A Look Inside the Report

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Progress on Poverty and Improved Living Conditions Chapter 2: The Bank's Record in Supporting Development Chapter 3 : Crosscutting Lessons from Sector and Thematic Evaluations Chapter 4: Looking Forward References    Chapter 1: Progress on Poverty and Improved Living Conditions    Poverty has increased sharply in the Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regions.    Broad social indicators show more widespread convergence with the developed world, with the exception of Sub-Saharan Africa.    Institutional quality and governance, which effect people's lives, especially those of the poor, show some improvements.    Conflict has not declined in the poorest quartile of countries. Conflict and poverty feed off each other.  Download Chapter 1 [PDF 138k]    Return to top  Chapter 2 : The Bank's Record in Supporting Development    Project performance ratings show improvements over the past 10 years, and project outcomes improved in all but one Region.    The majority of the sectors show improvement in project outcomes.    In a third of country programs evaluated for the period 1990-2003, aggregate project outcomes were satisfactory, but the overall country assistance programs were unsuccessful.    The Bank can have a satisfactory program, even in countries that are not doing well.    The Bank has had successful outcomes in health and education, but efforts in private sector development, public sector management, and rural development have been less successful overall.    Successful country programs are tailored to the country context, and a sound understanding of the political economy of reform is essential.    The Bank needs to resist pressures to persist with adjustment lending in the absence of government commitment to, and a satisfactory track record in, implementing reforms.    Early engagement and a strong and continuous field presence improve performance.    In a post-conflict setting, assistance programs should include capacity building and not be overly ambitious.    In a reconstruction program, effective aid coordination and partnerships with other donors are vital.    The stagnation in IBRD lending to middle income countries and increased costs of doing business with the Bank raise questions about its overall efficiency.    Dealing with regional inequality and pockets of poverty is a key agenda in middle income countries.    There is a strong demand in middle income countries for the Bank's knowledge and ideas.    The Bank should give more importance to the middle income countries' global role.    The Bank's strategy for global programs is poorly defined, and criteria for Bank involvement are too general.    Only a few global programs deliver global public goods.    Global programs have revealed major gaps in investment and global public policy.    The voices of both developing countries and the Bank's operational Regions are inadequately represented in the international consensus.   Governance is weak in several programs.    Global programs have increased overall aid very little.  Download Chapter 2 [184k]  Return to top  Chapter 3: Crosscutting Lessons from Sector and Thematic Evaluations    Selectivity is vital. No developing country has the capacity to implement all the needed reforms.    The Bank needs to do more careful work on the link between institutions and growth and poverty reduction.    The Bank needs an inventory of good practices, but these should be adapted to the local context.    Custom-fitting to the political economy is as important as custom fitting to the real economy.    Consensus building can be gradual but creates a better basis for reform then radicalism imposed from outside.    The record shows persistent over - optimism on privatization, debt sustainability, and growth.    Safeguards and fiduciary requirements are applied mechanically.    Bank knowledge and lending activities are not well aligned, and few efforts are made to track the Bank's impact on poverty.    There are enormous opportunities to further improve coordination within and across the Bank group.  Download Chapter 3 [75k]  Return to top  Chapter 4:  Looking Forward    A renewed emphasis on growth is vital for poverty reduction.    Greater selectivity, more flexibility, and better efficiency - a more hard nosed focus on concrete results - are needed.  Download Chapter 4 [55k]  Return to top  References  References [35k]   Return to top

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is an independent unit within the World Bank; it reports directly to the Bank's Board of Executive Directors. The goals of IEG 's evaluations are to draw lessons from Bank experience, and to provide an objective basis for assessing the results of the Bank's work.