Publication: Agriculture for Jobs and Growth in the Western Balkans: A Regional Report
Loading...
Published
2017-06
ISSN
Date
2019-08-07
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The agri-food industry, comprising agricultural inputs, primary agricultural production, off-farm food processing, food distribution, food retail and consumption, and other food-related services, is one of the most important industries in the Western Balkans in terms of turnover, jobs and geographic scale. Average turnover of the agri-food industry accounts for 24 percent of total manufacturing turnover in the Western Balkan (WB) region compared to the European Union (EU) average of 15 percent (in 2011) and it is more evenly distributed geographically than other industries. Global evidence suggests that agribusiness has the highest short-term indirect employment impact, where creating one job generates more than double the number of jobs in the rest of the economy. The sector’s broad geographic footprint, multiple functions and cross-sector linkages could transform the industry into a powerful driver of value addition, income diversification and innovation in rural areas. The objective of this regional study is to examine how further investment, modernization and transformation of the agriculture and rural economy can contribute to job creation and economic growth in the Western Balkans, while highlighting how better public policies and deeper European integration can help take this process forward. The study aims to better understand the features of agri-food employment in the region, including its potential to generate more, better and more inclusive jobs and to identify transformative (policy) actions that could trigger a structural change towards a more productive use of human and other resources in agriculture.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2017. Agriculture for Jobs and Growth in the Western Balkans: A Regional Report. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32204 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 Mozambique - Investment Climate Assessment - 2009 : Sustaining and Broadening Growth(World Bank, 2009-10-01)Mozambique's recent history is a rare example of a successful post-conflict recovery and economic takeoff. Emerging from decades of economic stagnation and decline, a consequence first of a failed socialist economic experience and then of a vicious civil war that only ended in 1992, the country has achieved a commendable degree of political stability. This has been accompanied by prudent and stable economic policy continuity, as well as coordinated and ever more efficient use of substantial international aid. These factors have contributed to sustained economic growth that averaged 7.8 percent between 1992 and 2006. Furthermore, this growth has been 'pro-poor': increasing output has been accompanied by real and significant decreases in poverty levels, with the poverty headcount index declining from 69 percent in 1997 to 54 percent in 2003. Based on the enterprise survey results for Mozambique, this report assesses the main obstacles to achieving an investment climate that supports private sector growth and provides policy options for improving the business environment and increasing competitiveness with the goal of achieving sustained and broad-based growth. The focus is on microeconomic constraints and reforms where, according to a recent World Bank report, most of the challenges for sustainable growth are concentrated. Therefore, the analysis presented in this report should be of interest to policy makers, academics, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the private sector involved in the policy dialogue in the country. Improvements to the business environment and increased access to finance are the most critical aspects to firm growth in Mozambique identified in this report. Despite recent progress, the business environment for the Mozambican enterprise sector is still in many ways problematic. Based on econometric evidence as well as on business perceptions and quantitative data, this study indicates that while all aspects of the investment climate are important, reform priorities should focus on increasing access to finance and improving the business environment.Publication Mongolia - Sources of Growth : Country Economic Report(Washington, DC, 2007-07-26)This economic report aims to inform the ongoing debate on the Government's long term development priorities in Mongolia. It discusses the key facts and potential implications the government would need to consider when determining its public spending, public investment program, fiscal space, and borrowing strategy going forward. The report begins by reviewing the Mongolian growth experience over the 1990s as a pre-requisite to understand the present endowments, and the circumstances under which one needs to think about the future. Chapter 2 applies the "growth diagnostics" approach to identify those factors that are "binding" constraints to growth and are areas in need of immediate policy interventions by the government. Chapter 3 discusses the issues that will need to be addressed in order to develop non-mining sector activities with the aim of economic and export diversification and suggests policies to encourage firm innovation'' and private sector growth. Chapter 4 discusses policies to relax infrastructure bottlenecks in the context of regional development and Mongolia's unique geography. Chapter 5 presents a menu of policies tailored to address the mismatch of skills workers bring to the market and those demanded by the market. Chapter 6 discusses issues related to appropriate management and development of its mineral wealth, as well as those arising from present practices in the livestock sector. Finally, in Chapter 7, the possibilities of governance failure, policy and other risks are analyzed to demonstrate their inhibiting effects on the achievement of much higher long-term growth rates in this natural resource dependant economy during a commodity price boom.Publication Chile : A Strategy to Promote Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises(Washington, DC, 2004-05-21)This study is to provide the Government of Chile with a review of the portfolio of small and medium enterprise (SMEs) development programs and the institutions that provide them, leading to recommendations to improve the effectiveness of a streamlined portfolio. This emphasis is important for economic reasons, given the sectors role in employment, and the possibility of improving its integration into the national economy and export-oriented production and marketing chains. However, this analysis also identifies areas where SMEs can more effectively leverage government programs to become more productive, efficient, and innovative. The analysis is based on interviews with key policymakers, managers and other staff of the government institutions responsible for most of the programs secondary reports, and discussions with small business managers, business association leaders, academicians and financial intermediaries. The report is organized as follows: The first chapter reviews the evolution of the macroeconomic and business environment in Chile, and provides the theoretical arguments upon which the governments intervention in favor of SMEs has been based; second chapter examines the characteristics of the SME sector, as well as key determinants of SME productivity and growth; third chapter describes the obstacles to SME development, such as constraints to financial resources; fourth chapter recommends a streamlined portfolio of private sector assistance projects and provides an institutional analysis of Production Development Corporation (Corporacion de Fomento de la Produccion) (CORFO), Agricultural Development Institute (Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario) (INDAP) and Technical Cooperation Service of Chile (Servicio de Cooperacion Tecnica de Chile) (SERCOTEC); fifth chapter focuses on programs that promote innovation, technology and networks, and finally sixth chapter offers strategic and operational recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the Governments investment in SME programs.Publication Western Balkan Integration and the EU : An Agenda for Trade and Growth(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)The report suggests that improving and sustaining export performance and thereby gross domestic product (GDP) growth will require sustained improvement in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, pointing again to the need for significant structural reform. Despite recent increases, FDI inflows in South East Europe 5 (SEE5) remain low and below potential. The onus for encouraging FDI falls on structural reforms, given the above limits on both fiscal and monetary policy. Deeper integration within Central European free trade area (CEFTA) countries will increase market size, improve service quality, and help attract FDI. Deeper integration among SEE countries such as through the completion of the implementation of CEFTA 2006, the reduction of border frictions through the establishment of a single management of Border crossing points, the regionalization of the rules of origin among CEFTA 2006 countries, and the expansion of SEE participation in pan European/Mediterranean cumulating of origin arrangements (an ongoing process) will contribute to market contestability and the development of a larger market, thereby helping to attract FDI. Deeper integration among CEFTA countries in services could also contribute to improving service quality significantly, thereby enhancing the overall productivity of the economies. This report mentions several areas, in different sectors, where there can be opportunities for regional harmonization and cooperation, including those areas where the agenda is defined by commitments to the acquis.Publication Mauritania - Policy Options to Enhance Private Sector Development : Country Economic Memorandum(World Bank, 2010-04-01)Mauritania has undergone massive economic and political changes. Mauritania is a West African country located on the western edge of the Sahara desert, with a population of approximately 3 million people that is mostly concentrated in the urban areas. Since independence in the 1960s, Mauritania's economy has been dependent on natural resources, iron ore first then combined with fisheries, and presently oil and other minerals. Natural resources exploitation and more recently oil discovery boosted Mauritania's rate of economic growth, but key challenges remain, in particular the promotion of productive value-adding activities and the creation of a strong, formal class of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Government of Mauritania recognizes the strategic role of the private sector and the urgency of supporting SME development as a catalyst for long-term growth. In the Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP-II), the Mauritanian authorities indicated that accelerating economic growth will be based on: (i) optimizing spinoff effects from developing the oil business and implementing more effective policies for harnessing the growth potential of other promising sectors; (ii) a thorough reform of the financial system; (iii) significant improvement in the business climate and the development of SMEs; and (iv) giving a greater economic and land-use planning dimension to the infrastructure that supports growth (World Bank, 2006). Furthermore, the authorities identified several priorities to improve the business climate and promotion of SMEs, as follows: (i) improving the legal environment for businesses; (ii) fighting anti-competitive practices; (iii) making tax and customs policies more favorable to business; and (iv) institutional support for the development of trade and commerce. This country economic memorandum (CEM) examines the four most constraining factors to private sector development and proposes the formulation of practical solutions to enable the emergence of a strong class of formal private firms. Specifically, to accelerate growth and to attain the four strategic GPRSP II objectives - (i) optimize spinoff effects; (ii) reform financial system; (iii) improve the business climate and the development of SMEs; and (iv) improve business enabling infrastructure), the CEM analyses the role of taxation to promote firm formalization; skills development to enhance labor productivity; competition policy as a way to address anticompetitive market conduct; and the options for establishing special economic zones as instruments to close infrastructure gaps and promote investment climate reforms.
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 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 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 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 Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-05)Digitalization is the transformational opportunity of our time. The digital sector has become a powerhouse of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Value added in the IT services sector grew at 8 percent annually during 2000–22, nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Employment growth in IT services reached 7 percent annually, six times higher than total employment growth. The diffusion and adoption of digital technologies are just as critical as their invention. Digital uptake has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.5 billion new internet users added from 2018 to 2022. The share of firms investing in digital solutions around the world has more than doubled from 2020 to 2022. Low-income countries, vulnerable populations, and small firms, however, have been falling behind, while transformative digital innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) have been accelerating in higher-income countries. Although more than 90 percent of the population in high-income countries was online in 2022, only one in four people in low-income countries used the internet, and the speed of their connection was typically only a small fraction of that in wealthier countries. As businesses in technologically advanced countries integrate generative AI into their products and services, less than half of the businesses in many low- and middle-income countries have an internet connection. The growing digital divide is exacerbating the poverty and productivity gaps between richer and poorer economies. The Digital Progress and Trends Report series will track global digitalization progress and highlight policy trends, debates, and implications for low- and middle-income countries. The series adds to the global efforts to study the progress and trends of digitalization in two main ways: · By compiling, curating, and analyzing data from diverse sources to present a comprehensive picture of digitalization in low- and middle-income countries, including in-depth analyses on understudied topics. · By developing insights on policy opportunities, challenges, and debates and reflecting the perspectives of various stakeholders and the World Bank’s operational experiences. This report, the first in the series, aims to inform evidence-based policy making and motivate action among internal and external audiences and stakeholders. The report will bring global attention to high-performing countries that have valuable experience to share as well as to areas where efforts will need to be redoubled.