Addressing the Challenges of Globalization: An Independent Evaluation of the World Bank's Approach to Global Programs

Following on a phase 1 report completed in 2002 and a meta-evaluation in 2003, this report evaluates the World Bank's involvement in global programs using 26 case studies, including Global Water Partnership and Water and Sanitation Program. Given the rapid acceleration of Bank involvement in global and regional programs at this time, the report sought to derive lessons for the design and implementation of individual global programs and for the development of a broader strategic framework involving program selectivity, governance, management, financing and evaluation. Case studies were assessed for relevance, efficacy, efficiency, and bank performance

Food for All

This book is a historical review of international food and agriculture since the founding of the international organizations following the Second World War, including the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and into the 1970s, when CGIAR was established and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was created to recycle petrodollars. The book concurrently focuses on the structural transformation of developing countries in Asia and Africa, with some making great strides in small farmer development and in achieving structural transformation of their economies. Some have also achieved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2, but most have not. Not only are some countries, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, lagging behind, but they face new challenges of climate change, competition from emerging countries, population pressure, urbanization, environmental decay, dietary transition, and now pandemics. Lagging developing countries need huge investments in human capital, and physical and institutional infrastructure, to take advantage of rapid change in technologies, but the role of international assistance in financial transfers has diminished. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only set many poorer countries back but starkly revealed the weaknesses of past strategies. Transformative changes are needed in developing countries with international cooperation to achieve better outcomes. Will the change in US leadership bring new opportunities for multilateral cooperation

Shift to Healthy and Sustainable Consumption Patterns : A paper on Action Track 2

Action Track 2 works to catalyse a shift in consumer behaviour that will create and build demand for sustainably produced agriand ocean food products, strengthen shorter value chains, promote circular use of food resources, helping to reduce waste and improve nutrition, especially among the most vulnerable. This Action Track recognises that current food consumption patterns, often characterised by higher levels of food waste and a transition in diets towards higher energy, more resource-intensive foods, need to be transformed. Food systems in both developed and developing countries are changing rapidly. Increasingly characterized by a high degree of vertical integration, evolutions in food systems are being driven by new technologies that are changing production processes, distribution systems, marketing strategies, and the food products that people eat. These changes offer the opportunity for system-wide change in the way in which production interacts with the environment, giving greater attention to the ecosystem services offered by the food sector. However, developments in food systems also pose new challenges and controversies. Food system changes have responded to shifts in consumer preferences towards larger shares of more animal-sourced and processed foods in diets, raising concerns regarding the calorific and nutritional content of many food items. By increasing food availability, lowering prices and increasing quality standards, they have also induced greater food waste at the consumer end. In addition, the risk of fast transmission of food-borne disease, antimicrobial resistance and food-related health risks throughout the food chain has increased, and the ecological footprint of the global food system continues to grow in terms of energy, resource use, and impact on climate change. The negative consequences of food systems from a nutritional, environmental and livelihood perspective are increasingly being recognized by consumers in some regions. With growing consumer awareness, driven by concerns about the environmental and health impacts of investments and current supply chain technologies and practices, and by a desire among new generations of city dwellers to reconnect with their rural heritage and to use their own behaviour to drive positive change, opportunities exist to define and establish added-value products that are capable of internalising social or environmental delivery within their price. These forces can be used to fundamentally reshape food systems by stimulating coordinated government action in changing the regulatory environment that in turn incentivises improved private sector investment decisions. Achieving healthy diets from sustainable food systems is complex and requires a multi-pronged approach. Actions necessary include awareness-raising, behaviour change interventions in food environments, food education, strengthened urban-rural linkages, improved product design, investments in food system innovations, public private partnerships, public procurement, and separate collection enabling alternative uses of food waste can all contribute to this transition. Local and national policymakers and small and large scale private sector actors have a key role in both responding to and shaping the market opportunities created by changing consumer demands

Food for All

This book is a historical review of international food and agriculture since the founding of the international organizations following the Second World War, including the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and into the 1970s, when CGIAR was established and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was created to recycle petrodollars. The book concurrently focuses on the structural transformation of developing countries in Asia and Africa, with some making great strides in small farmer development and in achieving structural transformation of their economies. Some have also achieved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2, but most have not. Not only are some countries, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, lagging behind, but they face new challenges of climate change, competition from emerging countries, population pressure, urbanization, environmental decay, dietary transition, and now pandemics. Lagging developing countries need huge investments in human capital, and physical and institutional infrastructure, to take advantage of rapid change in technologies, but the role of international assistance in financial transfers has diminished. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only set many poorer countries back but starkly revealed the weaknesses of past strategies. Transformative changes are needed in developing countries with international cooperation to achieve better outcomes. Will the change in US leadership bring new opportunities for multilateral cooperation

Devising effective strategies and policies for CSA: insights from a panel of global policy experts

In this section, we present the results of a consultation with a panel of leading thinkers on agricultural and climate change policy. We interviewed these experts using a set of questions based on the main findings, conclusions, insights and questions that emerged from our set of case studies and conceptual papers. This section is divided into four parts, each focusing on a set of questions relating to the conclusions that emerged from the case study and conceptual chapters. (i) Focus on changes in production systems as adaptation: priorities and policy actions; (ii) Incorporating climate change into agricultural research and extension; (iii) Taking a close look at national policies affecting risk management: index insurance, safety nets and input subsidies and (iv) Priorities for the future and summary of main points. Overall, there is a fairly high level of agreement amongst the panel members in responding to most of the interview questions, although with some difference in emphasis or applications. However there are also some differences of opinion that emerge from their responses. In this chapter, we discuss the main points made on each of the issues addressed, highlighting the areas of agreement, as well as differences. (Résumé d'auteur

Determinants of Female Labor Force Participation in India

Attention to women’s economic participation is relatively new, although women constitute half the global population; with their increasing role in labor markets, they play an important role in the economies of developed countries. This paper focuses on the determinants of female labor force participation in India. Examining the structural transformation (ST) framework from agricultural to nonagricultural sectors, comparisons are made to other countries including, particularly, China. Although growing in recent years, women’s participation in India is shown to be low in the formal sector, lower than in neighboring Asian countries and developed countries. Six factors influencing female labor force participation in India are reviewed: (1) development strategy, including the extent of labor intensity and skills development; (2) demographic transition; (3) sociopolitical and cultural factors, including policies pursued in the process of modernization of traditional gender roles and religion; (4) insufficient investment in vocational education and training; (5) insufficient quantity and quality of childcare facilities; and (6) concern for women’s safety and their limited mobility. Some policy implications are highlighted