Guatemala - Completion and learning review for country partnership strategy for the period FY2013-2016 : IEG review
Web Resource
This Review assesses the design and implementation of the World Bank Group’s (WBG)
Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Guatemala covering the period FY13-16. Following the
shared approach methodology, the program’s development outcomes are assessed based on the
Performance Learning Review (PLR) which was undertaken towards the end of the CPS period in
September 2015. Guatemala is a lower Show MoreThis Review assesses the design and implementation of the World Bank Group’s (WBG)
Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Guatemala covering the period FY13-16. Following the
shared approach methodology, the program’s development outcomes are assessed based on the
Performance Learning Review (PLR) which was undertaken towards the end of the CPS period in
September 2015. Guatemala is a lower middle income country and the largest economy in Central America.
During the CPS period, Guatemala had been implementing prudent macroeconomic policies with a
relatively stable GDP growth rate. However, shared prosperity, as measured by income growth
among the poorest 40 percent of the population, declined during 2000-2014. Guatemala’s Gini
coefficient of income and human development index in 2014 continued to lag the Latin America and
Caribbean (LAC) region. Low public revenue collection limited the ability of the State to provide
basic public goods and services, and to undertake public investment essential to achieving its
development goals. Guatemala has weak institutional quality, scoring in the lowest quartile in three
and below the median in all of the six Worldwide Governance Indicators, with no significant
improvement over the last two decades. IEG rates WBG performance as Fair.
Ukraine - Completion and learning review for country partnership framework for the period FY12-FY16 : IEG review
Web Resource
Ukraine is a lower middle income country with a GNI per capita of $2,640 in 2015. Leading up
to the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) period, poverty had been declining, with the share of the
population below the $5 poverty line decreasing from 46 percent in 2002 to 3.2 percent in 2013, and
a GINI index lower than those of peer countries in the ECA region in 2014. During the CPS period, Show MoreUkraine is a lower middle income country with a GNI per capita of $2,640 in 2015. Leading up
to the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) period, poverty had been declining, with the share of the
population below the $5 poverty line decreasing from 46 percent in 2002 to 3.2 percent in 2013, and
a GINI index lower than those of peer countries in the ECA region in 2014. During the CPS period,
Ukraine experienced almost zero growth during 2012-2013 and negative real GDP growth of -6.6
percent in 2014 and -9.9 percent in 2015. Following the Euromaidan demonstration and subsequent
political events, a new Government took over in late 2014 and faced several challenges, including
maintaining macroeconomic stability and managing a banking crisis. With higher unemployment
and a compression of public expenditures, Ukraine experienced increases in poverty rates with the
share of the population below the $5 poverty line increasing to 3.3 percent in 2014 and 5.8 percent
in 2015. While the economy has stabilized, Ukraine would have to address long-standing structural,
governance and anti-corruption issues to achieve sustained growth and shared prosperity. During
the CPS period, Ukraine’s ranking in the Worldwide Governance Indicator (WBI) for Control of
Corruption deteriorated from 17th percentile in 2011 to 15th percentile in 2014, while the ranking in
the Human Development Index has remained at 83rd-84th.
IEG rates development outcomes of the CPS as Moderately Unsatisfactory while Focus Area II is rated as Moderately Satisfactory. Of the
six CPS objectives, three are rated as Mostly Achieved and three are rated as Partially Achieved.
The overall rating takes into account the strength of the evidence in the objectives that were rated
Mostly Achieved and the lack of verifiable information in one objective that resulted in its Partially
Achieved rating.
Pacific Islands - Completion and learning review for regional partnership framework for the period FY11-FY17 : IEG review
Web Resource
This is a summary of six CLR reviews covering the World Bank Group (WBG) programs for
the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga, and
Tuvalu. The summary is based on IEG’s individual country assessments of the completion and
learning reviews prepared for each country. During the period under review, each country prepared a
stand-alone Country Show MoreThis is a summary of six CLR reviews covering the World Bank Group (WBG) programs for
the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga, and
Tuvalu. The summary is based on IEG’s individual country assessments of the completion and
learning reviews prepared for each country. During the period under review, each country prepared a
stand-alone Country Assistance/Partnership Strategy (CAS/CPS), in contrast to previous
engagements that were done under an umbrella regional strategy for the Pacific Islands. Except for
Tuvalu’s country program, all CPSs were joint programs between the Bank and IFC. The
assessments are based on the original CPSs, since no Performance and Learning Reviews (PLRs)
were undertaken for any of the countries.
These countries have populations ranging from 10,000 (Tuvalu) to over 200,000 (Samoa)—
Tuvalu is the smallest WBG member country. They are among the most remote and geographically
dispersed countries in the world, and range from low middle income (Kiribati, US$3,390 GNI per
capita in current dollars) to upper middle income (Tuvalu, US$6,120 GNI per capita in current
dollars). Some of them joined the WBG as recently as 2010 (Tuvalu).
The high cost of operating in these small, remote countries, and limited resources from IDA,
constrained the World Bank Group to engage with them at the regional level or through multi-country
platforms until 2008, when the governments of Australia and New Zealand decided to enter into
funding partnerships with the WBG. These partnerships—combined with significant increases in IDA disaster risk management and climate change—gave the WBG the capacity to operate at scale in the
Pacific Island Countries.
For most of the countries—except Samoa and Tonga—this program was the first direct
engagement with the WBG. All programs were financed by IDA and trust-funds, and some of the
countries (Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Tuvalu) had to be granted an exception for small islands
to qualify for IDA funds in light of their high per capita income.
Cameroon - Completion and learning review for country partnership framework for the period FY10 - FY14 : IEG review
Web Resource
Cameroon is a lower middle income, resource-rich country with large potential. Due to its location, the country is the gateway to the economies of Central Africa and plays a central role in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). The Bank's strategy was well aligned with country challenges and the government's own objectives, with the emphasis of the CAS program on governance Show MoreCameroon is a lower middle income, resource-rich country with large potential. Due to its location, the country is the gateway to the economies of Central Africa and plays a central role in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). The Bank's strategy was well aligned with country challenges and the government's own objectives, with the emphasis of the CAS program on governance, competitiveness, and public sector services. The program generally did address key challenges for the country, and was largely unchanged in the CAS Progress Report (CASPR), at which time the CAS period was extended to include FY14, but some indicators were dropped and others were weakened primarily in terms of time of delivery. The program aligned quite well to the twin goals, but the poverty dimension of the WBG program could have been even stronger, including the attention to inclusion – although with a poverty rate of 37.5 percent (2014) there is strong overlap between poverty and shared prosperity issues. The CAS program was reasonably well designed in light of country requirements and (significant) constraints, and proved to be quite stable with all nine objectives maintained in the CASPR. It addressed appropriate and important areas, and was designed for gradual and quite modest improvements. The CASPR addressed an important stepping-up of supervision and implementation support,and also a stronger focus on a few selected operations going forward. IEG draws three main lessons from this CLR: First, programs addressing governance need to provide a mix of interventions commensurate with the nature of the objectives, be structured realistically to conditions on the ground and Bank instruments. Second, indicators need to be designed keeping in mind the ability to monitor progress and to measure and assess end results. Third, Bank country program documents including CLRs need to pay clear attention where there are (as for Cameroon) significant indications of broader underlying fiduciary and governance issues. IEG also agrees with the following lessons from the CLR: Centralized approaches to strengthening governance need to be complemented with decentralized and sector-based approaches. The impact of investment lending is much higher when it is accompanied by sector policy and institutional reform which is possible only when government ownership is strong.
Mozambique - Country Partnership Framework Completion and Learning Review for the Period FY12-FY15 : IEG Review
Web Resource
Mozambique is a low income country with a GNI per capita of $1,120 in 2014. The country experienced rapid growth over the last 25 years, but high poverty rates persist, particularly in the rural areas. Data from the National Statistics Institute show that the poverty headcount ratio fell from 70 to 46 percent between 1996 and 2014. The country’s reliance on capital intensive investments led to Show MoreMozambique is a low income country with a GNI per capita of $1,120 in 2014. The country experienced rapid growth over the last 25 years, but high poverty rates persist, particularly in the rural areas. Data from the National Statistics Institute show that the poverty headcount ratio fell from 70 to 46 percent between 1996 and 2014. The country’s reliance on capital intensive investments led to rapid economic growth but generated relatively few jobs and their ties to the rest of the economy are limited. Unemployment rate remained at 22.6 percent in 2012-2014. The country ranks low in Human Development Index: 180 out of 188 countries. Natural hazards hit the country frequently and hard, and are likely to worsen with climate change. The government’s Action Plan to Reduce Poverty for 2011-2014 (Plano de Acção de Redução de Pobreza -PARP) sought to confront these problems and the WBG’s Country partnership Strategy (CPS) addressed some of these challenges under the pillars of competitiveness and employment (Focus Area I), vulnerability and resilience (Focus Area II), and a foundation pillar, governance and public sector capacity (Focus Area III). In April 2016, the government acknowledged to the IMF that it had borrowed an amount in excess of $1 billion in commercial terms during 2012-2015. The disclosure weakened investors’ confidence in the country’s macroeconomic stability, and contributed to further depreciating the metical. These two factors combined raised the country’s debt to GDP ratio from 60 percent in 2014 to 120 percent in 2016.
Laos - Completion and learning review for country partnership framework for the period FY2012-FY2016 : IEG Review
Web Resource
Lao PDR is a small, landlocked, lower middle income country that for some years has enjoyed rapid economic growth (around 7.8 percent over the past decade including the CPS period). In 2015, GNI per capita was $1,740, which was below Vietnam ($1,990) but well above Cambodia
($1,070). While poverty has been reduced, inequality has been rising and growth has not been inclusive. The latest Show MoreLao PDR is a small, landlocked, lower middle income country that for some years has enjoyed rapid economic growth (around 7.8 percent over the past decade including the CPS period). In 2015, GNI per capita was $1,740, which was below Vietnam ($1,990) but well above Cambodia
($1,070). While poverty has been reduced, inequality has been rising and growth has not been inclusive. The latest available Gini index of 37.8 in 2012 shows a noticeable increase from 34.6 in 2002. For the same period, Lao PDR Gini index is about the same level as Vietnam (38.7), but much higher than Cambodia (30.7). The CPS focused on stronger public sector management as a cross-cutting theme, with three strategic thematic areas: competitiveness and connectivity, sustainable natural resource management, and inclusive development. The CPS and the CPSPR addressed important priorities and drew on lessons from the previous program, including on the critical importance of capacity building that needed to be embedded into broader sectoral programs rather than through separate activities. However, it is not clear to what extent the program actually succeeded in this regard, and only a few of the objectives and/or outcome indicators in the CPS/CPS Progress Report results matrix seem to relate to capacity building.
Togo - Completion and learning review for the period FY08-FY17 : IEG Review
Web Resource
This is a validation of the Completion and Learning Review (CLR) for the World Bank Group’s (WBG) engagement in Togo covering two Interim Strategy Notes (ISNs) for the period, FY08-FY10; and FY12-13. In line with the CLR, IEG does not rate the overall development outcome and the WBG’s performance due to data limitations.
After Togo became independent in 1960, income per capita almost doubled Show MoreThis is a validation of the Completion and Learning Review (CLR) for the World Bank Group’s (WBG) engagement in Togo covering two Interim Strategy Notes (ISNs) for the period, FY08-FY10; and FY12-13. In line with the CLR, IEG does not rate the overall development outcome and the WBG’s performance due to data limitations.
After Togo became independent in 1960, income per capita almost doubled to reach $534 in
1980, driven by open and market oriented policies, a boom in phosphate prices and efforts towards
a more effective public administration. However, these gains were reversed during the next two
decades. In the 1980s, the country followed a more inward looking economic policy and, during the
1990s, it entered a period of political tension and economic instability. Togo fell into internal and
external debt service arrears including with the World Bank. Political stability returned gradually
beginning in the mid-2000s and the international development community returned. Economic
growth during the last decade has averaged four percent. Despite a solid growth performance,
poverty declined only slightly, from 61.7 percent in 2006 to 55.1 percent in 2015. Income per capita
is yet to reach the level the country had achieved in 1980. Togo’s ranking in the Human
Development Index has fallen from 95th out of 124 countries in 1980 to 166th out of 187 countries in
2013. Togo recently experienced negative macroeconomic developments that brought the share of
public debt over GDP from 32 percent in 2010 to 80.8 percent in 2016 financed by both domestic
and external borrowings. Successful efforts at increasing public revenues from 18.8 percent of GDP
in 2013 to 21.0 percent in 2015 were not enough to cover fast-growing public investments on
infrastructure. Efforts at bringing the fiscal accounts under control are underway. The Executive
Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved on May 5, 2017, a new three-year
arrangement for Togo under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for SDR176.16 million to support
the country’s economic and financial reforms.
Benin - Completion and learning review for the period FY13-FY18 : IEG review
Web Resource
This review of the World Bank Group’s Completion and Learning Report (CLR) covers the period of the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) (FY13-17) and the Performance and Learning Review (PLR) which extended the CPS period to include FY18. The PLR was discussed at the Board on August 30, 2016. Benin is a low-income country (per capita income of $820 in 2016). It has a population of about ten Show MoreThis review of the World Bank Group’s Completion and Learning Report (CLR) covers the period of the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) (FY13-17) and the Performance and Learning Review (PLR) which extended the CPS period to include FY18. The PLR was discussed at the Board on August 30, 2016. Benin is a low-income country (per capita income of $820 in 2016). It has a population of about ten million (2013 census) with a high population growth of around 2.8 percent per annum. The average GDP growth during the review period was 4.9 percent (2013-2016). The average per capita GDP growth rate was relatively low at 2.0 percent between 2013 and 2016, due to the high population growth and drop in the overall growth rate in 2015 as a result of an economic slowdown in neighboring Nigeria, political transition in 2015-2106, and decline in cotton prices. The economy is dominated by traditional agriculture, informal commerce and trade - areas with low levels of productivity. The country ranks 167 (out of 188) on the UNDP Human Development Index in 2015.
Burkina Faso - Completion and learning review for the period of FY13-FY16 : IEG review
Web Resource
Burkina Faso is a low-income country with a GNI per capita of $620 in 2016. During 2013-2016, annual GDP growth averaged 5.0 percent, but annual GDP per capita growth was only 1.9 percent due to high population growth. Economic growth was built on a narrow base, mainly agriculture and mining, and has failed to produce a sufficient number of jobs to absorb the rapidly growing work force, 80 Show MoreBurkina Faso is a low-income country with a GNI per capita of $620 in 2016. During 2013-2016, annual GDP growth averaged 5.0 percent, but annual GDP per capita growth was only 1.9 percent due to high population growth. Economic growth was built on a narrow base, mainly agriculture and mining, and has failed to produce a sufficient number of jobs to absorb the rapidly growing work force, 80 percent of which are in agriculture. While the poverty rate declined from 50 percent to 40 percent between 2003 and 2014, the absolute number of people living in poverty, of which 90 percent live in rural areas, remained roughly the same between the two periods – lack of access by the poor to social services and basic infrastructure has been a major constraint. The level of vulnerability of households is high, with two-thirds suffering from shocks each year, mainly from natural hazards. Burkina Faso ranked 185 out of 188 countries in 2015 in the Human Development Index.
Mauritania - Completion and learning review for the period FY14-FY16 : IEG review
Web Resource
This completion and learning review (CLR) covers the period FY 14-16. The country partnership strategy (CPS) consisted of two pillars (or focus areas): (1) Growth and diversification; and (2) economic governance and service delivery. The CPS work program was aligned with pillars I-IV of the third poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP3): (i) accelerating economic growth; (ii) anchoring growth in Show MoreThis completion and learning review (CLR) covers the period FY 14-16. The country partnership strategy (CPS) consisted of two pillars (or focus areas): (1) Growth and diversification; and (2) economic governance and service delivery. The CPS work program was aligned with pillars I-IV of the third poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP3): (i) accelerating economic growth; (ii) anchoring growth in the economic sphere directly benefiting the poor; (iii) developing human resources and facilitating access to basic infrastructure; and (iv) promoting real institutional development supported by good governance. Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) concurs with some of lessons provided in the CLR summarized as follows: (i) for a CPS program to yield results, the time to implement the program must be long; (ii) CPS programs need to take a wider approach to sectors, as in the in case of the Banda Gas and associated transmission project; and (iii) the Bank needs to invest in capacity building, both in individual operations and in long-term reform and modernization.