The goal of Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs), introduced in early 2001 under World Bank Interim guidelines, was to help countries implement comprehensive, country-owned development strategies to promote growth, improve social conditions, and reduce poverty. PRSCs were intended to ease...

This evaluation, which covers the period fiscal 2002-08, finds that the Bank made progress in gender integration, compared with an earlier evaluation by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) on gender covering the period fiscal 1990-99. Gender integration into Bank support increased both in...

This year's annual review of development effectiveness (ARDE) is being written against the backdrop of a global financial crisis, declining growth, and massive fiscal stimulus efforts to revitalize markets. Demand for greater development support from the World Bank has grown, along with concerns...

In 1996, the World Bank committed itself to becoming a 'global knowledge bank,' using knowledge to improve the development effectiveness of its work. In fiscal 2008, the Bank reiterated its focus on knowledge and learning, naming it as one of its six strategic directions. This evaluation focuses...

This year's annual review of development effectiveness focuses on assessing the World Bank's development effectiveness, with special attention to global public goods. It notes some encouraging developments. Project performance has improved over the medium term; country programs have worked...

The purpose of this evaluation is threefold. First, it seeks to assess how, and how well, the World Bank Group has supported its public and private sector clients in their efforts to achieve greater environmental sustainability over the past 15 years. Second, it attempts to identify the...

This study assesses the development effectiveness of World Bank assistance in addressing constraints to agricultural development in Africa over the period of fiscal years 1991-2006. This Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) review of World Bank assistance to agriculture in Africa has a twofold...

The 2005 Annual Report on Operations Evaluation (AROE) focuses on the country because it is the main unit of account for monitoring, managing, and evaluating performance. It examines Country Assistance Strategies (CASs) for how well they link country goals, CAS outcomes, and Bank programming. It...

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) prepared this synthesis note as an input to the ongoing process surrounding the international agenda for Small States. Its purpose is to provide a perspective on some of the issues small states face through a review of World Bank experience with country and...

The 2006 Annual Report on Operations Evaluation (AROE) updates the actions taken since the 2004 and 2005 AROEs to strengthen the results focus in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). First, it analyzes the implications of managing for results on Bank operations. Second, it assesses the extent to...