Recommendation 1: The Bank Group should develop and implement a consistent and well-coordinated strategic framework that highlights the relationships between work on innovation and entrepreneurship across different sectors and institutions. This framework should be developed, considering the context of the new Bank Group strategy and providing the building blocks for developing innovation strategies, policies, and programs that will help client countries strengthen innovation-driven growth.
The FPD Network has an explicit practice that focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, so it is well placed to provide the multi-sectoral coordination that such an effort demands.
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World Bank Group activities supporting innovation and entrepreneurship are articulated in different strategies, lending and investment operations, and analytical work. However, there are few formal efforts to coordinate, consult, or link these activities across sectors, networks and institutions. Current corporate and sector strategies do not provide adequate guidance on how to develop effective innovation interventions. Bank Group interventions in this field have tended to be articulated around thematic areas of interventions and not necessarily around innovation and entrepreneurship.
WB: Agree.
WBG management will develop a "Strategic Framework" that will highlight the relationship between work on innovation and entrepreneurship across sectors and different institutions. This Framework will also guide the operationalization of the other five recommendations. The framework will be developed taking into account the directions and institutional arrangements emerging from the on-going WBG strategy formulation and change process to ensure consistency with the overall reform thrust , in particular when it comes to global knowledge sharing.
An increased and coherent support for innovation and entrepreneurship can help accelerate the achievement of the WBG's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. The IEG report correctly acknowledges that innovation and entrepreneurship can be a powerful source of improved competiveness, creating jobs and helping drive growth. The WBG's approach to innovation and entrepreneurship has rightly evolved over time in response to client demands, opportunities, threats, and taking into account the comparative advantages of each institution separately and together as appropriate, across sectors, themes, and regions. Given the recent launch of the WBG's twin goals, the knowledge gained over the years in this space, and IEG's independent assessment of the WBG experience, it is an opportune time to develop strategic directions or a strategic framework for the WBG's work on innovation and entrepreneurship.
The WBG strategic framework will assess current client demands on innovation and entrepreneurship identify priority products and opportunities and tools for further experimentation and learning with WBG products to better meet client demands identify mechanisms for further strengthening collaboration across departments and institutions within the WBG identify mechanisms for better disseminating knowledge within the WBG as well to clients and explore opportunities for leveraging WBG capacities through external partnerships.
The strategic framework or strategic directions will also help guide the operationalization of recommendations 2-5.
The strategic framework will be informed by the upcoming WBG strategy and the FPD strategy and other existing strategies such as the IFC's Middle Income Country Strategy, IFC Road Map Papers, InfoDev's medium-term work program, the WBG's strategy for information and communication technology.
Action 1A (WBG): The establishment of the Global Practices (GPs) is expected to positively impact the implementation of all the recommendations. However, the detailed actions driving implementation may need to be revisited once the GPs are in place.
Target: GPs established and operating
Timeline: FY15
Action 1B (WBG): Develop an Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Strategic Framework aligned with the new WBG strategy and organizational changes, including the new global practices model.
Indicator: n I&E Strategic Framework
Target: WBG Management endorsement of the I&E Strategic Framework
Timeline: FY15
IEG rates this action High as both of the actions are technically achieved. However, given the recent change, reorganization of the T&C, IEG would like to monitor the action one more year.
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) unit of the Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice finalized its I&E Strategic Outlook FY17-19 in January 2017. The Decision Meeting, chaired by Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director GTCDR, was held on Tuesday, December 6th, 2016. The document offers a three-year strategic framework (FY17-19) for the overall direction and priorities of the I&E unit within the T&C GP. It provides the building blocks for developing and rolling out innovation and entrepreneurship strategies, policies, and programs to help client countries strengthen innovation-driven growth. The Outlook's content will inform decisions of strategic priorities for the T&C GP, particularly around skills needs, resource allocations, knowledge investments, and client targeting. It will also inform collaboration between the I&E unit and T&C GP global and regional units, other GPs.
The Outlook document directly addresses the recommendations made by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), the WBG corporate priorities (especially those of the EFI VPU strategic framework and the T&C GP Roadmap), and client demand. The latter is based on extensive data collection through interviews with multiple stakeholders, a portfolio review, and surveys/consultations involving T&C regional task team leaders (TTLs) and practice managers as well as colleagues from other GPs.
The focus of the Outlook is therefore strengthening collaboration within and outside the World Bank Group, investing in additional knowledge and analytical work, and formulating a results framework for defining success. To that end, the priorities for implementing the Outlook in FY17 are codifying lessons learned and experience from pilots into easily transferrable formats relevant to regional TTLs and teams integrating analytical products into a coherent set of product offerings responding to the needs of clients strengthening the ability to learn from pilot programs and shortening the adaptation cycle and accelerating learning from measurement, rigorous evaluations, and knowledge management.
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship unit under T&C is still in the process of developing a strategic roadmap as of FY17. The draft roadmap has been drafted, reviewed by T&C and the next step would be finalization of the road map.
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) unit of the Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice is in the process of finalizing a strategic roadmap which establishes the rationale for WBG engagement in the innovation and entrepreneurship space, takes stock of previous and ongoing I&E interventions at the WBG, and develops a forward-looking framework for I&E contributions to global monitoring, knowledge creation, and operational support to clients. The roadmap is being developed in consultation with other Global Practices (e.g., F&M, SURR, and others), and is based on a rigorous analysis of the existing WBG portfolio in I&E and related themes (captured through careful analysis of project documents) and an assessment of future demand for these activities (obtained through questionnaires and interviews administered to operational staff in the regions).
The roadmap exercise has revealed that I&E represents a growing area of demand from internal and external clients. In the context of slowing global growth and rapid ageing of many populations, innovation and entrepreneurship represent critical pathways to maintaining and accelerating productivity growth and creating jobs (particularly in new, non-traditional, knowledge-intensive sectors). As countries seek to push the knowledge frontier and support the emergence and scale-up of high-growth, high-potential firms, the WBG portfolio and pipeline reflect increased demand for projects with innovation, entrepreneurship, and SME components.
The draft roadmap has been endorsed by Trade & Competitiveness senior management, and the team is currently finalizing the document on the basis of feedback received. The I&E work plan in FY17 and FY18 will be explicitly based on the findings of the roadmap and agreements reached during its preparation. The strategic roadmap will also help guide the operationalization of recommendations 2&ndash 5.
As the management update describes due to the reorganization of the WBG, the strategic framework has not been developed yet. The framework is at project concept note stage and is expected to be completed in this FY. The strategic framework that highlights the relationships between work on innovation and entrepreneurship across different sectors and institutions will be key to the directions of the World Bank Group's in this area.
The I&E Unit within T&C will lead the development of an innovation and entrepreneurship Strategic Framework for the WBG commencing FY16. There has been a delay due to the restructuring, as developing the framework requires an accurate reflection of roles and responsibilities across the bank.
The WBG strategic framework will assess current client demands on innovation and entrepreneurship identify priority products and opportunities and tools for further experimentation and learning with Bank Group products to better meet client demands identify mechanisms for further strengthening collaboration across departments and institutions within the Bank Group identify mechanisms for better disseminating knowledge within the Bank Group as well to clients and explore opportunities for leveraging World Bank Group capacities through external partnerships.
It will work across the bank given the extenxive involvement of various GPs in innovation and entrepreneurship policy development and delivery, and will also reflect the increased focus on Science Technology and Innovation as vehicles for addressing the new Sustainable Development Goals.
The strategic framework or strategic directions will also help guide the operationalization of recommendations 2&ndash 5.