not ensure success. Third, the sequencing of reforms can improve political feasibility, reduce complexity, ensure that adequate capacity is in place, and facilitate learning. When implementation is flagging, the Bank can help preserve reform momentum with complementary programmatic lending through the Ministry of Finance, as it did in Peru and the Kyrgyz Republic. Finally, monitoring and evaluation are critical in health reform projects-to demonstrate the impact of pilot reforms to garner political support, but also because many reforms cannot work without a well-functioning management information system.
  • Publication
    Analyzing the Effects of Policy Reforms on the Poor : An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of World Bank Support to Poverty and Social Impact Analyses
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2010) Independent Evaluation Group
    The current global financial and economic crises are likely to put enormous pressure on governments to respond with immediate measures and to undertake far-reaching reforms in the medium term, requiring a substantial increase in donor support. To protect the poor and enhance benefits to them, key policy reforms will need to be underpinned by systematic analysis of their expected poverty and social impacts. The World Bank's experience to date with the Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) approach provides useful lessons for addressing these issues. Overall, implementation of the PSIA approach has had considerable limitations. There have been tensions between the various operational objectives assigned to PSIAs. The tensions concern inconsistencies between informing country and Bank policy decisions in a timely way and building country analytic capacity. PSIAs have had limited ownership by Bank staff and managers and have often not been effectively integrated into country assistance programs. Quality assurance, monitoring, and evaluation of the overall effectiveness of PSIAs have been weak. To improve PSIAs' effectiveness, this evaluation recommends that the Bank take measures to ensure that staff fully understands what the PSIA approach is and when to use it, clarify the operational objectives of each PSIA, and ensure that the approach and timeline adopted are aligned with those objectives. Quality assurance mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure that PSIAs are designed to achieve the intended effects.
  • Publication
    Results and Performance of the World Bank Group 2012 : Volume II. Appendixes
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013-03-20) Independent Evaluation Group
    Management welcomes the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) report results and performance 2012 of the World Bank group (RAP) and its overall positive assessment of the World Bank group development effectiveness. Management appreciates that the report provides a balanced picture of the World Bank group activities and recognizes that all three institutions have taken important steps to strengthen results, monitoring, and reporting. The report is especially useful to management to prioritize the challenges in the context of the ongoing efforts to strengthen focus on results. Management is concerned that the share of investment lending projects rated moderately satisfactory or better appears to be declining, after a long period of improvements observed since the mid-1990s.This reports includes five chapters: (i) the global development context ;(ii) world bank group operations: findings from evaluation work; (iii) enhancing the bank group's effectiveness;(iv) strengthening institutional results orientation;(v) conclusion: areas for attention
  • Publication
    The World Bank Group Outcome Orientation at the Country Level
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-11-30) Independent Evaluation Group
    The World Bank Group’s success rests on its ability to help its client countries achieve the development outcomes they desire. This demands a strong outcome orientation at the country-level, defined as the Bank Group’s ability to generate feedback on what works, what does not, and why, use this feedback to adapt country programs, and boost contribution to development outcomes. This learning-focused evaluation provides a new vision of how to strengthen the Bank Group's outcome orientation in countries. IEG finds that the model of how the Bank Group aims for outcomes in its client countries is sound. However, the results system does not capture the Bank Group’s contribution to country outcomes well, as its reliance on metrics, attribution, and short time-boundedness does not suit the nature of country programs. While country teams practice adaptive management, the country-level results system does not effectively support them in doing so. The report makes concrete proposals on how to rethink the country-level results systems, its tool kit; the accountability principles that underlies the system; and the incentives for staff to learn from experience and prioritize development results.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • 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
    World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, April 2025: A Longer View
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-24) World Bank
    East Asia and Pacific (EAP) outpaced most regions in economic growth in 2024. To sustain this momentum and generate jobs, EAP countries must navigate global uncertainty and tackle long-term challenges tied to shifting global integration, climate change, and demographic trends. In its 2025 Regional Economic Update, the World Bank projects that growth in EAP will slow down to 4.0 percent in 2025, compared to 5.0 percent in 2024. Uncertainty around these projections remains high, and growth outcomes will depend on global developments and national policy choices.
  • Publication
    World Bank East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update, October 2024: Jobs and Technology
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-07) World Bank
    East Asia and the Pacific, seen in the context of the world economy, stands out as a paragon of development. Despite the recent ravages of the pandemic and the persistent tensions of geopolitics, the region is growing at stably high rates and the benefits are widely shared. But compared to its own past and potential, the region’s economic performance is less impressive. Growth is still below pre-pandemic rates, except in Indonesia, and output has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels in several countries, especially in the Pacific. This Economic Update highlights three key developments: shifting regional growth dynamics as China’s growth slows, changing trade patterns due to global tensions, and the impact of technologies such as robots, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms on jobs. The report calls for productivity-enhancing structural reforms to strengthen domestic growth drivers through; deeper international trade agreements to foster more open and stable trade regimes; deeper technical, digital, and soft skills while addressing impediments to labor mobility, factor price distortions and expanding social protection for workers in the digital informal economy to boost productivity and employment.
  • 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
    Women, Business and the Law 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-04) World Bank
    Women, Business and the Law 2024 is the 10th in a series of annual studies measuring the enabling conditions that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies. To present a more complete picture of the global environment that enables women’s socioeconomic participation, this year Women, Business and the Law introduces two new indicators—Safety and Childcare—and presents findings on the implementation gap between laws (de jure) and how they function in practice (de facto). This study presents three indexes: (1) legal frameworks, (2) supportive frameworks (policies, institutions, services, data, budget, and access to justice), and (3) expert opinions on women’s rights in practice in the areas measured. The study’s 10 indicators—Safety, Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Childcare, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension—are structured around the different stages of a woman’s working life. Findings from this new research can inform policy discussions to ensure women’s full and equal participation in the economy. The indicators build evidence of the critical relationship between legal gender equality and women’s employment and entrepreneurship. Data in Women, Business and the Law 2024 are current as of October 1, 2023.