For the World Bank and its partners, the ever-present test is to deliver results-to lift people out of poverty and promote socially and environmentally sustainable development. Achieving such success in any individual country is increasingly intertwined with making progress on shared global...

The effectiveness and efficiency of a country's public sector is vital to the success of development activities, including those the World Bank supports. Sound financial management, an efficient civil service and administrative policy, efficient and fair collection of taxes, and transparent...

In economic growth the largest differences between developed and developing economies are in innovation performances. Innovation is critical for growth, but it is increasingly important for addressing major development changes, such as those related to inclusion and sustainability. Recognizing...

The unanticipated spike in international food prices in 2007-08 hit many developing countries hard. International prices for food and other agricultural products increased by more than 100 percent between early 2007 and mid-2008. Prices for food cereals more than doubled; and those for rice...

This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the World Bank?s 2001 gender strategy and the results thereof. Covering the period fiscal 2002-08, the evaluation finds that the Bank made progress in gender integration compared with an earlier IEG evaluation on gender covering the period fiscal...

This study from the Independent Evaluation Group draws lessons for development and climate change mitigation from the World Bank Group's far-reaching portfolio of projects in energy, forestry, transport, coal power, and technology transfer. Reviewing what has worked, what hasn?t, and why, the...