World Bank Working Paper – serie

Higher Education Financing in the New EU Member States summarizes the experiences to date of the new EU countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - the EU8) in the reform of higher education systems in a period of growing demand; changing patters of access; rapid expansion and increased participation rates; and an apparent dilution of average quality. The study discusses the growing experience with a variety of financing mechanisms in EU8 countries, drawing on detailed country case studies, and seeks to develop some useful lessons from experience, mindful that each country will continue to develop its own solution based on national priorities.

This paper explores an area of tertiary education that is currently understudied-the extent and nature of differentiation and articulation in African tertiary education systems. The overall finding of the study is that a binary system is dominant, characterized by universities and polytechnics as distinct types of institutions. Differentiation is clearly evident in Africa, though mostly horizontal as opposed to vertical. Articulation, on the other hand, seems to be in its infancy, as some universities, in their admission requirements, do not recognize polytechnic qualifications, and mobility between similar institution types is rare. National policy, market forces, institutional reforms, industry, and regional initiatives drive differentiation. Resource constraints, isomorphism, governance and funding structures, and the absence of debate over size and shape act as inhibitors. Demand for access appears to be the only driver for articulation, while national policies, internal governance structures, and industry/labor market inhibit growth.

Ce rapport rend compte de l'etat et de la pratique de l'amelioration de l'assurance qualite (AQ) en Afrique subsaharienne avec un focus particulier sur les etablissements de troisieme cycle qui decernent des diplomes universitaires. L'un des resultats principal est que les processus structures nationaux d'assurance-qualite de l'enseignement superieur africain sont des phenomenes tres recents et que bon nombre de pays font face a des contraintes majeures de moyens. Un tiers seulement desdits pays sont dotes de mecanismes nationaux d'assurance-qualite etablis et structures, souvent aussi recemment qu'au cours de la toute derniere decennie. Les activites different dans leur ampleur et leur rigueur, partant de l'autorisation de creation des etablissements par le ministre en charge de l'enseignement superieur, jusqu'a un programme complet couvrant le systeme sur l'habilitation et l'evaluation des etablissements. Au sein des etablissements de l'enseignement superieur, l'autoevaluation et les controles academiques sont adoptes progressivement afin de completer les methodes classiques d'assurance qualite. Cependant, la connaissance et l'experience des autoevaluations sont limitees.Les principaux defis aux systemes d'assurance-qualite en Afrique resident dans les couts et les besoins en ressources humaines. Dans les pays ou l'enseignement superieur est repandu, le rapport recommande l'habilitation par etablissement qui serait moins couteuse que l'habilitation par programme. Cependant, dans les pays ou les systemes d'enseigmement superieur sont petits et peu developpes, une " autoevaluation " moins formelle pour chaque etablissement pourrait s'averer necessaire jusqu'a ce que leurs moyens soient renforces afin de soutenir un organisme national plus officiel d'assurance qualite a terme.

La presente etude examine les principaux defis auxquels Madagascar est confrontee et plaide en faveur d'une refonte immediate du systeme d'education post-fondamental. Ce rapport documente les resultats mediocres de l'education post-fondamental aux plans de la qualite et de la pertinence de l'enseignement, de l'efficacite interne du systeme, de l'equite et de l'inefficience financiere. Il recommande de proceder a une serie de reformes, qui s'enchaineraient suivant un ordre de priorite, afin d'ameliorer les contenus educatifs en tenant compte des liens avec l'economie; d'etendre la couverture educative d'une maniere efficace par rapport au cout grace a l'adoption de nouvelles normes de planification pour les institutions publiques; de recourir au secteur prive et a des formules novatrices privilegiant un apprentissage ouvert et souple; et d'instaurer un cadre porteur en mettant en oeuvre des mesures qui renforcent la gouvernance, la gestion financiere et l'administration du systeme.Le rapport propose un scenario de reforme specialement concu pour un pays a faible revenu, qui indique les mesures a prendre a moyen et a long termes pour soutenir la mise en place d'un systeme d'education post-fondamental dans un contexte caracterise par des ressources publiques et des capacites d'execution limitees. Les decideurs d'autres pays en developpement trouveront cette etude utile pour evaluer leurs propres strategies d'education post-fondamental.

The purpose of this book is to provide policy insights to decision-makers, academics and researchers on investment flows and patterns in Southeast Europe. The report explores some of the determinants of private investment, such as: the financing sources for investment, the contribution of FDI and the role of public investment. It finds that investment rates in SEE are substantially lower than among the EU-8 and the fast growing East Asian economies, which could explain partly the slower economic growth in SEE.

Large and growing subsidies to residential consumers in Mexico have become a major policy concern. This report explains the growth of subsidies, the current distribution of subsidies across income classes, and uses utility and household survey data to simulate how alternative subsidy mechanisms could improve distributional and fiscal performance. The goal is to help inform discussion in Mexico about how to reduce subsidies and redirect them toward the poor. The findings also offer lessons for other countries that are planning tariff reforms in their electricity sectors.

This paper describes the characteristics of public investment management (PIM) in seven EU countries as it applies to a single sector-transport infrastructure. The report highlights some of the common challenges that four relatively new EU member states-Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Latvia - face as they plan and execute their transport infrastructure projects. It recognizes the importance that EU - mandated processes and procedures have in shaping national systems in the new member states (NMS), but the report finds that actual practices often fall short of EU goals due to capacity constraints, weak institutional structures, and other factors. The experiences of the NMS are compared with those of more developed economies (namely Spain, the UK, and Ireland) to assess whether the later countries have faced similar challenges in managing public investment, and if so, what measures they have adopted to overcome them.

Rural energy's importance to the Bangladesh economy cannot be underestimated. The problems rural people face in obtaining safe, clean, and reliable energy supplies are not minor inconveniences. People are cooking with biomass fuels including large amounts of leaves and grass that expose them harmful indoor air pollution. They light with kerosene or sometimes candles which give off a dim light that hampers studying and reading in the evening. Finally, rural productivity suffers because of lack of access to modern energy. However, the picture also is not all bleak. This study underscores how improved access to rural energy services can created multiple benefits for rural life - from income and labor productivity to education and women's health. Recommended or enhancement of programs for improved stoves, rural electrification, renewable energy and greater access to commercial liquid fuels can significantly improve both the rural productivity and enhance the quality of life in rural Bangladesh.

The past two decades in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have been times of tremendous change, with countries undergoing rapid transformation from centrally-planned to market-oriented economies. While poverty increased during the initial years of transition, primarily on account of the sharp economic contraction, the resurgence of economic growth in the region since 1998 has resulted in a rebound in household incomes and living standards. ""Data from the 2006 Life in Transition Survey (LiTS)"" - a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank - provides a unique opportunity to investigate the extent to which citizens of ECA countries are satisfied with their lives and with the performances of their governments, and to study key factors influencing their outlook in a systematic way across all countries of the region. The main objective of the ""LiTS"" was to assess the impact of transition on people, covering four main themes. First, it collected personal information on aspects of material well-being, including household expenditures, possession of consumer goods such as a car or mobile phone, and access to local public services and utilities. Second, the survey included measures of satisfaction and attitudes towards economic and political reforms as well as public service delivery. Third, the ""LiTS"" captured individual histories - key events and episodes that may have influenced their attitudes towards reforms, and information on family background, employment, and coping strategies. Finally, the survey also attempted to capture the extent to which crime and corruption are affecting peoples' lives, and the extent to which individuals' trust in other people and in state institutions has changed over time.

People with disabilities in Sierra Leone are disadvantaged in regards to their access to social services and the economic opportunities available to them. Oftentimes, they are marginalized and their rights are ignored. The government of Sierra Leone is taking measures to improve the social and economic situation of people with disabilities in the country. The objective of this note on people with disabilities in Sierra Leone is to: provide a diagnosis on the scale and nature of the problem, analyze current public policies in support of people with disabilities, review public and private programs, and propose policy options to policy makers and development partners. It is meant for policy makers and practitioners in Sierra Leone as well as all those interested in the subject.

In this survey, we assemble recent theoretical and empirical advances in the literature on economic informality, analyzing the causes and costs of informality in developed and developing economies. In accordance with recent evidence, we discuss the nature and the roots of informal economic activity across countries distinguishing between informality as the result of 'exclusion' and 'exit'. We then provide an extensive review of recent international experience with policies aimed at reducing informality, in particular policies that: facilitate the formalization process, create a framework for the transition from informality to formality, lend support to newly created firms, reduce or eliminate inconsistencies across regulation and government agencies, increase information flows, and increase enforcement.

This study analyzes the current educational attainment and school enrollment status of youth, as well as the formal and informal post-secondary educational and training opportunities available to them. The study uses the results of a simulation model that incorporates enrollment in alternative education programs and considers alternative scenarios for developing the post-primary sector. Each scenario is evaluated for the impact on the human capital accumulation of young people and the sustainability of public expenditures. The report offers policy options for rapidly raising the educational attainment of young people who will be entering the labor force in the next two decades, including expanding opportunities for alternative education and training for out-of-school children, the extension of primary education, and the reorganization of secondary and technical/vocational training to reduce early specialization.

"What do we mean when we say participatory communication? What are the practical implications of working with participatory communication strategies in development and social change processes? What experiences exists in practice that documents that participatory communication adds value to a development project or programme?The aim of this user guide on participatory communication is to provide answers to some of these questions. Many communication practitioners and development workers face obstacles and challenges in their practical work. A participatory communication strategy offers a very specific perspective on how to articulate social processes, decision-making processes and any change process for that matter. Participatory approaches are nothing new. However, what is new is the proliferation of institutions, especially governmental but also non-governmental, that seek participatory approaches in their development initiative. This guide seeks to provide perspectives, tools and experiences regarding how to go about it with participatory communication strategies. It is conceived as a guide that hopefully can be of relevance and utility for development workers in the field.It is targeted at both at government and their officials, World Bank staff and at civil society."

Le Burundi cherche a realiser des progres en matiere de resultats de sante, notamment pour ses populations les plus pauvres, mais le Burundi doit avant tout surmonter ses faiblesses en matiere de gestion des depenses publiques et les inefficiences en matiere d'allocation des ressources dans le secteur de la sante. Etude sur le financement de la sante au Burundi analyse les depenses de sante et la gestion des depenses au Burundi afin d'appuyer les efforts faits par le gouvernement pour passer de l'urgence humanitaire au developpement durable du systeme de sante. Ce livre met l'accent sur l'analyse de l'efficience dans l'utilisation des fonds dans le secteur de la sante et presente une simulation des couts de la mise en oeuvre efficace de la politique du gouvernement visant a delivrer les services de sante gratuitement aux femmes au moment de l'accouchement et aux enfants. La conclusion de cette etude est que les ressources necessaires (personnel medical, equipement et consommables) pour la mise en oeuvre totale du programme ne sont pas encore en place et que le programme ne peut pas etre completement mis en oeuvre dans l'immediat.Toutefois, pour obtenir de meilleurs resultats de sante maternelle, des nouveau-nes et des enfants, il sera necessaire de mettre l'accent sur des actions de prevention et non uniquement sur les soins curatifs. Ce document de travail a ete prepare par le Programme: "Health Systems for Outcomes" de la Region Afrique, Banque mondiale. Le Programme, finance par les gouvernments de la Norvege et du Royaume Uni ainsi que par l'Alliance mondiale pour les Vaccins et l'immunisation (GAVI), vise a renforcer les systemes de sante en Afrique pour atteindre les populations pauvres et obtenir des resultats tangibles dans les domaines de la sante, de la nutrition et de la population. Les themes principaux du programme se situent autour des connaissances et renforcement des capacites dans le domaine des ressources humaines au service de la sante; ils se concentrent egalement sur le financement du systeme sanitaire, les produits pharmaceutiques, la gouvernance et la prestation de services ainsi que l'infrastructure et l'ICT. Vous trouverez des informations plus detaillees ainsi que les resultats et toute la documentation y afferents en visitant le site de la Banque mondiale: www.worldbank.org/hso.

Intended to help policymakers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, make appropriate use of multigrade teaching strategies, and to support these with the necessary policies in teacher training, curriculum, and school management.

Explores several technologies for moving money and identifies possible terrorist financing risks and measures taken to tackle them.

The report will provide a brief overview of major themes for women and ICTs, including issues for girls versus women; the ICT workforce; and opportunities versus the threat of ICTs for women's lives. The report will discuss as well the issue of women and Sciences and Technologies. Several policy recommendations will be drawn, amongst which *The economic opportunities women can bring to development through ICTs will not be realized unless policies for all mainstream efforts take gender considerations into account. *Policy makers should host forums that allow gender experts to debate the issues and arrive at a diversity of perspectives and recommendations that recognize the complexity of the issues and their impact on socio economic development. *Policy is needed to ensure that investment in ICTs contributes to more equitable and sustainable development for all.

Acting on Opportunity to Increase Financial Inclusion and Foster Development of a Transnational Economy describes the remittance regulatory and market environment, financial inclusion strategies by financial institutions, transnational economic activities, and the impacts of remittances on the Honduran economy.

Telecommunications sector policy-makers and regulators have a wide range of instruments available to them that can be used to increase access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. The paper provides a review of these instruments, evaluating them against a set of criteria. It then goes on to identify a number of them that are worthy of further consideration by policy-makers and regulators while demonstrating that the effectiveness of the identified instruments can be greatly enhanced by the establishment of a conducive legal, regulatory and institutional framework. The paper concludes by confirming that while no single instrument taken in isolation can provide a full solution to universal access, a mix of the measures identified can be devised to achieve specific policy objectives in a particular country environment.

'Petroleum Exploration and Production Rights: Allocation Strategies and Design Issues' is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. Many governments rely on oil companies to efficiently exploit natural resources. Governments have the challenging task of deciding which companies should be awarded exclusive rights to explore, develop, and produce their petroleum resources, and on what conditions such rights should be awarded. This paper analyses the available evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of various systems used by petroleum-producing countries to allocate petroleum exploration, development, and production rights, and considers the policy implications of each system. The experience of six petroleum-producing countries is presented in detail, and numerous other examples are provided to derive lessons of wider applicability. The paper presents various conclusions for policy makers about the optimal design of allocation systems.

A Country Status Report (CSR) is a detailed analytical document of the education sector drawn up by national teams, the results of which are validated by the Government. The main purpose of the CSR is to enable decision-makers to orient their national policy on the basis of a factual diagnosis of the overall education sector and to provide relevant analytical information for the dialogue between the Government and Development Partners. This is the second CSR for Malawi: the first one was drawn up in 2003. The 2008/09 CSR was developed between November 2007 and February 2009 by a multi-ministerial national team with the support of the World Bank and UNESCO-BREDA (PAi??le de Dakar). It is an updated and enhanced version of the first CSR, and includes eight chapters (including a full chapter on TEVET and a full chapter on higher education). It provides key monitoring/evaluation input on the education sector overall, particularly in the framework of the implementation of the National Education Sector Plan (NESP) and the future endorsement of Malawi to the Education For All Fast Track Initiative.Analysis figuring in the CSR was made possible by using data and information from multiple Sources, and more particularly school administrative surveys of the Ministry of Education, household surveys from NSO and the tracer survey (annex 9 of this report) done especially for the purpose of the CSR with the support of GtZ and the World Bank. The preparation of this report was mainly funded by the EFA-FTI Education Program Development Fund (EPDF).

The Southeast Europe (SEE) region comprises a group of countries with a common objective, and prospect, to become members of the European Union (EU). To achieve the goal of EU membership, these countries have pursued closer integration with the EU as well as with each other. In December 2006, the SEE countries, and Moldova, signed the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), a comprehensive free trade agreement that aims to fully liberalize trade in the region as well as to achieve greater cooperation in a number of trade-related areas. This book is part of the World Bank s efforts to understand the impact of CEFTA on regional trade flows, as well as to put forward other, complementary, ideas that could enhance further regional trade integration. The first study looks at intra-regional trade flows and the remaining non-tariff barriers to trade in the region. The second study assesses the costs and benefits of allow free movement of skilled labor within the region, and the last study looks at how adopting the EU s Common External Tariff could prevent trade diversion.Intra-regional trade has increased rapidly in recent years, however, the content of trade flows do not signal significant trade integration, similar to what the countries of Central and Eastern Europe achieved in the past decade. Following the tariff liberalization, non-tariff barriers have become the main obstacles for trade. Enhanced regional trade integration should not be confined only to free movement of goods. Increased labor mobility could also have trade creation effects and help create a more integrated regional market. Finally, tariff structures in many countries of the region allow some scope for trade diversion in favor of EU and CEFTA countries at the expense of the rest of the world. Such trade diversion could be reduced by adopting EU s Common External Tariff structure.

'Fiscal Space for Health in Uganda' is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. This paper reviews the performance of the health sector in Uganda. It addresses concerns in the Ugandan health community that health financing must be increased to improve health, nutrition, and population outcomes, especially given the rapid increase in the country's population. Although international development aid targeted to health has increased dramatically, Uganda's first priority is actions to reduce waste and inefficiency in existing health expenditures. Such actions could include improved management of human resources in the health sector, strengthened procurement and logistics management for medicines and medical supplies, and better programming of development assistance of health. This paper is targeted to health policy makers and those involved in health services financing, both in the government and in donor agencies.

Policy makers recognise that developing capacity for knowledge and technology driven growth is necessary for Swaziland to integrate into the global economy and to be competitive; in particular because Swaziland is not rich in exploitable natural resources. The Education Training and Skills Development Sector (ETSDS), the educational sector of Swaziland's long-term development and reform program, covers all levels of education, from early childhood to post-secondary education. This paper evaluates the adequacy of the ETSDS in light of the enhanced educational goal for the country. Acknowledging that financing reforms will be a challenge, this paper makes recommendations to enhance the program's effectiveness, such as expanding access, strengthening delivery modes, and minimising financial barriers to education and training.

Relying on unique survey data, this paper analyzes the career preferences of future health workers in Rwanda, focusing on their sector preferences, their willingness to work in rural areas, their likelihood to migrate abroad, and their readiness to work in a high HIV prevalence environment. The findings show that health workers are not as uniform as is often thought, and can have very different preferences regarding wages, intrinsic motivation, and attitudes toward risk. But there are commonalities among future health workers, and the results highlight the importance of intrinsic motivation. To improve health policies, many governments have identified human resources in the health field as a policy priority. To improve policies, this paper provides evidence on health workers' choices and behavior, and it will be a valuable resource for government officials to design effective human resource policies. This working paper was produced as part of the World Bank's Africa Region Health Systems for Outcomes (HSO) Program.The Program, funded by the World Bank, the Government of Norway, the Government of the United Kingdom, and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), focuses on strengthening health systems in Africa to reach the poor and achieve tangible results related to Health, Nutrition, and Population. The main pillars and focus of the program center on knowledge and capacity building related to Human Resources for Health, Health Financing, Pharmaceuticals, Governance and Service Delivery, and Infrastructure and ICT.

Reforms are imperative for the huge and complex technical education system in India. A recent Learning Forum brought together senior policy makers and institutional leaders that elaborated a nine-point agenda to achieve good governance, a key to successful reforms in this area. The forum agenda and this paper build upon studies summarizing generic trade-offs, challenges, and experiences, from five Indian state governments, and global failures and successes, to balance demands for greater institutional autonomy with the government's need to direct strategic economic development and enhance participation in higher education

Presents unique evidence on health workers' career choices in Ethiopia. It shows that challenges like health workers' limited willingness to work in a rural area, as well as their likelihood to migrate abroad, vary substantially and are correlated with rural background, motivation, and job satisfaction.