World Bank Working Papers - Böcker

The World Bank has gained significant experience in supporting innovation systems projects. The Bank's role typically has been to facilitate and augment reform efforts through its experiences around the world, playing the role of an ""honest broker"" between the productive and science and technology sectors. This work has enhanced the effectiveness of the design and delivery of services and the sustainability of these activities. The Bank's involvement also ensures that institutional accountability is of high importance. Prudent market tests are applied to the various available interventions and fiscal discipline is imposed on institutions that are in the process of restructuring. Drawing on its experience, the Bank provides the long-term support, advice, and leverage needed during restructuring for institutions that seek to attain greater fiscal independence and to enhance the quality of their services and their contribution to the national economy. Innovation Systems concentrates its analysis on projects financed by the Bank during 1990-2003, together with some successful earlier examples, and reviews some 51 projects involving over USUSD4.2 billion in Bank support.

Describes how the timely use of two-way communication in large water infrastructure projects leads to improved project design and is key to identify and address problems that could result in project delays and incremental costs.

The past decade has witnessed a major global shift in thinking about water, including the role that water infrastructure plays in sustainable development. This rethinking aims to balance better the social, economic, and environmental performance aspects in the development and management of large dams. Infrastructure strategies must complement strategies for water, environment, and energy security and for emerging concerns to reduce vulnerability in water resource systems to climate change on the horizon. Communication is central to multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnerships at all levels needed to achieve sustainability and governance reform in water resource management and infrastructure provision. At the same time, communication drives the advocacy to mobilize political will and public support for beneficial change and continuous improvement in practices. This case study emphasizes that is not only important to mobilize all opportunities to reconcile water demand and supply in river basins that are coming under increasing levels of water stress, but also to integrate effectively governance and anti-corruption reforms and sustainability improvements into all stages of the planning and project cycle—adding value for stakeholders.