The First Phase of the Dasu Hydropower Project (DHP) for Pakistan seeks to modernize and expand the energy sector of the country, while shifting from thermal generated electricity to low cost and high reward, clean generation of hydropower.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures includes: a) ensure that displaced persons without titles to land or any recognizable legal rights to land are eligible for resettlement assistance and compensation for loss of non-land assets; b) develop procedures in a transparent, consistent, and equitable manner if land acquisition is through negotiated settlement to ensure that those people who enter into negotiated settlements will maintain the same or better income and livelihood status; c) improve the standards of living of the displaced poor and other vulnerable groups, including women, to at least national minimum standards. In rural areas provide them with legal and affordable access to land and resources, and in urban areas provide them with appropriate income sources and legal and affordable access to adequate housing; d) pay compensation and provide other resettlement entitlements before physical or economic displacement; and e) monitor and assess resettlement outcomes, their impacts on the standards of living of displaced persons, and whether the objectives of the resettlement plan have been achieved by taking into account the baseline conditions and the results of resettlement monitoring. Disclose monitoring reports.
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The development objective of the Second European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Project for Caucasus is to support Georgia and Armenia in strengthening forest governance through improving implementation of relevant international processes, enhancing forest policy, legislation and institutional arrangements, and developing, testing, and evaluating sustainable forest management models at the local level on a pilot basis for future replication.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) supporting development and implementation of forest-based tourism; (2) supporting income generating activities based on non-timber forest products; and (3) preparing recommendations for pilot activities for sustainable use of sawdust in Georgia to reduce pressure on timber forest resources (firewood as well as construction materials); and other projects in selected communities.
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Since 2006, the World Bank has employed a programmatic and sub-regional approach to poverty focused analytical and policy work in the Western Balkans (comprising Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia).
... See More + The programmatic multi-year approach has ensured continuity in long term efforts such as statistical capacity building, while also permitting a great deal of flexibility to respond to emerging developments such as the financial crisis and recession. In addition to the Bank's own resources, the Western Balkans Programmatic Poverty Assessment (PPA) was supported by a trust fund financed by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID, also known as UKAid) from 2006 until 2011. The three main objectives of the task were: 1) to enhance the ability of KAS (formerly known as the Statistical Office of Kosovo) to collect household survey data and to conduct and disseminate survey data analysis; 2) to enlarge the pool of users of data for primary and secondary analysis, expanding access to data for users outside of KAS, as well as strengthening the capacity of users to undertake and present policy-relevant analysis; and 3) to increase the use of empirical, data-based policy analysis in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of polices in Kosovo.
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The third meeting of the IDA17 Replenishment, held in Washington on October 14-15, 2013, brought together the International Development Association (IDA) deputies and borrower representatives to discuss the policy framework and financing scenarios for IDA17.
... See More + The discussion focused on two documents, the "Updated IDA17 Financing Framework and Key Financing Variables" and the draft IDA17 deputies' report. Participants emphasized the importance of a robust IDA17 policy package focused on strong implementation towards maximizing development impact and stepping up support for the IDA17 special themes of inclusive growth, gender equality, climate change and fragile and conflict-affected states.
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Vote-buying is pervasive, but not everywhere. What explains significant variations across countries in the greater use of pre-electoral transfers to mobilize voters relative to the use of pre-electoral promises of post-electoral transfers?
... See More + This paper explicitly models the trade-offs that politicians incur when they decide between mobilizing support with vote-buying or promises of post-electoral benefits. Politicians rely more on vote-buying when they are less credible, target vote-buying to those who do not believe their political promises, and only buy votes from those who would have received post-electoral transfers in a world of full political credibility. The enforcement of a prohibition on vote-buying reduces the welfare of those targeted with vote-buying, but improves the welfare of all other groups in society.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS6653 OCT 01, 2013
This paper introduces a new explanation for political budget cycles: politicians have stronger incentives to increase spending around elections in the presence of younger political parties.
... See More + Previous research has shown that political budget cycles are larger when voters are uninformed about politician characteristics and when politicians are less credible. The effects of party age can be traced to organizational differences between younger and older parties that also affect voter information and politician credibility. Parties organized around particular individuals, rather than around policy labels or a party machine, are less likely to survive the departure of party leaders, to adopt organizational attributes that promote voter information and political credibility, and to limit political budget cycles. Previous research has also shown larger political budget cycles in younger democracies. Evidence presented here indicates that party age accounts for this effect.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS6654 OCT 01, 2013
The objective the First National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project for India is to provide better connectivity of various existing national highways in the country and thereby help induce socio-economic development in the project area.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: a) the entitlement framework has provisions for compensation and assistances towards the losses incurred upon the impacted women headed households by the project; b) women's participation shall also be ensured for monitoring and evaluation activities; c) the assistances to be provided to women as a vulnerable group should create alternative livelihood for them to ensure their sustainable socio-economic upliftment; d) the implementing agencies should provide trainings for upgrading the skill in the alternative livelihoods and assist throughout till the beneficiaries start up with production and business; e) women's participation should be initiated through self-help group formation in each of the villages affected by the project. These groups should then be linked to special development schemes of the Government, like Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA); and f) monitoring of project inputs concerning benefit to women should invite their participation that will make the process more transparent to them. Women should be encouraged to evaluate the project outputs from their point of view and their useful suggestions should be noted for taking necessary actions for further modifications in the project creating better and congenial situation for increasing participation from women.
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The second meeting of the IDA17 replenishment, hosted by the Government of Nicaragua in Managua during July 1-4, brought together the IDA deputies and borrower representatives to discuss four papers that set out Management's policy framework and range of possible financing scenarios for IDA17.
... See More + The meeting included observers from countries which are considering becoming IDA donors (Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Thailand), observers from other institutions (the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development), from the g7+ Secretariat as well as representatives from Executive Directors' offices. Several participants supported the introduction of a pilot program for project participation after the start of IDA17 and some noted that such participations should not benefit from preferred creditor status.
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The objective of the Sava Waterway Rehabilitation Project for Bosnia and Herzegovina is to improve the operational performance and safety of commercial and leisure vessels on the Sava River, thereby contributing to improved utilization of the river ports.
... See More + Negative impacts include: air pollution, dust, flora and fauna, noise pollution, soil erosion, and waste management. Mitigation measures include: a) prohibit tourist recreational traffic and traffic of high-speed boats in the vicinity of known spawning places; b) provide safe disposal of sanitary waste water from ships in ports. The ships should undertake ballast water management measures in accordance with requirements of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments; c) provide appropriate procedures for managing chemical and fuel storage areas. Fuelling, loading and unloading activities on ships should be conducted by properly trained personnel according to pre-established formal procedures; d) prohibit tourist recreational traffic and traffic of high-speed boats in the vicinity of known spawning places; and e) allow passage of vessels that transport hazardous cargo and substances (chemical, oil, etc.) only with police entourage.
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Indigenous strategy developed by National Program for Paraguay Agricultural Direct Support (PRODERS) will be adopted by the Biodiversity Conservation Project, where there are indigenous peoples in the project area that have biodiversity-significant property and that are seeking to participate in the project activities.
... See More + Indigenous people will receive the same project benefits as their non-indigenous counterparts, but these will be prepared and implemented in such a way as to respect their specific cultural characteristics, including language, and community leadership structures. The project management unit (PMU) will incorporate a specialist in indigenous issues and specialized institutions, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) already operating in the project area, to work with the indigenous people. Interventions will be based on strategies derived from the different capabilities and needs from each group. NGOs working in the project area and with a demonstrated capacity in the project themes will be incorporated in different preparation and operational phases. The private conservation network will be invited to participate in project activities within the corridor. NGOs are expected to contribute with their experience, converge in project interventions and also have the opportunity to be trained by the Project. This project will be working in close cooperation with PRODERS for social matters, to promote the exchange of information, jointly developing actions in Caazapá and San Pedro, and learning from each other, not only for indigenous issues and approaches, but also to deal with gender and youth issues, given that PRODERS has previously developed a strategy to build capacities of local women and integrate youth in different decision-making phases. Law enforcement and capacity building at the local level will be strengthened in order to reduce illegal actions and create a democratic and peaceful environment in project area. Stakeholders will be participating in project operations to promote beneficiaries' ownership and increase accountability. A full description of these arrangements will be incorporated in the operational manual including specific activities and indicators to track participation. A project website with Itapúa will allow access to information, especially financial and outputs of the project, while at the same time activities and results will be widely disseminated in local radios and local media in a language susceptible to be understood by project beneficiaries.
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As part of a knowledge exchange series around public consultation, a second video conference was organized by the World Bank Institute and the World Bank Middle East and North Africa Vice-Presidency on April 30, 2013, bringing together government officials and civil society practitioners from Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia to discuss how to develop codes of practice for public consultations, while learning from good practices and country experiences.
... See More + The highlights of this report includes: a) practitioners from Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia convened in a second session to continue an in-depth discussion on public consultations; b) participants discussed institutionalization of public consultations, including developing codes of practice, training, and developing centers for excellence; and c) an example from Brazil highlighted the effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and how to prevent its capture.
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The development objectives of the Additional Financing for the Municipal Infrastructure Development Project for Tajikistan are to improve the availability, quality and efficiency of delivery of basic municipal services to the population of the towns which participate in the project will not change.
... See More + In doing so, the project will assist local governments in responding to pressing public service needs of the local population. Negative impacts include: damage to ecosystems, endangered plant species; pollution of soil and water at construction site with oil materials; daily checks of machinery for leaking of oil, ban to wash machinery at construction site; noise pollution in towns; and reduced amenity values of the area. Mitigation measures include: 1) selection of pipeline route to avoid habitats of endangered plant species; 2) works performed strictly during the working hours; 3) proper landscaping and replanting of construction area after completion of piping works; 4) daily checks of machinery for leaking of oil, ban on wash machinery at construction site; 5) collection of scrap asphalt and delivery to designated landfills/dumpsites; 6) proper landscaping of slopes and replanting of vegetation; and 7) foresee and provide alternative access routes to kiosks, select proper timing for civil works.
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The development objective of the Additional Financing for the Municipal Infrastructure Development Project (MIDP) for Tajikistan is to improve the availability, quality and efficiency of delivery of basic municipal services to the population of the towns which participate in the project. negative impacts includes: permanent acquisition of land for works; permanent acquisition of legal structure; loss of houses; loss of business; loss of assets; and loss of trees, fruits, and crops.
... See More + Compensation measures includes: 1) replacement land of equivalent market value as priority; 2) replacement structure or cash compensation at replacement value of a new structure plus full compensation for all fees needed to make replacement new structure legal; 3) in kind compensation for other effects such as alternative car parking facility; 4) cash compensation of estimated business loss; 5) land compensation, will be allowed to take standing crop and cash compensation for 2 seasons or annual crop; and 6) cash compensation for highest market price of 5 years harvest of full mature tree or 7 years if tree already at full maturity.
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To support citizen engagement through public consultations in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the World Bank Institute and the World Bank Middle East and North Africa Vice-Presidency have organized a knowledge exchange series that brings together government officials and civil society practitioners from Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia to discuss how citizen engagement can contribute to more informed and inclusive policies and laws as a result of effective consultation practices.
... See More + Building on an offline session, where participants reflected on existing experiences around public consultations in their countries, Guenter Heidenhof, Sector Manager for MSNPS, welcomed participants on March 26, 2013 to the first regional VC session. Mr. Heidenhof noted that while public consultations may vary from country to country, they should be guided by three basic principles; transparency, accessibility, and inclusiveness. In light of the recent political developments in the region, he emphasized the importance of public consultations to build public consensus and strengthen public trust in governmental institutions. The highlights of this report includes: a) government officials and civil society practitioners from Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia shared the latest developments around public consultations in their respective countries; b) it was noted that there is limited legal framework for public consultations in Tunisia and Jordan, while in Morocco there are constitutional provisions; and c) participants agreed on the need to develop mechanisms to conduct and evaluate public consultations.
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The purpose of this idea book is to provide practical ideas on how to make training interactive and interesting. It contains ideas on icebreakers, energizers and interactive exercises to include in your next learning event.
... See More + Each activity includes information on ideal audience size, materials, preparation time, duration of the activity, room set up. The process of each activity is laid out step-by-step along with suggestions on what to say in some cases, to help you visualize the activity. Since we work in a multi-cultural environment, we should always keep cultural considerations in mind and some activities have specific suggestions on cultural concerns. Finally, the activities have been adjusted for delivery in a virtual classroom such as adobes connect when appropriate. This idea book was designed for facilitators who lead training sessions on Bank operations; however the ideas are applicable to many types of training.
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The empirical evidence of the economic benefits of different utilities such as electricity, telecommunications and water is mixed and, in the case of micro and small enterprises, relatively thin.
... See More + This paper therefore revisits this issue. Based on a unique, albeit cross-sectional, micro data set of informal firms in West-Africa, we find hardly any evidence for a significant contribution of access to different infrastructure services on enterprise performance. This absence of a systematic influence is attributed to the large heterogeneity of activities, motives and resources with which these informal firms operate. However, concentrating on a more homogenous sample of tailors in Ouagadougou, we find that their performance is positively influenced by access to electricity. In conclusion, our findings stress the heterogeneity of the informal sector, implying that a 'one-size-fits all' approach to the development of this sector is of little help.
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Non-lending technical assistance: this note reviews the non-lending technical assistance (NLTA) provided to the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI) in FY10 under a grant from the Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) which followed up on a previous NLTA for the preparation of a national strategic statistical plan and supplemented the preparation of the India Statistical Strengthening Loan (SSL) approved by the Bank on June 1, 2010.
... See More + This technical assistance supported: (i) consultative workshops involving all states and other stakeholders; (ii) an international consultancy to develop State Strategic Statistical Plan (SSSP) guidelines and spearhead the process of providing the necessary hand-holding for the preparation of the SSSPs in the states; (iii) provision of local consultants to the states in need of additional support for the preparation of the SSSPs, (iv) developing a single and common monitoring framework for preparation of the SSSPs, and (v) drafting the template of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
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The report which follows synthesizes the process, the quality, and the outcomes of the latest round of local consultations carried out with villages in areas affected by the Second Nam Theun Hydroelectric Project.
... See More + Following the CARE study, all of the peoples living on the plateau, were defined as indigenous peoples under the Bank's OD 4.20 policies. In spite of this, smaller and more vulnerable groups continued to be left out of the process. For example, on the plateau, the Ahoe, a Vietic speaking group originally inhabiting the forested areas adjacent to the dam site to the west, were moved into two villages on the plateau, Nakai Tay, and Sop Hia. In both cases they are outnumbered by more sophisticated Tai groups, and as a result were not included in consultations. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRAs) carried out by an anthropologist in 1998, for example, noted only that they appeared to be 'second class citizens' and were not participating. Thus concern for ethnic minority segments of the village populations was a priority in the design of the process.
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