The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) is The World Bank’s official open access repository for its research outputs and knowledge products.
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Total publications: 39,130
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Publication How the World Bank Supports Adaptive Social Protection in Crisis Response: An Independent Evaluation(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-30) World BankShocks and crises pose significant threats to human development, disproportionately affecting poor and vulnerable households. These shocks, whether natural disasters, economic crises, or political upheavals, often force households to resort to negative coping strategies, such as pulling children out of school, selling assets, or going hungry. To address these challenges, social protection responses need to be tailored to both immediate and long-term needs. This evaluation assesses the World Bank's support for Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) systems from 2012– 22, assessing their relevance and effectiveness in responding to shocks. During the evaluation period, the World Bank significantly contributed to the global understanding and financing of ASP systems. Its knowledge contributions were instrumental in shaping the ASP concept, while its lending has increased substantially, expanding across all regions with a focus on low-income and fragile countries. World Bank – supported social protection systems have responded to different types of shocks over the past decade. However, shock response often fell short in coverage, timeliness, and adequacy, especially for sudden-onset shocks. Key factors constraining systems’ ability to adequately address shocks include narrow data systems, lack of interoperability across systems, low political buy-in for cash transfers during shocks, and lack of financial resources. Fragmented institutional landscapes and internal World Bank silos also hindered the effective implementation of World Bank – supported ASP systems. The evaluation offers three recommendations to prepare social protection delivery systems for faster and more comprehensive coverage in response to shocks, and to measure shock response for corrective action. (i) Continue investing in system building and expanded coverage, focusing on program elements that serve both regular and shock-responsive functions. (ii) Strengthen coordination between client government SP and DRM agencies, improve partnership with humanitarian agencies, and enhance internal collaboration within the World Bank for shock response. (iii) Enhance the measurement of SP systems’ effectiveness in responding to shocks by setting performance targets, monitoring system performance with dynamic stress testing, and using the insights to guide future investments.Publication The World Bank Group in Georgia, 2014-23: Country Program Evaluation(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-30) World BankThis Country Program Evaluation assesses the performance and effectiveness of the World Bank Group’s support to Georgia in achieving the country’s development objectives. In the decade leading up to the evaluation period, Georgia pursued economic reforms to attract critical investments for becoming a regional trade and transport hub. Ambitious economic reforms went hand in hand with efforts to improve human development and strengthening social protection systems. Growing geopolitical tensions and internal political polarization have challenged Georgia’s reform progress in recent years. The Bank Group’s strategy adapted well to Georgia’s development needs and was well coordinated with other development partners. It successfully employed a range of instruments to help increase competitiveness, growth, and job creation, and effectively contributed to improved infrastructure and increased trade by using programmatic and innovative approaches. The Bank Group’s regular investments in analytical work and the switch to results-based programmatic support helped improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education and health care systems. The IEG offers the following lessons based on the evidence and analysis in the Country Program Evaluation: (i) Prioritizing Bank Group support around the move towards deeper regional integration was an effective anchor for key economic reforms for economic convergence. (ii) Pursuing a selective and adaptive approach in a country with high implementation capacity and institutions, strong coordination among development partners, and access to a wide range of external resources can allow the Bank Group to exercise significant influence in areas of comparative advantage and global expertise. (iii) A stronger focus on outcome-based programmatic approaches helped to build local capacity and crowd-in partner financing.Publication The International Finance Corporation’s Investments in the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector: Findings from Clustered Project Performance Assessment Reports(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-30) World BankThis clustered Project Performance Assessment Report (PPAR) chapeau report synthesizes evaluation findings from six International Finance Corporation (IFC) investment projects in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, specifically targeting generic prescription drugs and consumer health products across five countries in three regions. The projects were selected for PPAR through purposeful sampling in consultation with IFC’s Global Health team and regional industry departments. These projects were committed during FY 2017–18 and selected based in the achievement of early operating maturity. The clustered PPAR chapeau report addresses the following topics: (i) The efficacy of IFC’s investments in improving the accessibility, quality, and affordability of critical pharmaceuticals and life sciences products. (ii) Management of environmental and social (E&S) risks in these projects and their effect on environmental and social sustainability. (iii) Key internal and external factors that enabled or constrained IFC’s effectiveness in the projects. (iv) IFC’s additionality (that is, the benefit or value addition that IFC brings that a client would not otherwise have; additionality can be financial or nonfinancial) in projects beyond financing (for example, knowledge transfer, advisory services, World Bank Group collaboration, and E&S sustainability). (v) Lessons learned and their implications, which can be applied across the pharma value chain, particularly in developing markets, to resolve supply-side constraints.Publication Evaluation Insight Note: Lessons for Supporting Fertility Transitions in High-Fertility Countries(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-30) World BankSupporting countries in their fertility transitions can entail different entry points, such as improving access to reproductive health services, raising awareness and knowledge of family planning, promoting female education and life skills, expanding women’s economic opportunities, and addressing social and cultural norms. The World Bank’s strategies highlight the critical intersection among reproductive health, gender equality, and human capital formation over the past two decades. This Evaluation Insight Note (EIN) synthesizes existing evidence from evaluations and systematic reviews on effective strategies to support high-fertility transitions, drawing lessons to guide future initiatives.Publication Developing a National Marine Spatial Planning Framework for Thailand’s Sustainable and Resilient Blue Economy: Summary Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-29) World BankIn the Baseline Assessment conducted for this project (full assessment is provided in the supplementary report), Thailand’s progress in advancing marine and coastal resource management through an ecosystem-based approach is evident. Thailand’s growth includes the integration of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and implemention of pilot MSP projects. However, the development of a National MSP Framework is critical to addressing persistent challenges moving forward—including fragmented governance, overlapping jurisdictions between local and national institutions, and gaps in data management. A comprehensive framework would enable better alignment between sustainable economic growth and environmental protection.