Using Training to Build Capacity for Development : An Evaluation of the World Bank's Project-Based and WBI Training

To achieve the goals of sustainable growth and poverty reduction, developing countries need strong national institutions. To this end, the World Bank has devoted significant resources to building the capacity of institutions and organizations in client countries. The Bank helps countries build capacity through a variety of diverse but complementary means, including technical assistance, studies, equipment, and training. This evaluation addresses these questions and examines how training is used alongside other Bank support to achieve clients' capacity building objectives. The World Bank invests an estimated $720 million annually in support of client training. Over 90 percent is financed through investment projects, with the remainder provided through the World Bank Institute (WBI). This evaluation represents the first time that the World Bank's training investments have been examined to determine the impact of training on clients' capacity- building objectives and to obtain insights into the factors driving success or failure. It presents a rich set of ideas for improving the effectiveness of both WBI and project- financed training, with the aim of enhancing the impact of the Bank's capacity building investments.