The objective of the Car Service Delivery and Support to Communities Affected by Displacement Project for Central African Republic is to increase access to basic services, infrastructure and safety nets for communities affected by forced displacement.
... See More + There are three components to the project, the first component being Access to basic services and infrastructure. The objective of this component is to improve access by communities affected by displacement to basic services and infrastructure by financing the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure. The component funds are allocated based on factors of population and numbers of displaced in the areas of project intervention. Annex one presents the allocation of funds per area, based on a combination of these factors. The total amount corresponds to about US$78 per capita, which is quite high compared to other projects in sub-Saharan Africa, but should be seen in the context of historic underinvestment and absence of even the most basic services in project areas, including all-season roads, water and sanitation, etc. The second component is the safety nets. The objective of this component is to provide timely and regular cash transfers (CT) to selected households. These transfers will serve as relief to vulnerable households in areas affected by forced displacement so as to meet immediate consumption needs. It is also expected that by ensuring the timeliness of transfers over a period of two years the project will progressively build lost private assets. Finally, the third component is the community mobilization, capacity building, technical assistance, and project management. This component will finance the costs associated with community mobilization and accompanying measures foreseen for components one and two, capacity building, technical assistance to national and local institutions and costs associated with project management. This component includes three subcomponents: community mobilization and accompanying measures; capacity building and technical assistance; and project management.
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Ratings for Export Finance Intermediation Loan Project for Croatia were as follows: outcomes were moderately satisfactory, risk to development outcome was moderate, Bank performance was satisfactory, and Borrower performance was satisfactory.
... See More + Some lessons learned included: (i) flexibility of project design and responsiveness to market conditions reduced implementation delays; (ii) the ability to quickly adapt activities, increase resources, or amend project arrangements, as needed, in response to deteriorating economic conditions; (iii) a wholesale design increases the project’s overall impact; and (iv) implementation support missions and midterm reviews provide opportunities for strengthening the project.
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR3181 APR 24, 2017
This is an assessment of the fiduciary arrangements of Government of Indonesia’s PKH Program in accordance with the World Bank’s OP/BP 9.0 to determine suitability of the application of the Program for Results (PforR) instrument and to mitigate fiduciary risks of the proposed Program.
... See More + This document contains summary findings on the Fiduciary Systems Assessment (FSA). In accordance with ‘PforR Financing Interim Guidance Notes’ a FSA was carried out that evaluated the fiduciary systems pertaining to the Program to determine whether they provide reasonable assurance that the Program funds will be used for their intended purpose. The objective of the World Bank operation is to enhance the results of the PKH CCT program by supporting coverage expansion, strengthening delivery system, and improving coordination with other complementary social programs. The program will be a US$ 200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development using a PforR lending instrument, and will be implemented over a period of four years (2017-2021). The disbursement of funds under the PforR modality will be linked to DLIs tied to three result areas: i) expanding coverage and improving equity of the CCT program; ii) strengthening the program delivery system to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability; and iii) improving access to complementary services by the CCT beneficiaries.
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The objectives of the OECS Regional Tourism Competitiveness Project for Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines are to: (i) facilitate the movement of tourists within the participating countries using ferries, (ii) improve selected tourism sites, and (iii) strengthen implementation capacity for regional tourism market development.
... See More + There are four components to the project, the first component being facilitation of the movement of people. This component aims to strengthen regional integration and facilitate movement of people in the region through: (a) support for developing a single regional space for immigration and customs entry of international tourists; and (b) development of a pilot ferry system through TA, information technology (IT), and small infrastructure improvements. The second component is the pilot tourism infrastructure investments. Market development and promotion capacity-building. This component aims to, (i) support the refinement and operationalization of tourism plans for each of the participating countries and (ii) develop a regional market development effort to position the participating countries as one travel destination. This component includes two subcomponents: support for tourism development, and preparation and implementation of a regional tourism market development program. Finally, the fourth component is the project implementation support.
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Vietnam has emerged as an Asian manufacturing powerhouse, carving out a role for itself within global value chains (GVCs). By specializing in assembly functions on behalf of primarily foreign firms, Vietnam has markedly increased its domestic value added, as reflected by its gross exports, which have grown by 16.6 percent annually between 1995 and 2011.
... See More + This export-oriented development strategy has created jobs, propelled economic growth, and reduced poverty. As successful as Vietnam has been, within the context of GVCs, its specialization has been in low value-added,end-production activities. Its challenge is to move up the value chain into higher value-added functions. Even more ambitious would be to grasp the opportunity to become an originator of products by nurturing a nascent set of domestic firms that have the potential to carve out an “invented in Vietnam” niche in local, regional, and global markets. In short, Vietnam is at a crossroads. It can continue to specialize in low value-added assembly functions, withindustrialization occurring in enclaves with little connection to the broader economy or society; or it can leverage the current wave of growth to diversify and move up the chain into higher value-added functions. Success will require Vietnam’s policy makers to view the processes of development differently and to take new realities of the global economy more fully into account.Vietnam at a Crossroads: Engaging in the Next Generation of Global Value Chains identifies policies and targeted interventions that will drive development by leveraging GVC participation while also taking into account major trade policy shifts and rapid technological advances. Readers will gain a strong understanding of Vietnam’s current and potential engagement with GVCs and will learn about strategic policy tools that can help developing countries achieve economic prosperity in the context of compressed development. Its findings will be of particular interest to policy makers, development practitioners, and academics.
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The development objectives of Export Competitiveness for Jobs Project for Bangladesh are to increase employment through increased trade and private investment in leather, footwear, plastics and light engineering with export potential.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (i) for loss of land, cash compensation equivalent to replacement cost should be made; (ii) for loss of structure, cash compensation equivalent to replacement value of structure (or part of structure) to the owners; (iii) for tenants and lease holders, rights to salvage materials from structure; (iv) for encroacher(s) and squatter(s), provision of all taxes, registration costs, and other fees incurred for replacement structure to be paid; (v) for loss of common property resources and government buildings, reconstruction or cash compensation at replacement cost; (vi) for loss of crops and trees, cash compensation equivalent to prevailing market price of timber for non-fruit trees; (vii) for loss of livelihood, assistance in finding alternate location; (viii) for temporary loss of land and crops, restoration of the affected land; (viii) for temporary loss of access to land, structure, utilities, common property resource, provision of temporary access and relocation where possible; (ix) for temporary loss of livelihood, restoration of affected land, structure, utilities, common property resource; (x) impacts on vulnerable DPS, and-for-land option will be a guaranteed option for vulnerable DPs if available if not available, assistance in finding new land; and (xi) any other loss not identified, Unanticipated involuntary impacts shall be documented and mitigated based on the principles provided in this RPF and with compliance with government’s and OP4.12.
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As the fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) hangs in balance, an evaluation of what it offers could inform current decisions and shape future negotiations.
... See More + The TPPs services component has been hailed as one of the agreement's major accomplishments. To assess the agreement's impact on national policy in the major services sectors, we created a new public database. This database reveals that TPP commitments seldom go beyond countries' applied policies, suggesting the explicit liberalization resulting from the agreement is limited only to a few countries and a few areas. However, the TPP enhances transparency and policy certainty because parties' services commitments cover more trading partners, more sectors and are in some cases closer to applied policies than their commitments under previous agreements. Furthermore, new TPP rules, including on state-owned enterprises, government procurement and competition policy, could enhance services market access. In particular, the TPP breaks new ground in prohibiting restrictions on international data flows, while at the same time creating unprecedented obligations on all parties to protect consumers from fraud and protect privacy. These dual obligations on importing and exporting countries represent a model for regulatory cooperation that could elicit greater market opening if applied to other areas.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7964 FEB 07, 2017
Communities of entrepreneurs are creating positive impacts on local economies. When they establish new businesses and innovate across industries, they bring about economic growth and employment.
... See More + Entrepreneurs are generally drawn to cities because of their available resources and networks, specifically access to knowledge and sector-specific needs, and the exchange of information that occurs when an entrepreneurial community is brought together. Central to these ecosystems are creative community spaces (CCSs)—a range of physical spaces that enable innovation by creating a convening point for a community of entrepreneurs and start-ups. CCSs serve to anchor entrepreneurial communities and influence the urban economic and physical landscape.This report showcases a selection of 13 CCSs around the world that contribute to building a community that is sustainable and entrepreneurial and/or is helping advance an industry-specific or sectoral community. This report’s only intent is to showcase inspiring examples and models being implemented in diverse environments across the world. The authors hope this will help catalyze a conversation about the role of creative spaces in urban ecosystem development and provide policy makers as well as city innovation practitioners and private investors a better understanding of these spaces and how to leverage them effectively.
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In 2015, the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) conducted a border-crossing time-release study (TRS) at three points on the Belarus border.
... See More + The joint team customized a standard survey methodology to gather a wider range of data as well as to overcome time and other resource constraints. This smart lesson describes the team’s efforts to fit the TRS to the particular context in Belarus to ensure accurate and actionable data.
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This Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) has been prepared in response to a request from the government of Bangladesh under the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) for Trade Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries.
... See More + The EIF is a multidonor program that supports the least developed countries in becoming more active players in the global trading system by helping them tackle supply-side constraints to trade. The ultimate objective of the study is to build the foundation for accelerated growth by enhancing the integration of the economy of Bangladesh into regional and global markets. This book is arranged as follows: Chapter one assesses the current situation of the industry and Bangladesh’s possibilities for development, keeping in view competition from other shipbuilding nations; Chapter two assesses the performance of the bicycle value chain in Bangladesh in the context of global competition; Chapter three assesses the performance of the diversified jute products value chain in Bangladesh against the backdrop of global competition; Chapter four assesses the performance of the non-leather footwear value chain in Bangladesh against the backdrop of global competition; Chapter five assesses the performance of the garment value chain in Bangladesh in the context of strong international competition; Chapter six looks at the current status of the sector, exports, trade policy, and the regulatory framework for pharmaceuticals; Chapter seven looks at accelerating the development of Information Technology (IT)-Enabled Services; and Chapter eight provides more detailed discussion of IT-BPO and labor services followed by Conclusion.
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Globalization is creating many new trade and growth opportunities, with services trade increasingly becoming an issue for export-oriented economies.
... See More + Services are important to country trade strategies, because they represent activities in which countries may have a comparative advantage, and they are drivers of competitiveness for the whole economy. This paper uses data from the World Development Indicators, two new databases (the Export in Value-Added database from the Global Trade Analysis Project, and Trade in Services data), and firm-level data. The paper employs a wide range of indicators to analyze the trade competitiveness of the services sector in the Russian Federation. Since service exports are less than would be expected considering Russia's level of development, the study finds that the contribution of services to export diversification could be heightened significantly. The scale of Russian business services exports is relatively low, although exports of traditional services, like transport and travel, are performing well. Despite the relatively minor importance of exports of modern services, the category of other business services has in recent years been growing fast, and business services have strengthened their revealed comparative advantages. Yet Russia still has much potential for expanding trade in modern services. There is also potential to diversify services exports to other markets, such as France, Germany, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia, which today seems underexploited. Finally, although exports of direct services are low, services such as transport, distribution, finance, and other business services are making major contributions to other exports, in particular energy.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7827 SEP 19, 2016
Saez,Juan Sebastian; Van Der Marel,Erik LeendertDisclosed
Ecuador is one of the least diversified countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, depending heavily on oil and agriculture. This policy paper examines how services and innovation can play a role in transforming the Ecuadorian economy from one based on natural resources to one based on knowledge and services.
... See More + The paper assesses the performance of the services sector and its contribution to other sectors. The paper shows that services make a significant contribution to the country's economic growth (albeit below the average for the region). However, the services sector in Ecuador performs poorly in productivity and trade competitiveness. Further, services do not add enough value for export providers and users over time. The deficit in the integration of business services, especially knowledge-intensive business services, is particularly high, affecting the competiveness of all sectors and their value chains. Among the drivers of productivity and competitiveness, innovation is the key quality and differentiation factor (as distinguished from price-related, regulatory, and competition factors). Innovation in Ecuadorian services firms does not significantly affect performance (for example, sales and exports), although innovation in manufacturing does improve the performance of manufacturing firms. Finally, the paper provides some conclusions and meaningful crosscutting policy recommendations for a services-related policy aimed at fostering competitiveness and innovation. Services need action in innovation policy (innovation programs could be better adapted to services innovation specificities), but also in areas such as coordination at the institutional level; internationalization and foreign direct investment; and quality, regulatory, and competition issues affecting the investment climate.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7767 JUL 25, 2016
The development objectives for Regional Tourism Competitiveness project are to (i) facilitate the movement of tourists within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States region using ferries; (ii) improve selected touristic sites; and (iii) strengthen implementation capacity for regional tourism market development.
... See More + Potential negative impacts of the project include : 1) loss of or damage to physical cultural resources; 2) destruction or damage to terrestrial natural habitat; 3) negative impacts on marine habitats and coastal environments; 4) increased road safety, traffic and community risk; 5) elevated vibration and noise levels due to transportation works; 6) poor solid and liquid waste management; 7) air pollution; 8) occupational health and safety issues; 9) involuntary resettlement (which could refer to permanent or temporary acquisition of private land; physical or economic displacement). Mitigation measures include: 1) development of a traffic management plan; 2) development and implementation of a public notification and construction noise management plan; 3) development and implementation of a waste management plan; 4) avoidance of the use of herbicides or other chemicals; 5)proper storage of all construction materials, including chemicals; 6) installation of appropriate erosion control measures; 7) involuntary resettlement will be avoided to the extent possible.
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This is a statement by Xiaozhun Yi, Deputy Director-General at the ninety-third meeting of the Development Committee held on April 16, 2016. Today's meeting takes place against a backdrop of weak growth in world trade and output and a subdued outlook for the global economy.
... See More + While trade growth picked up in developed countries, import demand in developing and emerging economies has slowed sharply, and in some cases turned negative. The situation is reversed compared to 2012-13, when emerging economies sustained global trade. In light of these developments, the WTO's forecast for real trade growth in 2016 is in line with that of global GDP. This could be considered as a worrying development since trade played a crucial role in achieving the MDG goal of reducing extreme poverty by half ahead of schedule. The post-2015 sustainable development goals will be difficult to achieve without a stronger growth in trade. The WTO needs to create the policy conditions for even more countries to participate in global production and trade. This is what we aimed at the Bali and Nairobi Ministerial meetings: planting the seeds to allow for greater integration of developing countries, in particular the poorest, in global trade.
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Suppose that when addressing the question of “what’s left for the WTO?,” tariff negotiators relied not on the agenda established in 2001 but instead on the terms-of-trade theory of trade agreements to identify negotiating priorities.
... See More + This paper uses the lens of the terms-of-trade theory to investigate three areas in which it is frequently alleged that currently applied tariffs remain “too high”; the implication being that the WTO’s job performance to date is incomplete. This includes applied tariffs for countries that are not members of the WTO, applied MFN tariffs for WTO members that are unbound, and applied MFN tariffs for WTO members set in the presence of large amounts of tariff binding overhang. These are almost exclusively the domain of developing countries’ own trade policies and they are collectively important; 3.5 billion people currently live in countries in which the WTO has had minimal effect for one of these three reasons. This paper builds upon recent developments in the empirical literature to present evidence—some direct, some indirect—that sheds light on each area. It then identifies specific needs for additional research to clarify policy implications for the future role of the WTO in the ever-changing international trading system.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7502 DEC 02, 2015
Can regionalism do what multilateralism has so far failed to do—promote greater openness of services markets? Although previous research has pointed to the wider and deeper legal commitments under regional agreements as proof that it can, no previous study has assessed the impact of such agreements on applied policies.
... See More + This paper focuses on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where regional integration of services markets has been linked to thriving regional supply chains. Drawing on surveys conducted in 2008 and 2012 of applied policies in the key services sectors of ASEAN countries, the paper assesses the impact of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) and the ambitious ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, which envisaged integrated services markets by 2015. The analysis finds that over this period, ASEAN did not integrate faster internally than vis-à-vis the rest of the world: policies applied to trade with other ASEAN countries were virtually the same as those applied to trade with rest of the world. Moreover, the recent commitments scheduled under AFAS did not produce significant liberalization and, in a few instances, services trade policy actually became more restrictive. The two exceptions are in areas that are not on the multilateral negotiating agenda: steps have been taken toward creating regional open skies in air transport, and a few mutual recognition agreements have been negotiated in professional services. These findings suggest that regional negotiations add the most value when they are focused on areas that are not being addressed multilaterally.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7498 NOV 17, 2015
A structural gravity model is used to estimate barriers to services trade across many sectors, countries, and time. Since the disaggregated output data needed to infer border barriers flexibly are often missing for services, this paper derives a novel methodology for projecting output data.
... See More + The empirical implementation sheds light on the role of institutions, geography, size, and digital infrastructure as determinants of border barriers. The paper finds that border barriers have generally fallen over time, but there are differences across sectors and countries. Notably, border effects for the smallest economies have remained stable, giving rise to a divergent pattern across countries.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7465 OCT 29, 2015
Trade facilitation is one of the key engines of growth in an economy. Improving the quality and reliability of the trade facilitation infrastructure and services is a major building block for reducing transaction costs, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and expanding access to economic opportunities.
... See More + The Government of Congo, Rep. recognizesthat more needs to be done to address existing constraints to intra-regional trade. Indeed, efficient trade facilitation is central to achieving the objectives of Congo’s Vision 2025, whose overarching goal is to transform the country from a lower middle income economy to an upper middle income export-oriented economy. Attaining the country’s vision will require the addressing of at least three key constraints. Firstly, low investment in the development and maintenance ofthe country’s physical infrastructure; secondly, an insufficient and ineffective capacity to deliver therequired transport and port services; and thirdly, a lack of international competitiveness and export diversification. Addressing these constraints will catalyze the development of modern transport infrastructureand services, contributing to a reduction in the cost of doing business and thus increasing the country’scompetitiveness.Several policies and other interventions have been implemented by the Government to address the country’s trade facilitation challenges. Some of these interventions prioritize improving the quality and reliability of transport and port infrastructure and service, whichis critical for reducing transaction costs and attracting investments, contributing to the broader goals of inclusive growth by connecting rural communities toeconomic activities. This report aims to complement these efforts by making two key contributions. Firstly, it identifies thecore trade facilitation bottlenecks facing the country,and explores options for mitigating these challenges. Secondly, it presents an action plan covering both theexpansion of physical infrastructure and the developmentof transport sector structure, regulation, and institutional capacity; distinguishing between the short-and longer-term measures. The action plan is expected to strengthen the strategy for sustainable economic development and for informing dialogue on required reform measures. The report’s recommendations are also expected to support more inclusive growth, and also ensure that said inclusive growth is sustainable. It is hoped that the report’s findings will be used to inform the designand implementation of the measures required to promote trade facilitation.
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Working Paper 115188 MAY 01, 2015
Tchana Tchana,Fulbert; Kebede,Ephraim; Kemtsop,Guy Tchinda; Tanase,Virginia; El Kamel,Jameleddine; Wa Dzon,Etaki; Laouali Ladjo,Karima; Maloueki Louzolo,JosianeFrenchDisclosed
