| The
World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group Finds Progress
On Growth, But Stronger Actions Needed For Sustainable Poverty
Reduction
Dear Colleague,
The World Bank Independent Evaluation Group's
Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2006: Getting
Results finds that the vast majority of World Bank projects
were rated successful, signaling a positive trend. Yet,
successful project outcomes alone do not ensure country-wide
results aimed for in countries' development strategies.
To consistently achieve sustainable poverty
reduction, the countries, the World Bank and other development
partners need:
| • |
A stronger focus on the nature of growth
to ensure that the poor benefit from economic growth.
Economic growth in World Bank borrowing countries has
improved over the past five years. The World Bank has
helped many countries to get higher growth through improved
economic management and structural reforms. In 25 countries
evaluated by IEG, poverty reduction differed widely,
as a result of the striking variations in growth as
well as in income distribution, with small changes in
distribution contributing substantially to the impact
of growth on reducing poverty. To ensure that
economic growth consistently delivers strong poverty
reduction, growth strategies need to strengthen their
emphasis on improving job opportunities and living conditions
of the poor. |
| |
| • |
Greater attention to identifying and removing constraints
across sectors. There are striking complementarities
and potential linkages across sectors, be it education
and nutrition, health and the environment, or infrastructure
and finance, which can increase the impact of development
programs. Capitalizing on these potential synergies
requires finding effective ways of working across sectoral
boundaries. |
| |
| • |
A realistic assessment of the political economy of
reforms in the public sector. The World Bank rightly
emphasizes strengthening and cleaning up public sector
agencies, and has contributed to improvements in key
government processes like budgeting and accounting.
But the evaluation finds that anticorruption campaigns
and related reform programs have been less effective
when they have not taken enough account of the local
political circumstances. |
| |
To learn more about these and other major
findings of the report, please visit www.worldbank.org/ieg/arde2006?intcmp=5312787
where you can download the report and the executive summary
and request a hard copy.
Sincerely,
Vinod Thomas
Director-General Evaluation
Independent Evaluation Group
The World Bank |
