Cities now host half the world's population and provide 70 percent of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Managing them well is vital for development. The Bank has assisted nearly 3,000 municipalities worldwide over the past decade. This Bank assistance has helped strengthen the planning,...

The World Bank's current gender policy resulted directly from the 2001 gender strategy endorsed by the board. This evaluation which covers the period fiscal 2002-08, finds that the Bank made progress in gender integration compared with an earlier Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluation on...

Bangladesh is among the World Bank's largest International Development Association (IDA) eligible borrowers, with a country portfolio of 21 active projects and net commitment of $1.9 billion as of FY08. The Bank's strategy has been to support government efforts to improve governance as a...

The independent evaluation of International Finance Corporation's (IFC's) development results 2009 assesses the development outcomes and additionality (unique role and contribution) of IFC interventions. It analyzes factors driving results, and reviews performance patterns on a thematic topic....

Reducing poverty in any individual country is increasingly intertwined with making progress on shared global challenges fostering global public goods (GPGs) such as climate protection and communicable disease control. This year's Annual Review of Development Effectiveness (ARDE) tracks Bank...