eBook

Poverty reduction support credits : an evaluation of World Bank support

World Bank

2010

Overview

This evaluation examines the relevance and effectiveness of Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs), introduced by the Bank in early 2001 to support comprehensive growth, improve social conditions, and reduce poverty in IDA countries. PRSCs were intended to allow greater country-ownership, provide more predictable annual support, exhibit more flexible conditionality, and strengthen budget processes in a results-based framework. By September 2009, the Bank had approved 99 PRSCs totaling some 7.5 billion and representing 38% percent of IDA policy based lending. The evaluation finds that in terms of process, PRSCs were effective in easing conditionality, increasing country ownership and aid predictability, stimulating dialogue between central and sectoral ministries, and improving donor harmonization. In terms of content, PRSCs succeeded in emphasizing public sector management and pro-poor service delivery. Yet in terms of results, it is difficult to distinguish growth and poverty outcomes in countries with PRSCs from other better performing IDA countries. There is scope for further simplifying the language of conditionality and underpinning PRSCs with better pro-poor growth diagnostics. PRSCs can also strengthen their results frameworks and limit sector policy content in multi-sector DPLs to high-level or cross-cutting issues. Today, Bank policy has subsumed PRSCs under the broader mantle of Development Policy Lending and the rationale for a separate ‘brand name’ although differences linger from the past. Since PRSCs and other policy-based lending have gradually converged in design, remaining differences compared to other Development Policy Loans should be clearly spelled out, or the separate PRSC brand name should be phased out.

• Publisher: World Bank,World Bank Publications,The World Bank,Washington, DC: World Bank
• Subject: ACCOUNTABILITY / ACCOUNTING / ADJUSTMENT LENDING / ADJUSTMENT LOANS / ADJUSTMENT OPERATIONS / AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK / AID COORDINATION / ANNEXES / Armut / Armutsbekämpfung / BALANCE OF PAYMENTS / BANK LENDING / BANK LOANS / BANK POLICY / BENCHMARKS / CAPACITY BUILDING / CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS / CAS / CASS / CIVIL SOCIETY / COMPLAINTS / COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT / COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK / CORRUPTION / COUNTRY ASSISTANCE / COUNTRY ASSISTANCE STRATEGIES / COUNTRY ASSISTANCE STRATEGY / COUNTRY CASE STUDIES / COUNTRY DEBT / COUNTRY PROGRAM / CREDIBILITY / Credit / CREDITS / DEBT / DEBT MANAGEMENT / DEBT RELIEF / Developing countries / DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE / DEVELOPMENT BANK / DEVELOPMENT POLICY / DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES / DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY / DISBURSEMENT / DISBURSEMENTS / DOMESTIC DEBT / DONOR AGENCIES / Economic aid / Economic assistance / Economic assistance -- Developing countries / Economic assistance -- Developing countries -- Evaluation / ECONOMIC GROWTH / EMPLOYMENT / ENABLING ENVIRONMENT / Entwicklungsländer / Evaluation / EXPENDITURE / FINANCIAL CRISIS / FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT / FUNGIBLE / GDP / GOVERNANCE ISSUES / GOVERNMENT BORROWING / GOVERNMENT BUDGET / GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES / GOVERNMENT POLICY / GOVERNMENT REFORM / GOVERNMENT SPENDING / GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT / HEAVILY INDEBTED POOR COUNTRIES / HIPC / HOST GOVERNMENTS / INCOME / INITIATIVE / INSTRUMENT / INTERNATIONAL BANK / INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT / INTERNATIONAL FINANCE / Internationaler Kredit / INVESTMENT CLIMATE / LABOR MARKET / LEADERSHIP / LEGAL AGREEMENTS / LENDERS / LENDING INSTRUMENT / LENDING PORTFOLIO / LOAN / LOAN AMOUNTS / MACROECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT / MISSIONS / MONETARY FUND / MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS / NATIONAL INCOME / OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE / POLITICAL ECONOMY / PORTFOLIO / Poverty / Poverty -- Developing countries / Poverty alleviation / PROCUREMENT / PROJECT PERFORMANCE / PUBLIC FINANCE / REGULATORY FRAMEWORK / RESERVES / RESOURCE ALLOCATION / RESOURCE MOBILIZATION / SECTOR PROJECTS / SECTORAL OBJECTIVES / SERVICE DELIVERY / SETTLEMENT / SOCIAL SERVICES / Social support / Socioeconomic development / Socioeconomic status / STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT / SUBSIDIARY / TRADE LIBERALIZATION / TRANCHE / TRANSACTION / TRANSACTION COSTS / TRANSPARENCY / WATER SUPPLY / World Bank
• ISBN: 0821383051, 9780821383056