How effectively has the World Bank Group assisted its clients in enhancing the contribution of the extractive industries to sustainable development? This evaluation finds that with its global mandate and experience, comprehensive country development focus, and overarching mission to fight poverty, the World Bank Group is well positioned to help countries overcome the policy, institutional, and technical challenges that prevent them from transforming resource endowments into sustainable benefits. Furthermore, the World Bank Group's achievements are many. On the whole, its extractive industries...

This evaluation, prepared in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank, looks at the effectiveness of World Bank assistance to Jordan during the 1990s, from three perspectives: an analysis of the World Bank's services and products, development impact, and the contribution of the Bank and its development partners to development outcomes. The World Bank's strategy since 1990, based on wide-ranging and influential analytic and advisory activities, was to support macroeconomic stabilization and pro-market structural reforms to foster growth. The increased focus on the social sectors was...

'Putting Social Development to Work for the Poor' finds that there is a strong positive association between including social development themes and project success. The Bank's social development resources are deployed in ways that are not optimally supportive of its social development goals, however. The study found that the Bank's mission and policy priorities related to social development receive uneven treatment across Regions, and gaps in skills and monitoring and evaluation lead to uneven treatment within countries. To improve development outcomes, the Bank needs to: 1. demonstrate the...

In the past quarter century, China has had one of the highest rates of sustained economic growth and poverty reduction in the world. But challenges of inequality and environmental degradation have emerged in the last decade or so, and the unfinished reform agenda poses fiscal, financial, and social risks. Because of its long-term involvement in China, the World Bank has had a substantial cumulative impact in many areas. This book evaluates the relevance and effectiveness of Bank assistance to China since the early 1990s. The author finds that the Bank has made important contributions to...