The World Bank Group's success rests on its ability to help its client countries achieve the development outcomes they desire. This demands a strong outcome orientation at the country-level, defined as the Bank Group's ability to generate feedback on what works, what does not, and why, use this...

This first-of-its-kind evaluation assesses the scope of the World Bank Group's convening power and how effectively it is deployed. The report finds that the Bank Group's comparative advantages give it strong convening power that it uses on many development issues. In so doing, it meets the...

The evaluation examines the development effectiveness of the World Bank Group's support for trade facilitation and identifies lessons for future engagement. The World Bank Group has played a leading role in trade facilitation reform over the past 12 years, having identified lowering trade costs...

World Bank Group strategy continues to position SMEs as key vehicles to promote employment, value chain development, economic and social inclusion, and resilience in the face of fragility and conflict. This note synthesizes findings regarding SMEs and SME support from recent IEG evaluations,...

A large share of the world's population today has access to health services, but the health needs of a great segment of the global population remain unmet. In 2013, more than 400 million people worldwide were not receiving at least one of the seven essential health services identified as...

This evaluation is the first comprehensive assessment of World Bank Group's multisectoral engagement in pollution management with 534 projects and USD 34 billion commitment during FY04-17. It finds that the Bank Group has made significant progress in improving pollution management in client...

This evaluation assesses the World Bank Group's effectiveness in supporting improved access to adequate, reliable, and sustained water and sanitation services in client countries. It also examines how well the Bank Group is equipped to support the countries in moving toward sustained water and...

This evaluation assesses the World Bank Group's record on implementation of the shared prosperity goal since 2013 using the official definition of the goal of fostering income growth of the bottom 40 percent. It also analyzes institutional requirements for effective implementation of the goal,...

The World Bank Group's twin goals have redefined the rationale for engagement across all sectors. Although the World Bank Group has never had an explicit strategy for higher education, institutional- and regional-level strategies and knowledge work anchor the World Bank's engagement in...