The Country Opinion Survey in Serbia assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Serbia perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Serbia on 1) their views regarding the general environment in Serbia; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Serbia; 3) overall impressions of the WBG's effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Serbia; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG's future role in Serbia.
The Country Opinion Survey in Gabon assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Gabon perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Gabon on 1) their views regarding the general environment in Gabon; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Gabon; 3) overall impressions of the WBG's effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Gabon; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG's future role in Gabon.
The report summarizes the findings of an allocative efficiency analysis of Myanmar's national HIV epidemic and response. At the request of the Government of Myanmar, the World Bank and UNAIDS led an analysis of the allocation of resources used in the HIV response, to consider whether a different allocation could prevent more HIV-related deaths and new infections. This analysis has contributed to the decision-making processes around policy, programmatic and resource needs to be defined in Myanmar's third National Strategic Plan (2016–2020; NSP III) and Myanmar's HIV Concept Note, which was submitted to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in June 2016. Myanmar has a concentrated HIV epidemic. The overall HIV prevalence among adults aged 15–49 years is estimated at 0.76 percent in 2015, but prevalence among certain subgroups (e.g., female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID)) is considerably higher. Myanmar's HIV response focuses on the key populations. The HIV-related programmes are mainly funded by international donors, and managed through government and non-governmental organizations and international development partners.
The first section identifies the overlaps between Kazakhstan's development objectives and the goals of IFC's new strategy of creating markets for the private sector. Kazakhstan's development objectives are to increase diversification, employment, and productivity. These are based on the government's 2030 Strategy and 2020 Plan, as well as World Bank Group (WBG) country assessments. Operationalizing the IFC 3.0 strategy requires identifying the markets with the greatest potential to help meet these objectives. The approach amounts to: (a) identifying those sectors with the greatest market potential which, if realized, would have the greatest impact on development objectives; (b) providing an assessment of what is preventing the realization of market potential; and (c) indicating the IFC and WB activities that should be the top priorities to help meet this double bottom-line of development impact and market creation. The assessment in the second section indicates that the sectors with the greatest unrealized development and market potential are food-grains, meat and poultry, and cross-Kazakhstan transport and logistics. The market potential assessment relies on quantitative tools (multiplier models, product space and competitiveness benchmarking), expert interviews and a survey of policy reports. The assessment in the second section indicates that the sectors with the greatest unrealized development and market potential are food-grains, meat and poultry, and cross-Kazakhstan transport and logistics. The market potential assessment relies on quantitative tools (multiplier models, product space and competitiveness benchmarking), expert interviews and a survey of policy reports. The last section summarizes the priority horizontal reforms, sector-specific policies, and promising sectors with the potential for expansion and greater firm entry. The first part of this section is intended to inform the high-level dialogue between WBG management and Kazakhstani authorities. The second part is essentially the sector-wide measures without which private sector investments will not be forthcoming, recognizing that the aim is to create markets and expand private sector development. The third part identifies promising areas where private sector actors could play a catalytic role, recognizing the ease of playing such roles differs by sector: it is greatest for grains, somewhat less for meat, and least for transport and logistics.
The objective of the Ghana Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) is to identify the main opportunities for the private sector that will have a strong development impact in Ghana and to highlight the key constraints (both cross-cutting and sector-specific) hampering private sector growth. The CPSD consists of a systematic assessment of all of Ghana's economic sectors along two dimensions: (a) desirability: how private investments in these sectors could help Ghana to address its development challenges; and (b) expected feasibility: how the constraints standing in the way could be removed. This sector scan led to identification seven priority sectors, of which, three were selected to conduct deep dive studies: namely agribusiness, ICT and education.Four main opportunities exist for the private sector to make a major contribution by creating markets in Ghana. First, the private sector can help to develop new high-value export markets, such as horticulture and ICT-enabled services, in which Ghana is already well positioned. Second, the private sector can leverage ICT to improve the performance of Ghana's most important sectors, including for improving government activities and services. Third, the private sector can help to promote efficiency and innovation in the key social sectors of education and health. Fourth, the private sector can play an important role in helping to address the main cross-cutting constraints, such as facilitating trade, providing competitive green energy, opening rural land markets, developing technical skills, and financing promising small and medium enterprises (SMEs).There are fewer opportunities for transformative private sector investments in the other sectors (mining, tourism, retail, construction, water and sanitation, and manufacturing).Ghana can seize these opportunities through a mix of public and private interventions:The government should pursue essential economic reforms to resolve the energy crisis by reforming the regulatory framework for electricity tariffs; facilitating trade, through customs reforms and the Ghana Community Network Systems;These reforms would pave the way for the private sector to invest in projects with a high development impact, including through large firms. Such opportunities already exist in Ghana in the three priority sectors of ICT, agribusiness and education that are reviewed in this report.The government should also consider supporting the entry of 'pioneer' investors, which are often in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI).Supporting promising SMEs will also be critical, especially during their acceleration phase.This could be achieved through a combination of public financing and capacity building, technical support adapted to the sector in which they operate, and risk-sharing and mezzanine finance facilities. Similar to the pioneer investors, such support should be provided in an inclusive, transparent and competitive manner. Examples of promising SMEs were found in all three deep-dive sectors.
Indonesia has experienced strong economic growth and steady poverty reduction over the past decade,but the end of the commodity boom, accompanied by slowing poverty reduction and rising inequality, has put pressure on the country's overall economic development. Indonesia's average annual growth rate was 5.6 percent in the period 2001-12, equivalent to a GDP per capita of about US 3,500 dollars. The national poverty rate was halved to 11.2 percent in the period from 1999 to 2015, largely through sustained growth and job creation. However, the decline in commodity prices and demand slowed growth to 4.8 percent in 2015 and 5.1 percent in 2016. The pace of poverty reduction also began to stagnate around this time, with a near zero decline in 2015, accompanied by rising inequality, from 30 points in 2000 to 41 points by 2014, as measured by the Gini coefficient.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institute focused on supporting the private sector in emerging economies. Through its work with more than 2,000 companies worldwide, IFC mobilizes capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities for developing countries. The objective of the IFC Central Asia Tax Project is to improve compliance with mandatory requirements of tax legislation through increased transparency and simplification of tax administration procedures. Simplification of tax accounting procedures will reduce costs of tax compliance, lessen the administrative burden on small and medium businesses, reduce barriers to entry into the formal economy, and serve as a driver for economic growth in the Kyrgyz Republic. The key element of reforms is an immediate assessment of their efficiency and possibility for adjustments based on assessment results. With this view, IFC, through its technical assistance tax reforms projects, has conducted a series of studies, which help monitor the tax system reforming processes in the Kyrgyz Republic. The main goal of the studies was a periodic assessment of time and costs to taxpayers in the Kyrgyz Republic in complying with the mandatory requirements of the tax legislation. Equitable intervals of measurements allowed an immediate assessment of the impact of implemented tax reforms on the cost of taxpayers to comply with tax legislation. In addition, actual data on the tax system status helped elaborate concise recommendations for the Government with the focus on elimination of identified issues and reduction of the tax administration costs to businesses. This report outlines the results of all three rounds of business environment surveys in the area of tax regulation; it includes the estimates of tax accounting costs of taxpayers in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2012, 2014, and 2016.
Major changes are occurring in the Indian economy that should inform public policy and investments in the food sector. The main drivers of changes occurring in the Indian economy include rising per capita incomes and urbanization. These patterns have led to increased demand for food and food services, including postharvest management activities, food retailing, and restaurants. Aggregate demand for food has increased, and consumption patterns are shifting toward fresh fruits and vegetables, processed foods, and ready-to-eat foods and meals. To meet the emerging demand, farmers need to respond by not only diversifying production toward foods with increasing demand but also with postharvest management. The objective of this report is to identify policy and investment priorities in agribusiness to stimulate inclusive growth and jobs. The study ultimately seeks to inform strategic dialogue between the government of India and the World Bank Group toward investments in postharvest management and other segments of agribusiness. The report provides building blocks to identify priorities for policy and investment. After a brief introduction (chapter 1), chapter 2 presents a framework to understand the role of agribusiness in development. Chapter 3 provides estimates of productivity and capital investment gaps in various subsectors of agribusiness and simulates the effects of bridging those gaps on macroeconomic indicators, sectoral growth, and jobs. Chapter 4 provides lessons on using agribusiness to improve nutrition. Chapter 5 provides lessons on promoting cold chain development. Chapter 6 provides lessons on promoting agroprocessing. Chapter 7 provides lessons on promoting inclusive value chains for modern food retailing. Finally, chapter 8 provides policy and investment priorities in agribusiness based on the main findings of the report.
The objective of the Diagnostic Review of Financial Consumer Protection in Ethiopia is to assess the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for financial consumer protection (FCP) and develop prioritized and tailored recommendations aimed at supporting the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) in developing and operationalizing improvements to that framework. The assessment is conducted under the Ethiopia Financial Inclusion Support Framework (FISF) Program, and based on the revised and enhanced 2017 Edition of the World Bank Good Practices for Financial Consumer Protection with focus on retail products and services in four sectors: i) banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs); ii) payments; and iii) insurance. Further, the review covers five topics in each of the above-mentioned sectors: i) legal, regulatory, and supervisory framework; ii) disclosure and sales practices; iii) fair treatment and business conduct; iv) data privacy; and v) dispute resolution mechanisms. The report reflects the existing legal, regulatory, and institutional framework in Ethiopia, with references to planned reforms that were presented to or discussed with the World Bank team. It also features industry practices identified through interviews with financial services providers, financial regulators, and consumer and industry associations.
InfoDev - innovation and entrepreneurship report green sectors, such as renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, are some of the most important economic sectors for meeting the targets agreed in the Paris climate accord, achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and realizing overall development gains in the coming decades. This study was initiated to shed light on the common challenges that have limited the scaling of green enterprises and the emergence of competitive green sectors in developing countries. It also aims to uncover and catalog emerging opportunities. Finally, the study offers key recommendations for donors, governments, development finance institutions (DFIs), and entrepreneurial supports organizations.
Sri Lanka ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003 and implemented some comprehensive tobacco control policies. From June 1, 2015, health warnings on cigarette packages in Sri Lanka have to cover 80 percent of the large sides. In 2005-2006, about 38.0 percent of men and less than 1 percent of women were current tobacco smokers in Sri Lanka. The prevalence smoking among men was about 40 percent in 2005-2006 and decreased to about 32 percent in 2009-2014. The volumes of cigarette production in Sri Lanka were fairly steady at the level of 5.2 billion sticks in the late 1990s, and then the production gradually decreased to about 4 billion cigarettes in 2013-2016. The government has the power to change excise tax rates several times a year. The taxation system used for cigarettes is 5-tier specific. In 2005-2015, excise rates for most tiers were increased by more than 300 percent; however, the inflation rate for those eleven years combined was 260 percent; so, real cigarette prices did not change much. In late 2014, the VAT liability on cigarettes was temporarily removed. For two years, excise was the only tax levied on cigarettes in Sri Lanka. While the excise rates were increased in 2014, the overall tax burden almost did not change. Such a shift between VAT and excise tax was the main factor of the excise revenue increase by 40 percent in 2015 as excise revenue mainly replaced VAT revenue. The largest changes in cigarette taxation in Sri Lanka took place in October-November 2016: (1) Excise rates were increased by 26-28 percent for two higher tiers, by 37-40 percent for two middle ties, and by 67 percent for the lowest tier; (2) The VAT rate was increased from 12 percent to 15 percent, and cigarettes were again made liable for VAT. However, after the increase in cigarette tax burden in late 2016, in the first four months of 2017, the excise revenue from cigarettes and tobacco products declined by 17 percent, and cigarette production decreased by 31 percent. The VAT-excise reverse shift was the main factor of excise revenue reduction in early 2017. The VAT revenue increased, and its increase was larger than the reduction in the excise revenue. Another factor of revenue decline in early 2017 was forestalling: tobacco industry overproduced cigarettes to pay taxes before tax increases. Another factor behind cigarette sales reduction in Sri Lanka was the pricing policy of the tobacco industry.
The housing deficit in Argentina is estimated to affect 6 million out of the 24 million households nationally. Macro-economic turmoil has contributed to this imbalance in two ways. First, the continuous inflation and currency depreciation made real estate a refuge investment protecting the capital value of investors. Second, rapid inflation acts a strong deterrent to the provision of long term finance and in particular mortgages. The government overhauled the public housing assistance policy by launching a 2016-2019 integrated housing and habitat plan (plan integral de vivienda y habitat). This plan aims to stimulate the production, or to provide one million housing solutions through two programs: a neighborhood improvement program targeting informal settlements, and a credit-linked subsidy program, solucion casa propria, through which up-front subsidies are granted to first time home buyers who contract mortgages, thus leveraging the impact of public intervention with bank credit. The broad prohibition of indexation has for a long time stunted the provision of long term, finance. To successfully grow the mortgage market, banks need funding and tools to manage interest rate and liquidity risks - that is, in the absence of significant derivative markets, funding from the capital market. The eventual development of a mortgage bond market based on housing loan portfolios, will help to increase the supply of stable long term funding instruments.
Canada is home to some of the world's most admired and successful public pension organizations. This was not always the case. As recently as the mid-1980s, many Canadian public pensions were invested largely or entirely in domestic government bonds, were funded primarily on a pay-as-you go basis, lacked independent governance, and were administered in an outdated and error-prone fashion. Over the past three decades, a Canadian model of public pension has emerged that combines independent governance, professional in-house investment management, scale, and extensive geographic and asset-class diversification. This report aims to document the emergence and evolution of this Canadian model, distilling practical lessons for stakeholders in emerging economies working to improve their pension arrangements and retirement systems. Although a growing body of literature exists on the Canadian model of pension organization, this report is unique in two respects: its emphasis on the evolutionary journey of Canadian pension organizations (as opposed to their current state) and its in-depth focus on Canadian pension funds that have received less attention than some of their peers.
The Country opinion survey for 2016 in Jordan assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Jordan perceive the WBG. The survey explored:(i) general issues facing Jordan; (ii) overall attitudes toward the World Bank Group; (iii) World Bank Group's effectiveness and results; (iv) The World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities; (v) working with the World Bank Group; (vi) the future role of the World Bank Group in Jordan; (vii) citizen voice: government accountability; (viii) citizen voice: service delivery; (ix) subsidy reform; (x) private sector; (xi) refugees; (xii) communication and information sharing; and (xiii) demographic information.
Suriname is a small economy driven by its abundant natural resources. As the commodity boom ended in recent years, however, the economy began to contract, reflecting Suriname's dependence on the extractives sector. The Government of Suriname redistributes revenue earned from gold, oil, and bauxite through significant public sector employment. This report seeks to inform the Government of Suriname about strategies to diversify the economy, with a focus on increasing private investment and removing constraints to competitiveness in agriculture and extractives. This report provides policy recommendations to guide the Government of Suriname in its efforts to create an enabling environment that facilitates new investment and increased competitiveness in agriculture and extractives. This report presents the findings of an agribusiness sector scan to identify subsectors with high potential for investment attraction. This report analyzes the enabling environment for the extractives sector to identify options to attract new investment while at the same time better governing the extractive industries to achieve more positive and sustainable benefits for the economy and people of Suriname.
