Analytical and Advisory Assistance

An essential and increasingly important part of the World Bank's contribution to development is the analytical and advisory work that is carried out for our client countries. Analytical and advisory activities provide a foundation for defining strategic environmental priorities and informing policy dialogue and decisions on projects and programs. These activities comprise Economic and Sector Work and non-lending Technical Assistance, Knowledge Management as well as Training and Research Services.

A key component of the World Bank's analytical work, also known as   Economic and Sector Work (ESW), refers to activities that involve analytical effort with the intent of influencing client countries' policies and programs and comprise formal and informal studies of critical issues, either at the country level or for specific sectors. This work has traditionally underpinned the lending and investment operations. Key ESW categories include: country diagnostic reports, country advisory reports, regional reports, and other products such as policy notes and other informal country dialogue products. Between 1999-2005, a total of 336 formal and a number of informal environmental ESW activities were undertaken by the World Bank.

The World Bank's new Environment Strategy stresses the need for systematic and consistent environmental analytical work at both country and sector levels. Analytical tools such as the    Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) and other Strategic Environmental Analyses (SEAs), including Energy-Environment Reviews, are envisaged to contribute to achieving this objective at the respective levels. More details on CEA and SEA may also be accessed under the sub-categories on the left.

The World Bank is also a major provider of non-lending Technical Assistance (TA), which is the transfer of skills and knowledge for developmental purposes and a key instrument for improving policies and project design, enhancing skills, and strengthening implementation capacity. From 1999 to 2005, non-lending TA activities with a primary or secondary environmental theme saw a steady increase from 10 to 65 activities annually. Altogether, there were 267 such activities carried out over this period.

Recognizing its long experience and comparative advantage in creating, sharing, and applying knowledge, since the mid-‘90s the World Bank has launched a concerted effort to maximize the potential benefits emanating from its knowledge activities. Knowledge Management (KM) or   Knowledge Sharing at the World Bankis about capturing and organizing systematically the wealth of knowledge and experience gained from staff, clients, and development partners; making this knowledge readily accessible; and creating linkages between groups and communities working on similar topics. One aspect of this work is the preparation and dissemination of publications, technical and discussion papers, and good practice guidance notes.

Advisory services also include a variety of mechanisms including training    (both internal and external), and an enhanced use of the electronic media and distance learning opportunities.  Training and Learningprograms on environmental issues are managed by the World Bank Institute (WBI)'s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Research on various environmental issues is another important non-lending service that the Bank provides to ensure effective development assistance. World Bank environmental research encompasses such areas as climate change, biodiversity preservation, cost-effectiveness of coral reef protection, industrial pollution management, regulatory enforcement, valuation and taxation, public expenditures, pollution charges, transportation, air quality measurement, regulatory capacity, and the economics of nature tourism.

This section provides in-depth information about Analytical Work and non-lending Technical Assistance, while further information on the other types of Analytical and Advisory Activities is also accessible through the links on the left.