09. Knowledge Notes

4,228 items available

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Knowledge Notes are short briefs (typically 4-6 pages in length) that capture lessons of experience from Bank operations and research in a succinct and easily digestible format (and usually reference larger works found elsewhere in the OKR). Work is underway to expand the collection to draw in more lessons that the staff want to highlight from ongoing and recent lending and economic and sector work (ESW).

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 4228
  • Publication
    IFC and Spain, Partners in Private Sector Development
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) International Finance Corporation
    International Finance Corporation (IFC) partners with multinationals and mid-sized firms that are interested in investing in emerging markets. As of June 2023, IFC had a long-term committed investment portfolio of close to 2.9 billion dollars with Spanish partners spread across several sectors and regions. In FY19-23, Spain provided cumulative funding of over 7 million dollars to support IFC Advisory Services, including around 3.9 million dollars in FY23, for the replenishment of the Spain-IFC Technical Assistance Trust Fund (TATF). To date, the Spain TATF has funded a portfolio of 58 projects for 13 million dollars. The projects supported by the Trust Fund span all IFC regions with the largest allocations to Latin America and the Caribbean (24 percent), Middle East and North Africa (19 percent), and Europe and Central Asia (17 percent).
  • Publication
    Nepal Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis: Policy Brief
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) World Bank
    Crisis preparedness is cral to preventing shocks from becoming crises. Investments in ex ante preparedness are especially relevant in countries like Nepal that face high levels of exposure and vulnerability to a range of risks.   In seeking to identify opportunities to strengthen the Government of Nepal’s (GoN’s) capacity to prepare for crisis events in an effective and timely manner, this Technical Annex presents findings from the application of the Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis (CPGA) diagnostic in the country. It provides details on findings and entry points across the five componnts of crisis preparedness. For a summary, please refer to the accompanying CPGA Nepal Briefing Note. Following a brief description of the CPGA methodology, the Technical Annex presents a summary of findings from each CPGA component alongside identification of entry points and opportunities to strengthen crisis preparedness in the country. To provide a holistic assessment of preparedness, the CPGA focuses on five core components of crisis preparedness. These are (i) Legal and Institutional Foundations, (ii) Understanding and Monitoring Risks, (iii) Financial Preparedness, (iv) Primary Response, and (v) Social and Livelihood Support.
  • Publication
    IFC and Norway, Partners in Private Sector Development
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) International Finance Corporation
    International Finance Corporation (IFC) has an active relationship with Norway, including business development with Norwegian companies interested in investing in emerging markets, as well as donor-funded initiatives. As of June 2023, IFC had a long-term committed investment portfolio of 292 million dollars with Norwegian partners spread across several sectors and regions. Between FY19-23, Norway committed over 45 million dollars to support IFC Advisory Services. Norwegian funding contributes to improvements in the legislative business enabling environment through the Foreign Investment Advisory Services Facility (FIAS), the promotion of private sector development in fragile countries through the Africa Fragility Initiative (AFI), or the improvement of local health care services and the facilitation of locally manufactured vaccines through the global health platform (GHP). Norway has also partnered with IFC to advance gender equality and to foster investments in clean energy. IFC also collaborates with Norfund, Norway’s Development Finance Institution, which seeks to develop and establish sustainable and profitable businesses in emerging markets.
  • Publication
    IFC and Hungary, Partners in Private Sector Development
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) International Finance Corporation
    IFC’s main government counterparts are the Ministry of Finance of Hungary and the Hungarian Export-Import Bank PLC (Eximbank). In FY19-23, Hungary provided cumulative funding of ten million to the Hungary-IFC Partnership Trust Fund (HIPTF) II, of which seven million to support IFC advisory services and three million to support the 2030 Water Resources Group. As of June 2023, IFC has allocated 6.49 million of the HIPTF II funds to 16 active IFC advisory projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. The HIPTF II is the second phase of the Hungary-IFC Partnership, which was established in 2014 with an initial twenty million contribution from Hungary and has delivered significant development results, supporting the energy, agribusiness, health, water management and ICT sectors across several regions in emerging markets.
  • Publication
    Thailand Monthly Economic Monitor, February 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-11) World Bank
    Thailand's economic recovery lagged further behind ASEAN peers as growth was a disappointing 1.7 percent in the fourth quarter and resulted in slower annual growth of 1.9 percent in 2023. Growth was hampered by weak external sector and delayed budget approval. In December, economic activity softened due to weak manufacturing, investment, and goods export. Inflation remained negative for the third consecutive month due to falling energy and food prices as well as energy subsidies. In this context, the Bank of Thailand held its policy rate. The fiscal deficit decreased due to the delayed budget approval. In January, the Thai baht remained stable against major trading partners, despite significant net foreign portfolio outflows.
  • Publication
    Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Rationale, Evidence and Design for Improving Health
    (Washington DC: World Bank, 2024-02-21) World Bank
    The purpose of this note is to provide an updated overview of 1) the rationale for implementing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes, 2) the impact of SSB taxes on prices, the demand for SSBs and substitutes, and economic outcomes, and 3) tax design, revenue, and tax administration considerations. A summary of policy considerations is also provided to aid in decision-making.
  • Publication
    Philippines Monthly Economic Developments, January 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-02-13) World Bank
    The economy expanded by 5.6 percent year-on-year in Q4 2023 as robust private consumption continued to fuel growth, while the recovery of tourism buoyed the expansion of services. The cumulative fiscal deficit declined in November 2023, while low external demand dampened goods exports, which weighed on manufacturing output growth. The unemployment rate fell to a 15-year low in November, supported by strong domestic demand during the holidays, yet job quality remains a concern.
  • Publication
    Schoolgirls Not Brides: Secondary Education as a Shield Against Child Marriage
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-02-12) Giacobino, Hélène; Huillery, Elise; Michel, Bastien; Sage, Mathilde
    Child marriage is recognized as a major burden in low-income countries, with severe consequences on women’s life trajectories. It is particularly pervasive in Niger, where middle school enrollment for girls is low, and dropouts are high. In the context of a multi-sectoral World Bank project, researchers evaluated the impact of a three-year intervention eliminating the financial and logistical barriers for girls admitted to middle school. Offering adolescent girls from vulnerable households in rural Niger scholarships and tutoring upon admission to middle school improved educational outcomes and wellbeing. Girls that received the program were 53 percent less likely to have dropped out of school at the time of follow up. They also reported a higher degree of life satisfaction. Importantly, there is no evidence that the positive effects on beneficiaries have been at the expense of non-beneficiaries. The program was effective in postponing girls’ marriage or engagement. Girls who received a scholarship program were 49 percent less likely to be married in the summer following their third year of middle school and 30 percent less likely to be engaged. The intervention raised girls’ educational and professional aspirations for themselves as well as parents’ aspirations for their daughter, plausibly due to changes in girls’ human capital and preferences. These results suggest that the intervention’s effects are likely to last beyond the mere duration of the scholarship.
  • Publication
    Valuation and Compensation of Unregistered and Customary Lands
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-02-12) World Bank
    Land tenure is a social construct and usually manifests as a set of rules that regulate how land rights are allocated among members of society. The case studies in this report reflect how countries address the challenges inherent in the valuation and compensation of unregistered and customary lands differently, but all seem to combine some formal eligibility criteria with participatory verification processes. International Financial Institutions (IFIs) played an important role in advancing compensation eligibility of legitimate informal occupants, which is becoming more important than ever as climate mitigation and adaptation require construction of a large number of renewable energy generation and transmission capacities where tenure rights are not clearly established.
  • Publication
    Laws and Policies to Address Violence Against Women in Countries Affected by Fragility and Conflict
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2024-01-23) Santagostino Recavarren, Isabel; Marekera, Shantel; Gnakra, Mariam Anaïs
    This Brief presents data collected by the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law (WBL) project on legal and supportive frameworks to curb domestic violence and sexual harassment in 55 countries, including 17 categorized as affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV). Analysis of the data reveals glaring gaps in the legal and supportive frameworks currently in place to protect women from on laws and policies currently in place in FCV countries, as well as the gaps, the