Putting Social Development to Work for the Poor: An OED Review of World Bank Activities (Operations Evaluation Studies) (Operations Evaluation Study)

This book 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 M & E lead to uneven treatment within countries. To improve development outcomes, the Bank needs to: 1) demonstrate the value of incorporating social development themes in its work to its own staff as well as its borrowers; 2) develop capacity to identify critically needed social knowledge and to facilitate its flow; 3) provide staff with consistent access to essential social information to build social development into project designs and ensure that social development concerns are addressed during implementation (this will likely involve making greater use of in-country capacity); 4) ensure that stated Bank or policy priorities receive adequate treatment across Regions and countries, and throughout the project cycle; and 5) identify, and promote integration within, thematic combinations that improve outcomes. Annotation. '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 value of incorporating social development themes in its work to its own staff as well as its borrowers; 2. develop capacity to identify critically needed social knowledge and to facilitate its flow; 3. provide staff with consistent access to essential social information to build social development into project designs and ensure that social development concerns are addressed during implementation (this will likely involve making greater use of in-country capacity); 4. ensure that stated Bank or policy priorities receive adequate treatment across Regions and countries, and throughout the project cycle; and 5. identify, and promote integration within, thematic combinations that improve outcomes

parker (task Manager Of The Operations Evaluation Department Of The World Bank) And Colleagues Use The Standard Methodology Of The Oed To Assess The World Bank's Activities Addressing The Role Of Social Assessment In Bank Lending Instruments And Country Assistance Strategies And Social Development Capacity Building. The Report Explores Whether The Bank's Social Development Agenda Has Attained Satisfactory Outcomes, Significant Institutional Development Impact, And Likely Sustainability. It Also Considers The Degree To Which Social Development Activities Build On Institutional Strengths Or Strain Institutional Capacity. All Together, The Report Consists Of A Literature Review, Analysis Of The Organization Of Social Development In Aid Agencies, Surveys Of Bank Staff, And A Meta-analysis Of Previous And Ongoing Studies. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or

Annotation The Latin American Development Forum promotes debate and disseminates knowledge and analysis on economic and social development issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Institutional Sponsors of this series are the World Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). The author of