The World Bank Water Global Practice, under the WSS GSG Utility Turnaround thematic area, has implemented the Global Study on WSS Utility Aggregation to provide evidence-based guidance to policy makers and practitioners regarding when, why, and how water and sanitation utilities can work together, or aggregate, to successfully deliver specific policy outcomes, such as better services or lower costs.
... See More + Aggregation has been regarded as an opportunity to improve cost efficiency and performance of service delivery through economies-of-scale and cost-sharing, as well as enhanced human capacity. However, the study shows that successful aggregation—where the aggregated service provider performs significantly better than the previously disaggregated entities regarding the intended purpose, without unreasonable deterioration of other performance dimensions—is not always guaranteed. This work presents and reviews global evidence, analyzes specific aggregation case studies, and identifies the key characteristics that successful aggregations have in common, depending on their purpose and the context in which they occur. This knowledge brief summarizes the study outcomes, which are detailed further in the main report, Joining Forces for Better Services? When, Why, and How Water and Sanitation Utilities Can Benefit from Working Together. The accompanying toolkit (accessible at www.worldbank.org/water/aggregationtoolkit), offers a broader set of resources to inform aggregation processes.
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This paper makes several contributions. First, it presents a ‘guidance note’ on the framework for Social Registries, anchoring the definition of these systems in their functions along the Delivery Chain and their social policy role as inclusion systems, while clarifying terminology in a manner that is consistent with IT standards in the discussion of their architecture as information systems.
... See More + Second, it illustrates the diverse typologies and trajectories of country experiences with Social Registries with respect to their (a) institutional arrangements (central and local); (b) use as inclusion systems (coverage, single or multi-program use, static or dynamic intake and registration); and (c) structure as information systems (structure of data management; degree and us of interoperability with other systems). These patterns primarily derive from a review of Social Registries in a sample of 20 countries), (Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Djibouti, Georgia, Indonesia, Macedonia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Pakistan, the Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Turkey, and Yemen). The paper also draws on experience in other countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Egypt, Jordan, Vietnam, India, Estonia, Belgium, the US, Canada, Australia, and others) to illustrate specific points. Third, this paper develops a basic ‘Assessment Tool’ covering the core building blocks of Social Registries using a ‘checklist’ style of questions. Given the wide diversity of Social Registries in both their role in social policy and in their architecture, the approach is not prescriptive: it does not advocate for any specific model or blueprint for Social Registries. Any diagnostics or recommendations that emerge from use of this Guidance Note and Assessment Tool will be country specific. Some key take-away messages include: (a) the importance of recognizing both the role of the ‘front lines’ for outreach, intake and registration (Social Registries as inclusion systems) and the ‘back office’ functions of Social Registries as information systems; (b) the potential power of Social Registries as integrated and dynamic gateways for inclusion; (c) the recognition that Social Registries are generally part of end-to-end systems for specific programs, integrated social protection information systems, and/or even ‘whole-of-government’ approaches; and (d) there is significant diversity in the typology and trajectories of Social Registries across countries and over time.
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The development objective of the Rural Safety Net Project for Ethiopia is to support the Government of Ethiopia in improving the effectiveness and scalability of its rural safety net system.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (i) ensure drainage controls on new roads and rehabilitate temporary access following subproject implementation; (ii) minimize water crossings in road location and alignment; (iii) avoid interference with informal land users, and take measures to provide them access to alternative lands or resources; (iv) ensure that yards and storage areas include safety measures, as well as procedures for managing waste and avoiding placement in areas that are used for pastoralism, farming, etc.; (v) assess water supply and existing demands, and manage sustainability; (vi) identify and avoid effects of diversion or extraction on downstream ecosystems that depend on the surface or groundwater supply; (vii) provide training to farmers on sustainable irrigated agriculture, including maintenance of infrastructure; (viii) protect and encourage regeneration of endemic species; (ix) establish a water users committee through the kebele and equitable rules for water allocation; ensure a local grievance redress system is in place; (x) construction sites should include procedures for managing waste; local communities should be informed about temporary disturbance, noise, dust, etc.
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Ratings of Second Emergency Social Protection Implementation Support Project (ESPISP II) for Lebanon were as follows: outcomes were moderately satisfactory, risk to development outcome was substantial, Bank performance was moderately satisfactory, and Borrower performance was moderately satisfactory.
... See More + Some of the lessons learned included: (i) Emergency projects include a wide spectrum of responses to crises, but political uncertainty adds to the complexity of emergency assistance; (ii) Institution building in weak, stressed environments is needed and, possibly, requires time and careful analysis; (iii) In complex situations, with a difficult political context, a fragile environment, and low capacity, having the World Bank’s implementation support team in the country office helps tremendously; (iv) Multi-sectoral projects, with several implementing agencies, are notoriously complex, all the more so in an emergency mode; (v) Nevertheless, in some cases, especially in the case of multi-sectoral projects providing a continuation of assistance for multiple, complementary reforms that are under way, it may make sense to proceed with interim, bridging support despite identified risks; (vi) With the basics in place, it makes more sense to start with a program and improve it based on implementation rather than waiting for the ‘perfect’ program; (vii) A functioning safety net program provides an effective vehicle for tackling poverty in response to crises; (viii) The use of scientific evidence, linked with the potential for cost savings and financing, can counter the prevailing challenges of political and confessional favoritism; (ix) Multi-sectoral projects generally require expertise in different areas on both the Government and donor sides; (x) It is possible, in a post-conflict environment, to achieve concrete institutional reforms; and (xi) Behavioral changes are possible, even in small operations.
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR4111 JUN 30, 2017
Given its modest position as a lower-middle-income country, Vietnam stands out from the rest of the world with its remarkable performance on standardized test scores, school enrollment, and completed years of schooling.
... See More + This paper provides an overview of the factors behind this exemplary performance, from an institutional viewpoint and by analyzing several data sources, some of which have rarely been used. The study finds that Vietnam has significantly increased school enrollment at all school levels in the past 20 years, and has achieved virtually universal primary school enrollment. Girls' net enrollment rates caught up with and then overtook those of boys at the secondary level in the past decade. Most of the variation in school enrollment and completed years of schooling was due to within-commune individual factors, rather than between-commune or between-province factors. School-level factors played an important, but diminishing, role in determining students' test scores, which was likely caused by a convergence in school quality in the country. The paper further discusses a host of challenges for the country—most of which have received insufficient attention to date—such as little school choice, a low secondary enrollment rate (compared with other Programme for International Student Assessment participants), inadequate training for the labor market, and the necessity of strategic planning for systemic reforms.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8112 JUN 26, 2017
Given its modest position as a lower-middle-income country, Vietnam stands out from the rest of the world with its remarkable performance on standardized test scores, school enrollment, and completed years of schooling.
... See More + This paper provides an overview of the factors behind this exemplary performance, from an institutional viewpoint and by analyzing several data sources, some of which have rarely been used. The study finds that Vietnam has significantly increased school enrollment at all school levels in the past 20 years, and has achieved virtually universal primary school enrollment. Girls' net enrollment rates caught up with and then overtook those of boys at the secondary level in the past decade. Most of the variation in school enrollment and completed years of schooling was due to within-commune individual factors, rather than between-commune or between-province factors. School-level factors played an important, but diminishing, role in determining students' test scores, which was likely caused by a convergence in school quality in the country. The paper further discusses a host of challenges for the country—most of which have received insufficient attention to date—such as little school choice, a low secondary enrollment rate (compared with other Programme for International Student Assessment participants), inadequate training for the labor market, and the necessity of strategic planning for systemic reforms.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8112 JUN 26, 2017
The objective of the Social Protection Reforms Support Project for Tunisia is to strengthen institutional capacity to design social protection reforms and improve targeting of safety net programs.
... See More + The restructuring entails the following changes: (i) revision of project components, disbursement estimates, and implementation schedule; (ii) revision of the Results Framework; and (iii) six-month extension of the project closing date, from June 30, 2017 to December 31, 2017.
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The development objective of the Guangdong Social Security Integration and Rural Worker Training Project for China is to to enhance portability of social security data and beneficiary entitlements, and to strengthen the skills base and employment prospects of rurban and rural workers in Guangdong.
... See More + The Ministry of Finance (MOF) of China, in the letter dated April 18, 2017, requested the World Bank to restructure the project.The PDO will be achieved through two channels: (a) establishment of an integrated provincial management information system (MIS) to enhance administration of social insurance and labor market programs and (b) improving the quality, relevance, and access to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in project schools and the efficiency of its delivery for rural workers, with particular emphasis on short-term training. Accordingly, two components are built into the project: Social SecurityIntegration (USD 45 million IBRD financing) and Rural Worker Training (USD 35 million IBRD financing). The project is implemented by the Department for Human Resources and Social Security (DHRSS) of Guangdong.The Government counterparts and the project implementation units have confirmed that they will carry out the activities as planned and maintain the current loan allocation and the time frame. With the experiences and lessons learned from the pilots in two cities, the integrated provincial social security system will be scaled up for the other 19 prefectures/cities in 2017-2018, with an aggressive timeline. With the strengthened capacity in project management, the project schools will complete the teaching facilities, upgrade the practice training equipment, and improve the quality and relevance of training activities before the project closing.
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The development objective of the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project for India is to promote rural enterprises, access to finance and employment opportunities in 120 blocks of Tamil Nadu.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures are includes : (i) use if high yielding varieties, hybrids may impact local diversity; (ii) increased use of pesticides in more quantities than desired leading to runoff into water bodies and polluting them and polluting environment,negative effects on health etc. soil degradation due to fertilizer use in more quantities (without soil testing) and high uptake of nutrients due to high responding varieties; (iv) adopt organic manuring practices as far as possible. Any chemical fertilizer application should be based on soil testing; (v) storage of grains andproducts like turmeric, redgram etc. needs drying to attain prescribed moisturelevel to avoid pest and disease infestation which may call for chemical use for management; (vi) storage facility should be wellventilated and free of moisture seepage. Care must be taken to ensure this during construction or renting of such facilities; (vii) use energy efficient equipmentfor processing (such as steam boilers in turmeric, steam roaster in cashew or aquapulper in coffee); (viii) organic produce may get contaminated when transported along with other non food commodities like fertilizers, pesticides etc.; (ix) lack of proper facilities toworkers may result in health issues; (x) increase the participation of women, especially those from the poor families; strengthen women in decision making;
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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Central America has come a long way both in terms of economic and political stability. Increasingly the region is focusing on implementing productivity-enhancing reforms as well as supporting reductions in poverty and inequality.
... See More + This report analyzes recent trends in public social spending in Central America from 2007 to 2014, conducts international benchmarking, examines measures of the effectiveness and efficiency of social spending, and discusses the quality of selected institutions influencing this spending. We examine total social spending, as well as detailing its four components: public spending on the education, health, and social protection and labor (SPL) sectors. In analyzing public social spending, the report addresses three crucial policy issues: (a) how to improve the coverage and redistributional incidence of public social spending; (b) how to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of public social spending; and (c) how to strengthen the institutions governing public spending in the social sector. While based heavily on a series of recent analytical social spending studies in six countries in the subregion—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama—this report also takes a broader regional perspective and includes some comparisons to countries in other regions.
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This document is the Performance and Learning Review (PLR) of the World Bank Group’s (WBG’s) Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) FY15-19 for Pakistan.
... See More + The four results areas of the CPS - Energy, Private Sector Development, Inclusion, and Service Delivery – remain consistent with the Pakistan One Nation One Vision 2025, and are aligned with the WBG’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Gains have been made in many areas by the midpoint of the CPS period. Progress, albeit uneven, has been made in stabilizing the macroeconomic situation, reducing load shedding in the power sector, increasing tax collection as a share of GDP, improving doing business, and investing in disaster and climate resilience. This progress was largely supported by the completion of a successful IMF program, an accompanying series of development policy credits (DPCs), and a ramp-up of IFC long-term investments.All four of the CPS results areas remain relevant and largely on track with some changes proposed.The PLR proposes a one-year extension to the CPS to FY20 to align with the electoral cycle of the country and the IDA18 period.
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Country Assistance Strategy Document 113574 MAY 18, 2017
Vietnam is a lower middle income country with a GNI per capita income of USD 1,990 in 2015. During the review period, the country continued to experience rapid GDP growth averaging 5.8 percent, compared to 4.3 percent for the East Asia and Pacific region as a whole.
... See More + This is the first WBG Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Vietnam after it had become a lower middle-income country in 2009. The CPS was well aligned with the government’s objectives and stated development goals. It supported the implementation of the government’s Socio- Economic Development Strategy (SEDS, 2011-20) as this was operationalized in the Socio-Economic Development Plan (2011-15). The SEDS focused on structural reform, environmental sustainability, and the then emerging issues of macro-economic stability, with three core areas: promoting human resources and skills development, improving market institutions, and infrastructure development. Macroeconomic stability, and poverty was increasingly being concentrated in ethnic minority communities. In line with these concerns, the WBG through the CPS and the Progress Learning Review (PLR) focused on partnering with Vietnam to help the country achieve success as a middle income country with three focus areas: Competitiveness, Sustainability, and Opportunity. The CLR identifies a number of lessons, with which IEG mostly agrees. Most importantly: (i) Achieving selectivity requires strong engagement with the government. (ii) Comprehensive and programmatic engagement enhances the impact of engagement. (iii) Cross-sectoral, holistic approaches should be adopted and implemented more frequently. (iv) Expectations must be carefully calibrated when it comes to structural or transformational reform areas – also noting the importance of understanding the political economy aspects. (v) The WBG can use more effectively its convening power. IEG adds three key lessons from this CPS: First, in Vietnam going forward there is room for greater concentration of resources, including more emphasis on selectivity and with fewer but on average larger lending operations. The selectivity of the knowledge program could probably also be enhanced. Second, it is also important to pay more attention to the design of the results framework, including the balance between objectives and their under pinning outcomes and indicators, and for program additionally to be clearer, beyond the expected results of individual operations. Third, updating of the results framework at the PLR is an essential element of proactive program management and would need to be used effectively, including the continued monitoring and reporting of results throughout the CPS period.
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