Social assessment (SA) provides a framework for incorporating participation and social analysis into the design and delivery of Bank-assisted operations. Since there are many social variables which potentially affect project impacts and success, SAs must be selective and strategic, and focus on...

This note, summarizing the analysis and recommendations of an upcoming CPR Working Paper of the same title, looks at issues related to financing modalities and aid management arrangements in post-conflict situations. It makes a number of recommendations based on a review of several recent case...

The need to support a Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA) was agreed by donors in December 2001, and supported by President Obasanjo. The central guiding principle was that the SCA process should be led by the national Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in the Presidency. Local...

Empowerment of the poor and social accountability have become core values of decentralization and democratization processes around the world, and are key to effective poverty reduction. Access to information and means to report and comment on issues of local interest are recognized as critical...

There is a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the role of civic engagement in development. Oftentimes, engagement is perceived as existing in the absence of a robust state. In addition, it is also often held that the presence of a strong state reduces the space for and scope of civic...

The Conflict Analysis Framework (CAF), developed by the CPR Unit, aims to integrate sensitivity to conflict in Bank assistance, and to help Bank teams consider factors affecting both conflict and poverty when formulating development strategies, policies, and programs. Conflict sensitive...

This note revisits the long-standing tension between qualitative and quantitative approaches to poverty analysis, with reference to social assessments and program evaluation. It presents a summary of recent work in St. Lucia and Colombia, where innovative efforts were made to integrate the...

The Province of Buenos Aires government's strategy for secondary school education aims to improve equity, quality, and effectiveness. To support these objectives, the provincial Ministry of Education proposed a new program, "Jornada Completa" or "Full Day Schedule" to be introduced in 200 pilot...

This note summarizes the key findings of a social assessment (SA) carried out in Caspian Sea communities in Azerbaijan. The SA was carried out within the framework of the government's National Environment Action Plan (NEAP). The Caspian Sea SA helped identify social assessment stakeholder...

Rural areas in Cote d'Ivoire account for 55 percent of the total population. Rural people rely heavily on export- and food-crop production as their primary source of livelihood. However, 71 percent of the rural population live below the poverty line. The government and the Bank agree that access...