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TRANSCRIPT
The World Bank and
DPLs
What Middle Income Countries
Want
Vince McElhinny
Bank Information Center
February 2011
The Bank Information
Center partners with civil
society in developing and
transition countries to
influence the World Bank
and other international
financial institutions to
promote social and
economic justice and
ecological sustainability
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
I Introduction 5
A World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending 7
B Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860 12
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies 13
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational
Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review 19
A Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount 21
B Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL
prior actions and triggers are chosen 22
C DPLs and Accountability 23
D DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement 24
E DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning
horizons 27
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance 29
V Conclusions 34
Bibliography 36
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil 38
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility
and Repayment Terms 41
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year 43
List of Figures
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank 8
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio (1999-2010) 14
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
(own estimates from WBG operations data) 15
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability 16
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Safeguard Applicability Total 16
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group
by 2030 17
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-Graduation Scenario 18
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry
(Figure 1 in World Bank report) 33
List of Tables
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report) 3
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
3
Executive Summary
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations (DPLs) have emerged as a preferred financial
instrument for a growing number of World Bank clients including many in Latin America In
FY10 the World Bank approved $26 billion in DPLs representing 52 of IBRD funding
Despite the popularity of DPLs and innovative use in new areas such as promoting reforms in
environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and accountability
Trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a third of
the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive or accountable
instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and a survival mechanism for the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There
are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments
However as experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize
DPL potential This brief lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this
experimentation with environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is overdue1 Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly in
terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual DPL retrospectives produced by management
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank efforts to build environmental governance should provide
a further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
1 See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
4
social and environmental risk analysis and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy
guidance that merit revision and could guide a full DPL evaluation
The second forthcoming BIC Info brief examines the SEM DPL in Brazil as an emblematic
example of the observed portfolio and policy shifts from the country and institutional
perspective We present an update of the execution of the SEM DPL and outline several issues
that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the medium term
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McElhinny
5
I Introduction
For years the World Bank was the target of criticism in Brazil and much of Latin America for
pushing structural adjustment policies that were conditioned on controversial policies of
privatization market liberalization reduced capital market controls The World Bank also took
its knocks in Brazil for backing disastrous Amazon development projects such as Polonoreste
and Planfloro2 At a time when the Bankrsquos financial influence in Brazil was inflated by
macroeconomic volatility much of the criticism directed at the Bank resulted from the poor
quality of project design and the lack of accountability for processes that harmed people
Now the role of the World Bank in Brazil has changed significantly Not only has the Bank
withdrawn completely from the business of lending conditioned on neoliberal reforms the
current country strategy which ends in 2011 directed about $4 billion per year to Brazil almost
entirely to state and local governments Brazilrsquos borrowing from the World Bank in general is
now a secondary concern with increasing reliance on domestic finance from BNDES (nearly
$US 100 billion in new approvals from June 2009 - May 2010) and foreign direct investment
Brazil remains an active client for the knowledge services that come with doing business with
the World Bank Increasingly however that knowledge is less about what the Bank can teach
Brazil and more about what the Bank can convey from Brazilrsquos experience to other borrowing
countries Like a number of the Bankrsquos largest Part II member countries Brazil has become an
advocate of the World Bank as a multilateral clearinghouse for strategic intelligence about its
competitors in relevant global fora such as the G-20 global climate negotiations and trade
In fact any borrowing from the World Bank is viewed by Brazil more as an economic and
knowledge benefit to the Bank in terms of generating most of the operating revenue from loan
fees (52 of IBRD lending and service fees come from 6 countries) and learning from Brazil
that can then be transferred to other countries The World Bank touts Brazilrsquos leadership in
ldquotackling second-generation development challengesrdquo and innovation in the areas of cash
transfer programs ensuring sub-national fiscal discipline biofuels leadership on global climate
change and the fight against infectious diseases as examples of this knowledge generation3 In a
2008 memo that outlined the many knowledge and financial contributions that the World Bank
derives from its partnership with Brazil the Brazilian executive director cast the relationship as a
de facto Part I donor country
To be sure the role of the World Bank in the governance of Brazil is significantly less
important than the role of Brazil in the governance of World Bank As an active leader in
the G-20 and a coalition of 11 borrowing country chairs on the World Bank Board of Executive
Directors Brazilrsquos influence is one of the primary motivating factors behind many of the
ongoing policy reforms (operational efficiency energy trade environment and safeguard
operational policies)
2 For an overview of Polonoreste and Planfloro see Margaret Keck ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of
Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and
Grassroots Movements MIT Press and David Hunter ldquoThe Planfloro claimrdquo httpwwwcielorgIfiplanaflhtml 3 World Bank Country Partnership Strategy Progress Report No 53356-BR March 11 2010 Brazil Economic
Team Quarterly Knowledge Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
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McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
I Introduction 5
A World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending 7
B Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860 12
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies 13
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational
Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review 19
A Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount 21
B Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL
prior actions and triggers are chosen 22
C DPLs and Accountability 23
D DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement 24
E DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning
horizons 27
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance 29
V Conclusions 34
Bibliography 36
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil 38
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility
and Repayment Terms 41
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year 43
List of Figures
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank 8
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio (1999-2010) 14
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
(own estimates from WBG operations data) 15
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability 16
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Safeguard Applicability Total 16
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group
by 2030 17
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-Graduation Scenario 18
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry
(Figure 1 in World Bank report) 33
List of Tables
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report) 3
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
3
Executive Summary
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations (DPLs) have emerged as a preferred financial
instrument for a growing number of World Bank clients including many in Latin America In
FY10 the World Bank approved $26 billion in DPLs representing 52 of IBRD funding
Despite the popularity of DPLs and innovative use in new areas such as promoting reforms in
environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and accountability
Trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a third of
the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive or accountable
instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and a survival mechanism for the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There
are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments
However as experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize
DPL potential This brief lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this
experimentation with environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is overdue1 Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly in
terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual DPL retrospectives produced by management
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank efforts to build environmental governance should provide
a further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
1 See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
4
social and environmental risk analysis and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy
guidance that merit revision and could guide a full DPL evaluation
The second forthcoming BIC Info brief examines the SEM DPL in Brazil as an emblematic
example of the observed portfolio and policy shifts from the country and institutional
perspective We present an update of the execution of the SEM DPL and outline several issues
that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the medium term
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
5
I Introduction
For years the World Bank was the target of criticism in Brazil and much of Latin America for
pushing structural adjustment policies that were conditioned on controversial policies of
privatization market liberalization reduced capital market controls The World Bank also took
its knocks in Brazil for backing disastrous Amazon development projects such as Polonoreste
and Planfloro2 At a time when the Bankrsquos financial influence in Brazil was inflated by
macroeconomic volatility much of the criticism directed at the Bank resulted from the poor
quality of project design and the lack of accountability for processes that harmed people
Now the role of the World Bank in Brazil has changed significantly Not only has the Bank
withdrawn completely from the business of lending conditioned on neoliberal reforms the
current country strategy which ends in 2011 directed about $4 billion per year to Brazil almost
entirely to state and local governments Brazilrsquos borrowing from the World Bank in general is
now a secondary concern with increasing reliance on domestic finance from BNDES (nearly
$US 100 billion in new approvals from June 2009 - May 2010) and foreign direct investment
Brazil remains an active client for the knowledge services that come with doing business with
the World Bank Increasingly however that knowledge is less about what the Bank can teach
Brazil and more about what the Bank can convey from Brazilrsquos experience to other borrowing
countries Like a number of the Bankrsquos largest Part II member countries Brazil has become an
advocate of the World Bank as a multilateral clearinghouse for strategic intelligence about its
competitors in relevant global fora such as the G-20 global climate negotiations and trade
In fact any borrowing from the World Bank is viewed by Brazil more as an economic and
knowledge benefit to the Bank in terms of generating most of the operating revenue from loan
fees (52 of IBRD lending and service fees come from 6 countries) and learning from Brazil
that can then be transferred to other countries The World Bank touts Brazilrsquos leadership in
ldquotackling second-generation development challengesrdquo and innovation in the areas of cash
transfer programs ensuring sub-national fiscal discipline biofuels leadership on global climate
change and the fight against infectious diseases as examples of this knowledge generation3 In a
2008 memo that outlined the many knowledge and financial contributions that the World Bank
derives from its partnership with Brazil the Brazilian executive director cast the relationship as a
de facto Part I donor country
To be sure the role of the World Bank in the governance of Brazil is significantly less
important than the role of Brazil in the governance of World Bank As an active leader in
the G-20 and a coalition of 11 borrowing country chairs on the World Bank Board of Executive
Directors Brazilrsquos influence is one of the primary motivating factors behind many of the
ongoing policy reforms (operational efficiency energy trade environment and safeguard
operational policies)
2 For an overview of Polonoreste and Planfloro see Margaret Keck ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of
Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and
Grassroots Movements MIT Press and David Hunter ldquoThe Planfloro claimrdquo httpwwwcielorgIfiplanaflhtml 3 World Bank Country Partnership Strategy Progress Report No 53356-BR March 11 2010 Brazil Economic
Team Quarterly Knowledge Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
3
Executive Summary
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations (DPLs) have emerged as a preferred financial
instrument for a growing number of World Bank clients including many in Latin America In
FY10 the World Bank approved $26 billion in DPLs representing 52 of IBRD funding
Despite the popularity of DPLs and innovative use in new areas such as promoting reforms in
environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and accountability
Trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a third of
the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive or accountable
instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and a survival mechanism for the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There
are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments
However as experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize
DPL potential This brief lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this
experimentation with environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is overdue1 Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly in
terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual DPL retrospectives produced by management
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank efforts to build environmental governance should provide
a further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
1 See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
4
social and environmental risk analysis and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy
guidance that merit revision and could guide a full DPL evaluation
The second forthcoming BIC Info brief examines the SEM DPL in Brazil as an emblematic
example of the observed portfolio and policy shifts from the country and institutional
perspective We present an update of the execution of the SEM DPL and outline several issues
that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the medium term
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
5
I Introduction
For years the World Bank was the target of criticism in Brazil and much of Latin America for
pushing structural adjustment policies that were conditioned on controversial policies of
privatization market liberalization reduced capital market controls The World Bank also took
its knocks in Brazil for backing disastrous Amazon development projects such as Polonoreste
and Planfloro2 At a time when the Bankrsquos financial influence in Brazil was inflated by
macroeconomic volatility much of the criticism directed at the Bank resulted from the poor
quality of project design and the lack of accountability for processes that harmed people
Now the role of the World Bank in Brazil has changed significantly Not only has the Bank
withdrawn completely from the business of lending conditioned on neoliberal reforms the
current country strategy which ends in 2011 directed about $4 billion per year to Brazil almost
entirely to state and local governments Brazilrsquos borrowing from the World Bank in general is
now a secondary concern with increasing reliance on domestic finance from BNDES (nearly
$US 100 billion in new approvals from June 2009 - May 2010) and foreign direct investment
Brazil remains an active client for the knowledge services that come with doing business with
the World Bank Increasingly however that knowledge is less about what the Bank can teach
Brazil and more about what the Bank can convey from Brazilrsquos experience to other borrowing
countries Like a number of the Bankrsquos largest Part II member countries Brazil has become an
advocate of the World Bank as a multilateral clearinghouse for strategic intelligence about its
competitors in relevant global fora such as the G-20 global climate negotiations and trade
In fact any borrowing from the World Bank is viewed by Brazil more as an economic and
knowledge benefit to the Bank in terms of generating most of the operating revenue from loan
fees (52 of IBRD lending and service fees come from 6 countries) and learning from Brazil
that can then be transferred to other countries The World Bank touts Brazilrsquos leadership in
ldquotackling second-generation development challengesrdquo and innovation in the areas of cash
transfer programs ensuring sub-national fiscal discipline biofuels leadership on global climate
change and the fight against infectious diseases as examples of this knowledge generation3 In a
2008 memo that outlined the many knowledge and financial contributions that the World Bank
derives from its partnership with Brazil the Brazilian executive director cast the relationship as a
de facto Part I donor country
To be sure the role of the World Bank in the governance of Brazil is significantly less
important than the role of Brazil in the governance of World Bank As an active leader in
the G-20 and a coalition of 11 borrowing country chairs on the World Bank Board of Executive
Directors Brazilrsquos influence is one of the primary motivating factors behind many of the
ongoing policy reforms (operational efficiency energy trade environment and safeguard
operational policies)
2 For an overview of Polonoreste and Planfloro see Margaret Keck ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of
Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and
Grassroots Movements MIT Press and David Hunter ldquoThe Planfloro claimrdquo httpwwwcielorgIfiplanaflhtml 3 World Bank Country Partnership Strategy Progress Report No 53356-BR March 11 2010 Brazil Economic
Team Quarterly Knowledge Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
4
social and environmental risk analysis and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy
guidance that merit revision and could guide a full DPL evaluation
The second forthcoming BIC Info brief examines the SEM DPL in Brazil as an emblematic
example of the observed portfolio and policy shifts from the country and institutional
perspective We present an update of the execution of the SEM DPL and outline several issues
that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the medium term
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
5
I Introduction
For years the World Bank was the target of criticism in Brazil and much of Latin America for
pushing structural adjustment policies that were conditioned on controversial policies of
privatization market liberalization reduced capital market controls The World Bank also took
its knocks in Brazil for backing disastrous Amazon development projects such as Polonoreste
and Planfloro2 At a time when the Bankrsquos financial influence in Brazil was inflated by
macroeconomic volatility much of the criticism directed at the Bank resulted from the poor
quality of project design and the lack of accountability for processes that harmed people
Now the role of the World Bank in Brazil has changed significantly Not only has the Bank
withdrawn completely from the business of lending conditioned on neoliberal reforms the
current country strategy which ends in 2011 directed about $4 billion per year to Brazil almost
entirely to state and local governments Brazilrsquos borrowing from the World Bank in general is
now a secondary concern with increasing reliance on domestic finance from BNDES (nearly
$US 100 billion in new approvals from June 2009 - May 2010) and foreign direct investment
Brazil remains an active client for the knowledge services that come with doing business with
the World Bank Increasingly however that knowledge is less about what the Bank can teach
Brazil and more about what the Bank can convey from Brazilrsquos experience to other borrowing
countries Like a number of the Bankrsquos largest Part II member countries Brazil has become an
advocate of the World Bank as a multilateral clearinghouse for strategic intelligence about its
competitors in relevant global fora such as the G-20 global climate negotiations and trade
In fact any borrowing from the World Bank is viewed by Brazil more as an economic and
knowledge benefit to the Bank in terms of generating most of the operating revenue from loan
fees (52 of IBRD lending and service fees come from 6 countries) and learning from Brazil
that can then be transferred to other countries The World Bank touts Brazilrsquos leadership in
ldquotackling second-generation development challengesrdquo and innovation in the areas of cash
transfer programs ensuring sub-national fiscal discipline biofuels leadership on global climate
change and the fight against infectious diseases as examples of this knowledge generation3 In a
2008 memo that outlined the many knowledge and financial contributions that the World Bank
derives from its partnership with Brazil the Brazilian executive director cast the relationship as a
de facto Part I donor country
To be sure the role of the World Bank in the governance of Brazil is significantly less
important than the role of Brazil in the governance of World Bank As an active leader in
the G-20 and a coalition of 11 borrowing country chairs on the World Bank Board of Executive
Directors Brazilrsquos influence is one of the primary motivating factors behind many of the
ongoing policy reforms (operational efficiency energy trade environment and safeguard
operational policies)
2 For an overview of Polonoreste and Planfloro see Margaret Keck ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of
Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and
Grassroots Movements MIT Press and David Hunter ldquoThe Planfloro claimrdquo httpwwwcielorgIfiplanaflhtml 3 World Bank Country Partnership Strategy Progress Report No 53356-BR March 11 2010 Brazil Economic
Team Quarterly Knowledge Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
5
I Introduction
For years the World Bank was the target of criticism in Brazil and much of Latin America for
pushing structural adjustment policies that were conditioned on controversial policies of
privatization market liberalization reduced capital market controls The World Bank also took
its knocks in Brazil for backing disastrous Amazon development projects such as Polonoreste
and Planfloro2 At a time when the Bankrsquos financial influence in Brazil was inflated by
macroeconomic volatility much of the criticism directed at the Bank resulted from the poor
quality of project design and the lack of accountability for processes that harmed people
Now the role of the World Bank in Brazil has changed significantly Not only has the Bank
withdrawn completely from the business of lending conditioned on neoliberal reforms the
current country strategy which ends in 2011 directed about $4 billion per year to Brazil almost
entirely to state and local governments Brazilrsquos borrowing from the World Bank in general is
now a secondary concern with increasing reliance on domestic finance from BNDES (nearly
$US 100 billion in new approvals from June 2009 - May 2010) and foreign direct investment
Brazil remains an active client for the knowledge services that come with doing business with
the World Bank Increasingly however that knowledge is less about what the Bank can teach
Brazil and more about what the Bank can convey from Brazilrsquos experience to other borrowing
countries Like a number of the Bankrsquos largest Part II member countries Brazil has become an
advocate of the World Bank as a multilateral clearinghouse for strategic intelligence about its
competitors in relevant global fora such as the G-20 global climate negotiations and trade
In fact any borrowing from the World Bank is viewed by Brazil more as an economic and
knowledge benefit to the Bank in terms of generating most of the operating revenue from loan
fees (52 of IBRD lending and service fees come from 6 countries) and learning from Brazil
that can then be transferred to other countries The World Bank touts Brazilrsquos leadership in
ldquotackling second-generation development challengesrdquo and innovation in the areas of cash
transfer programs ensuring sub-national fiscal discipline biofuels leadership on global climate
change and the fight against infectious diseases as examples of this knowledge generation3 In a
2008 memo that outlined the many knowledge and financial contributions that the World Bank
derives from its partnership with Brazil the Brazilian executive director cast the relationship as a
de facto Part I donor country
To be sure the role of the World Bank in the governance of Brazil is significantly less
important than the role of Brazil in the governance of World Bank As an active leader in
the G-20 and a coalition of 11 borrowing country chairs on the World Bank Board of Executive
Directors Brazilrsquos influence is one of the primary motivating factors behind many of the
ongoing policy reforms (operational efficiency energy trade environment and safeguard
operational policies)
2 For an overview of Polonoreste and Planfloro see Margaret Keck ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of
Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and
Grassroots Movements MIT Press and David Hunter ldquoThe Planfloro claimrdquo httpwwwcielorgIfiplanaflhtml 3 World Bank Country Partnership Strategy Progress Report No 53356-BR March 11 2010 Brazil Economic
Team Quarterly Knowledge Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
6
What Brazil and other middle income countries want from the World Bank is more influence
over the strategic decisions made about the role of Bank in climate politics food security global
economic governance and trade The principal mechanism for this jockeying for power within
the World Bank has been a round of governance reforms that redistributed a small if significant
share of voice and vote authority at the Board level The redistribution of power stopped short of
parity ndash what many borrowing countries demanded However an even bigger battle looms on
the horizon with the 2012 Presidential election at the World Bank and the borrowing country
challenge to the US control over the Bankrsquos executive office since its founding in 1945
The World Bank remains for Brazil an important source of sectoral technical assistance and
policy advice The Bank provides policy advice through public and private sector advisory
services A number of high profile Bank reports were produced in the last five years on sensitive
development issues such as hydroelectric licensing Amazon dieback land administration in the
Amazon large land acquisitions and the most recent Low Carbon Growth Strategy4 However
with increasing homegrown intellectual capacity and South-South cooperation Brazil
commissioned these World Bank studies with a double purpose ndash to both know the Bankrsquos
advice as well as to serve as an instrument of political risk to contain the Bankrsquos influence over
sovereign development policy decisions by the Brazilian government Many of these policy
reports have been censored and watered down by Brazilian authorities to diminish their potential
public impact with World Bank acquiescence ndash another sign of Brazilrsquos growing power within
the Bank
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) are perhaps the most visible expression of this new
relationship between Brazil and the World Bank Created as a new instrument in 2004 the Bank
has piloted some of first types of DPLs in Brazil as in the case of environmental state and
municipal DPLs5 While often large in size (often over $US 1 billion) the DPLs carry a set of
conditions (called prior actions and triggers) to advance a policy agenda that reflects more than
ever the priorities of the borrowing country In other words the DPLs are very much the form of
World Bank cooperation that Brazil prefers to advance its own sovereign policy reform agenda
in contrast to the past where structural adjustment lending was heavily conditioned on unpopular
and painful macroeconomic and monetary policy reforms As one high level World Bank
official put it ldquowe canrsquot treat them like children anymorerdquo
Still the conditions on which the DPLs are designed reflect a sophisticated relationship between
the Bank and Borrower to help each other and have come to codify the driving force of change in
the Bank On one hand DPLs are the quick low accountability vehicles to speed large sums to
middle income clients One the other hand DPLs are a significant profit center for the World
Bank on the basis of low preparation and execution costs compared to loan volume and high loan
charge revenue DPLs represented 36 of WBG lending in a record year and will remain high
despite promises to dial back DPLs as the financial crisis subsides Even as concerns mount
about the development effectiveness of DPLs the evolving political economy that favors
4 See C Gouvello et al ldquoBrazil Low Carbon Growth Strategyrdquo June 28 2010 World Bank
httpgoworldbankorg4FCZ2LFQW0 5 See annex A for a list of recent DPLs in Brazil
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
7
continuity of the World Bank as an institutional presence in the worldrsquos emerging economies
thrives on DPLs which is what Brazil and the Bank both want
Change at the World Bank reflects a shifting balance of global power Following the 2010
capital increase profound reform processes are underway at the Bank which will be carefully
monitored for their influence on international development standards The focus on DPLs in a
country like Brazil help illuminate the significance of the institutional reform processes now
underway at the World Bank and their impact on the potential dilution or strengthening of
international standards Driven in large part by the demands of emerging economic and political
power like Brazil the revision of World Bank policies for energy environment and social and
environmental safeguards the Bank will be signaling to all other private and public sector
development finance institutions its guidance on new standards for sustainability effectiveness
and rights The strengthening or weakening of commitments to the highest possible development
standards by the World Bank in this reform process will send a powerful signal to institutions
such as BNDES that compete and compare themselves with the Bank and are calibrating their
own institutional policies to the international standards
Any inquiry into the political economy of Bank-government relations that has produced the level
of DPL funding observed in recent years inevitably leads to existential questions about the
sustainability of the current World Bank business model We have witnessed in Latin America a
Bank that has transformed its portfolio and policy regime to suit middle income countries
demanding greater flexibility The DPL is a fundamental pillar of this response to the Bankrsquos
largest clients At the same time some of these same countries (Brazil Argentina and Mexico)
are likely to reach a graduation cutoff point in the near future (next 5-10 years) While many of
the worldrsquos poorest still reside in middle income countries the fundamental question emerges as
to whether a country such as Brazil with $300 billion in international reserves actually needs
concessional public lending that is earmarked for the most intractable development challenges
If middle income countries graduated from the World Bank (ceased borrowing) the revenue loss
would dramatically downsize the Bank and force a refocusing on the smallest and poorest
developing countries The persistence of DPLs in the coming years will represent a crucial battle
ground over this tension between preserving the status quo of constant portfolio growth and the
almost unthinkable alternative of becoming smaller and more focused on needs of the majority of
small vulnerable impoverished countries
World Bank MICs and Graduation from IBRD Lending
In 2005 the World Bank refreshed its strategy for middle income countries (MICs) a poorly
conceptualized term that refers to borrowing countries whose per capita income ranges from
about $1000 to $6000 For a group that includes as its members countries that range in size from
China to St Lucia and range in per capita income from South Korea ($21360) to Paraguay
($2070) there seems to be little coherent rationale for designing a strategy for such
heterogeneous mix of countries
The World Bank has historically claimed that it exists to channel development funds to poor
countries that would otherwise be shut out of capital markets This claim is difficult to defend as
the vast majority of World Bank lending gravitates to countries that no longer need the bank for
development finance The new strategy touts the additionality of World Bankrsquos knowledge
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
8
services that accompany most lending to MICs but the Bankrsquos balance sheet depends
considerably on the revenues from disproportionate loan service fees from the largest middle
income clients
This renewed emphasis on middle income countries was motivated in part by the downward
trend in borrowing from the largest MICs and the long-term impact that this would have on the
World Bankrsquos balance sheet6 The new MIC approach was also motivated by the mounting
criticism over structural adjustment lending particularly underscored in debates about the
questionable relevance of Bank adjustment lending for explaining countries whose economies
were growing most rapidly after the Asian crisis
What Are Middle Income Countries (World Bank MIC website Map)
Figure 1 Nearly 100 of Latin America is a MIC for World Bank
In 2007 the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the performance of Bank
operations in middle income countries IEG reported that over the past 12 years [through 2007]
the MICs have repaid an annual average of $38 billion more than they have taken out in new
loans7 A decline in borrowing from some of the largest income generators for the World Bank
translated into negative net flows from the countries to the Bank IEG reported that financing
from the World Bank accounted for just 06 of the MICs national investment in 2005 down
from twice that in 1995
6 Washington Post editorial ldquoHelp Where Its Not Needed Rethinking the World Banks role in middle-income
countriesrdquo Sept 21 2007
httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070920AR2007092002299html 7 IEG ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
9
The World Bank depends on stable business in the MICs because their growth boosts its overall
record and it makes money off them part of which is transferred to IDA for low-income
countries at a rate of about $600 million per year8
In terms of diagnosing why the IBRD portfolio was flagging the IEG report found that the
outcomes of the Banks country programs in middle-income countries have been only
moderately satisfactory on average in meeting varied country-specific development objectives
including promoting growth and reducing poverty It also noted that the Bank effectiveness was
notably worse in confronting high profile challenges such as dealing with inequality combating
corruption and protecting the environment IEG found that more than half its middle-income
borrowers have become more unequal over the decade under review
IEG recommended and World Bank President Robert Zoellick has endeavored to continue its
engagement with MICs by taking steps to produce greater development effectiveness This
would require the Bank to depart from business as usual and to reinvigorate its relationship with
clients focusing on the following four dimensions draw on MIC capacity demonstrate best
practice become more agile and make the most of Bank Group cooperation9
A path less taken by the World Bank is to consider a more strict application of the institutionrsquos
own articles of agreement and have more MICs graduate to self-sufficiency A central question
posted in the 2006 report was ldquoDo Governors support existing IBRD graduation policy or are
there any changes they would like to see in the eligibility of countries for different forms of
IBRD supportrdquo10
From this 2006 management report on the Bankrsquos MIC strategy the eligible
group of middle income countries (MICs) included 14 with gross national income per capita
above the cut-off for initiating consultations on IBRD graduation The Bankrsquos policy on and
approach to graduation is set out in Box 1 (next page)11
More recent estimates suggest that as many as 40 Bank member countries will exceed the
graduation cut off limit within the next 5-10 years (See annex B for updated list of MIC IBRD
countries above the graduation cutoff point12
8 IDA was replenished for three years on Dec 15 2010 for $US 49 billion
9 World Bank IEG (2007) Development Results in Middle-Income Countries An Evaluation of the World Bankrsquos
Support
httplnweb90worldbankorgoedoeddoclibnsfDocUNIDViewForJavaSearchB849A54B45DCC529852574EF00
690F96$fileMIC_evaluationpdf 10
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg vii pg 16 11
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner Countriesrdquo Report
DC2006-0014 pg 2 12
See Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans IBRD Hedging Products
and IDA Grants httpgoworldbankorgDSETKG32D0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
10
Surely graduation cannot represent an objective that the Bank has any interest in delaying Yet
very few countries have actually graduated from the Bank in recent years In fiscal 2007
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania graduated from eligibility for World Bank lending following
Slovenia which graduated in fiscal 2004 and the Czech Republic which graduated in fiscal
2005 No Latin American countries have graduated
The 2006 report left unanswered the question of whether MIC graduation should happen or
perhaps more precisely when and how graduation should happen By most accounts the
decision for a country to graduate is largely voluntary and not mandated by strict triggers
Discretion is left to the Bank and the government to decide Under a graduation scenario the
World Banks future role in the MICs could be different from and probably significantly smaller
Graduation from Borrowing Country Status at the World Bank
From the 2006 report the term ldquograduationrdquo means the formal determination that a
country has attained a level of development that renders it ineligible to borrow from the
Bank Graduation is a clear indication of country success the first country to graduate was
France in 1947 and by the 1970s a number of OECD countries that had borrowed from the
Bank in the 1950s and 1960s also graduated It is grounded in the IBRDrsquos Articles of
Agreement which include as one of the statutory conditions for lending that IBRD be
satisfied that in the prevailing market conditions the member country would be otherwise
unable to obtain the loan under reasonable conditions (Article III Section 4 (ii) see also
Article 1 (ii)) The rationale for excluding a country from Bank lending is based on the
principle that IBRD financing supplements private investment when private capital is not
available on reasonable terms
In 1982 in order to codify Bank procedures for graduation the Executive Directors
approved a graduation policy which they reformulated two years later The reformulated
graduation policy requires that the Bank review a countryrsquos borrowing eligibility if the
countryrsquos per capita income exceeds a certain level This level which has been revised over
time is presently set at $6055 Reaching this level is a starting point for graduation review
and does not exclude countries from Bank lending Consistent with the policy among other
issues the review examines the countryrsquos overall economic situation and its capacity to
sustain a long term development progress with particular reference to two factors (i)
access to external capital markets on reasonable terms and (ii) the extent of progress in
establishing key institutions for economic and social development
The policy gives the Bank flexibility in making these assessments and while the decision on
graduating a country rests with the Bank the 1984 reformulation emphasized that the
relationship between the Bank and its clients was one where graduation should take place
as a ldquonatural outcomerdquo of the evolving relationship between the Bank and its members
Recent graduates include Slovenia in 2004 and the Czech Republic in 2005 The flexibility
implicit in the policy has been clearly demonstrated in the few cases notably Korea in the
late 1990rsquos where countries which have graduated from IBRD lending have obtained new
financing because of the deterioration in their economic circumstances
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
11
than its past role For those that view a smaller World Bank as a threat the full implications of
MIC graduation represents an existential crisis
Instead the World Bank has made great efforts to revive MIC business with the Bank enhanced
in large part by the global financial crisis However the G-20 call on the World Bank to help
provide emergency liquidity also pushed the Bank to the limit of its capacity to lend as IBRD
approvals shot up by over 200 between 2008 and 2010 As a result IBRD requested a capital
increase and the bargaining over increased capital contributions encompassed both price
increases for IBRD loans as well as greater representation and power for MIC countries on the
Bankrsquos Board of Directors ndash a long standing demand The $86 billion capital increase that was
eventually approved involved a nearly 5 increasing in borrowing country voice and vote
(largely transferred from European countries to China) with an agreement to review the
agreement in five years and adjust loan charges in line with relaxed pressure on the loan to
equity ratio
In the context of shareholder realignment negotiations for the recent capital increase large
middle income countries explicitly tied MIC borrowing to expanded voice and representation A
memo from one COGAM MIC Board member described an initiative by a group of borrowing
countries members to have ldquocumulative IBRD loansrdquo be recognized as a ldquoproxyrdquo indicator for
the contribution of borrowers Cumulative lending by country when considering the IBRD
transfer to IDA is the best proxy of long-term engagement of clients with the Bank as well as
commitment to development according to the memo ldquoMiddle income countries (irrespective of
having being classified as donors or not) have been consistent IDA contributors and have
generated the most stable source of income for the WBG for years This means the net income
produced by operating with MICs is particularly important for our poverty reduction strategyrdquo
The authors extend the argument to suggest that criteria for reallocating incremental voice and
representation should permanently include World Bank debt as a measure of a borrowing
countryrsquos contribution In theory this arrangement could create a moral hazard to increase
borrowing as a means for acquiring more shareholding power
Absent this type of recognition the authors describe what might effectively approximate a
graduation threat
A Board memo that was circulated during the Bankrsquos voice and vote negotiations stated ldquoLetrsquos
suppose that four large MICs drastically reduced their portfolio We know what would be the
financial consequences for the institution including the greater strain on IDA replenishmentsrdquo
The arguments extend to the possible withholding of knowledge services and capacity building
or global public goods cooperation on which the World Bank will increasingly depend as further
reasons for recognizing the full contributions of MICs and creating incentives for their continued
provision
The governance structure of the World Bank Board has been slow to reflect the shifting balance
of power in the world Parity between borrowing and developed economies with no dilution of
voting power of any borrowing country on the Board ndash is the stated preference of many
borrowing country representatives at the Bank The negotiations for the FY10 capital increase
advanced only partially and unevenly toward this goal
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
12
The bargaining over the conditions of the capital increase that tied increased power for MICs to
support for financial solvency clearly predicated the final agreement on an acceptable set of
incentives to keep MICs borrowing from the Bank However the graduation threat was issued
by a small number of MICs whose concentrated share of Bank borrowing is evident to all In
this sense the category of ldquoMiddle Income Countryrdquo is perhaps intentionally misleading by
grouping the interests of the Bankrsquos largest revenue generators with the majority of the rest
DPLs are undoubtedly one of those incentives and perhaps the single most visible instrument in
the revived World Bank MIC agenda addressing many of the stated concerns of agility
flexibility and use of country systems in new lending instruments The increase in DPL lending
to over 50 of the IBRD lending total in FY10 is due in part to the spike in demand from the
financial crisis However we will see just how flexible and agile the Bank appears as the lost
market rationale for such inflated levels of DPL transfers forces a dialing back of these Bank
services in the coming years ndash particularly for the largest DPL consumers in Latin America
Development Policy Lending Operational Policy 860
This analysis of the DPL underscores the deficiencies of the Bankrsquos operational policy guidance
on DPLs which leaves far too much discretion in channeling large loans with inadequate
accountability The policy provides ambiguous guidance on key accountability mechanisms
such as transparency consultation and the recourse for affected parties So far DPL Operational
Policy 860 has not been opened up for review with the other 8 safeguard policies and one
country system policy (40) This decision to insulate current DPL operational guidance from the
same scrutiny reflects a double standard at the Bank While safeguard policies are widely
framed as net costs to clients DPL policy is treated with a sense of benevolent neglect The
World Bank should acknowledge that the evolution of environmental and social DPLs requires
the same modernization of OP 860 as is called for with other Safeguard policies
There are many that view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising
innovation by the World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As
experiments the Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL
potential A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the
entire WBG business is long overdue13
This brief lays out some of the possible topics of a
future DPL evaluation that have so far been overlooked by the biannual management produced
DPL retrospectives
In the second of this two part analysis we examine the Sustainable Environmental Management
(SEM) DPL in Brazil from an institutional and country perspective In the first part the SEM
DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution and survival at the World Bank in
middle income countries such as Brazil The second part presents an update of the execution of
the SEM DPL and outlines several issues that will determine the loanrsquos effectiveness in the
medium term
13
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector swaps
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
13
II World Bank DPLs and Safeguard Policies
In the past six years the World Bank Group has pursued approaches to lending that significantly
change the way the Bank Group addresses the potential environmental and social impacts of
activities it supports These approaches primarily involve facilitating the use of borrower rather
than Bank Group standards and institutions to address environmental and social concerns Use
of Country Systems is the framework for this approach as well as the emphasis from
transitioning from prescriptive compliance to more adaptive implementation support in the
context of the Bankrsquos safeguard policy application14
Internal pressure by middle income
borrowers has forced the Bank to review its entire safeguard policy framework and improve the
alignment with client demand
Through these approaches the Bank Group relinquishes to its borrowers primary responsibilities
for identifying and addressing environmental and social risks determining how these risks will
be addressed and monitoring compliance with measures adopted to address these risks As part
of a Bank strategy to promote a Country Systems approach to lending these approaches delegate
oversight responsibilities in the areas of financial management procurement social and
environmental risk management and monitoring and evaluation Without (equivalent) adequate
guarantees of effective client environmental and social institutions some fear that a Country
Systems approach could effectively diminish environmental and social standards and attenuate
Bank Group accountability
The Bank Group claims these approaches help secure stronger development outcomes by
increasing borrower ownership of development processes reducing transaction costs of dealing
with the Bank and harmonizing standards Bank Group reports suggest another motive ndash
reducing safeguards as ldquoobstaclesrdquo to lending to allow the Bank Group to move more money and
increase its competitiveness with competing sources of development finance in India China
Brazil and other middle income countries
This debate about the ldquohassle factorrdquo of World Bank safeguards is complicated by contrasting
evidence On one hand there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of Bank managers reporting
lost business due to stated client discontent with safeguard requirements In fact the volume of
WBG lending has increased dramatically in recent years and the portfolio composition
dramatically reflects decisions already taken to accommodate clients that want to avoid the
ldquohassle factorrdquo of Bank safeguards On the other hand a recent empirical analysis shows that the
economic benefits of the Bank safeguards clearly outweigh the costs for recent operations15
Indeed persistently weak supervision of Bank projects leaves serious gaps in evidence to support
any argument about the association between safeguards and effective development16
IEG
underscores evidence of weak project supervision particularly for lending to financial
intermediaries DPLs and trade finance More than one third of World Bank projects reviewed
14
World Bank Use of Country Systems approach page httpgoworldbankorgRHRJVXDW60 15
Both sources of evidence are described in detail in the IEG evaluation Safeguards and Sustainability Policy in a
Changing World (2010) 16
IEG (2010) Safeguards and Sustainability Policies in a Changing World
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
14
had inadequate
environmental and
supervision and
monitoring of results
Accountability is
compromised further by
weak disclosure
particularly in the area of
third party monitoring of
financial intermediaries
For reasons that are
further elaborated upon in
the following sections of
this brief the current
operational policy 860
governing the use of
DPLs falls short of
providing adequate
safeguard protections
Some of these approaches to lending additionally cede to the borrower the authority to decide
how Bank Group funds will be used Lending to financial intermediaries for example leaves
the intermediary and not the Bank choosing and approving projects to be funded This
delegation of authority raises a concern that the Bank Group is failing in its obligations to ensure
that Bank Group funds are used in a manner that is consistent with Bank Group Articles of
Agreement and poverty alleviation missions
The challenge inherent to the ongoing investment lending reform and the review of the entire
Operational Policy framework will be to avoid pressure to simply adopt policy that ratifies the
status quo hastening the proliferation of low accountability instruments and lending share
In its safeguard evaluation IEG describes the evolution of the World Bank portfolio with the
following chart A decade ago only 9 percent of lending was classified as category A (very high
impact) 44 percent as category B (substantial impact) 29 percent as category C (low impact)
and 4 percent as category FI (financial intermediary) By 2010 the distribution of overall
portfolio risk categorization has changed substantially The proportion of category A increased
from 5 to 11 percent with the increase in the volume and scale of infrastructure lending
Category B increased from 37 to 51 percent while category C dropped from 40 to 18 percent
The proportion of WB projects classified as category B increased by a third while category C
decreased by half reflecting greater caution during project preparation IEG argues that rules for
categorization of risk vary across the World Bank Group and speculates that the expansion of B
risk categorization could indicate an avoidance of the most restrictive safeguard procedures17
17
IEG (2010 12) IEG points out problems both in terms of over and under ndash categorization of risk
Figure 2 Risk Categorization Trends of World Bank Group Portfolio
(1999-2010)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
15
IEG observes that ldquothe safeguards and sustainability policies were originally conceived for
investment projects They are more difficult to apply to other forms of lending including
programmatic lending sector-wide lending and decentralized projects at the World Bank trade
finance and equity investments at IFC and financial sector lending at MIGA All three
portfolios appear to be growing in precisely those segments where these policies face their
greatest challengesrdquo18
Another perspective of the trends in WBG lending is presented in the following graphs The
percentage of World Bank Group lending that is being conveyed through instruments that have
little or no safeguard applicability is highlighted below in Figure 3 FY 2010 was the highest
level of WB lending on record which also produced over $36 billion in instruments with low
safeguard applicability such as Development Policy Loans (DPLs) - $261 billion IFC Financial
Intermediaries (FI) - $66 billion IBRD Financial Intermediaries - $33 billion and carbon
finance (unknown)
Figure 3 WBG Lending FY09-FY10 ($Bn) amp Safeguard Policy Applicability (own estimates from WBG
operations data)
The emerging picture illustrated in Figures 4 amp 5 below is one in which an increasing overall
percentage of World Bank operations (as much as 44 in FY 09 and 50 in FY10) has little or
no effective safeguard protection Compare the $26 billion in DPO lending in FY10 to the
averages in past years which peaked at about $14 billion at the height of the Asian financial
crisis but has generally been $5-6 billion
18
IEG (2010 10)
World Bank Operations for
which there is little unclear
or no Operational Safeguard
Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
16
Figure 4 WBG FY 2010 Finance amp Safeguard Policy Applicability
Figure 5 WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard Policy Applicability
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
17
This troubling trend raises the fundamental question of what type of World Bank will emerge
from the ongoing policy reform process in the coming years At least two scenarios are possible
and illustrated in Figure 6 Which possible scenario is likely to emerge remains an open
question but will have profound implications for the utility of the safeguard policies in the
definition of Bank relevance
If current trends that cater to middle income country interests persist the business model for the
future involves unlimited growth and an ever diminishing percentage of lending that is governed
by meaningful safeguard policies Under this growth strategy middle income countries that now
control a highly concentrated share of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) lending and on whose loan service fees the IBRD depends do not graduate from
borrowing to donor member status
An alternative Bank Group business model rests on the graduation of middle income country
borrowers to focus on the smaller and perhaps more challenging development issues Such an
alternative would likely involve a reversal of the current decline of Bank Group share of
operations that have little or no safeguards application
What is the future of the WBG
67
33
FY 20092000-2008 WB Ave Lending $15 Bnyr
60 IBRD Portfolio in 6 of 135 countries
MIC GraduationWB Ave Lending
$5-8 Bnyr
33
67
FY 2030Ave Lending $20-25 Bnyr
WBG FY 2010 Finance and Safeguard
Policy Applicability
5050
SG applicable SG not fully applicable
Figure 6 Possible Safeguard and Portfolio Scenarios for the World Bank Group by 2030
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
18
For the future lending scenario for
the IBRD and IDA portfolio that
assumes no graduation of MICs
the lowno safeguard instruments
would match DPLs with Results
Based Lending and an expansion
of other policy framework type
instruments (see Figure 6)
Conventional investment lending
for which the current safeguard
regime is designed would be
reduced to about 33 of the total
portfolio DPLs which have
experienced a dramatic increase
partially induced by the liquidity
squeeze in recent years would
decline to a historical average of
about 33 A new Results Based Investment Lending instrument currently under preparation by
the Bank to ease safeguard requirements for certain types of social sector and other low risk
operations combined with Sector Wide Loans (SWAPs) could occupy a final third of the
IBRDIDA portfolio In effect the current safeguard regime could apply fully to only about 13
of the Bankrsquos operations
Figure 7 World Bank Group Portfolio Shares for MIC Non-
Graduation Scenario
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
19
III Five Arguments for Inclusion of Development Policy Lending Operational Policy in the World Bank Safeguard Policy Review
In September the World Bankrsquos Independent Evaluation Group released a two year study of the
safeguards and sustainability policies in use by the World Bank Group (WBG) to prevent or
mitigate adverse impacts of its projects on people and the environment This two year study
assessed the effectiveness of the current safeguards regime and called for the Bank to move
beyond a ldquocompliance based approachrdquo to safeguards which is becoming ldquoless effective as its
portfolio moves beyond traditional investment projects (which now constitute less than half of
new lending across the WBG)rdquo19
The IEG Safeguards evaluation proposes a full review of the World Bank safeguard policy
framework following the ongoing review of the IFC Performance Standards review to
harmonize and modernize standards across the Bank Management has vigorously embraced
IEGrsquos top recommendation and a two year review of global good practices of safeguard
practices at the IFI national and subnational (private sector) level The two year review process
will generate a policy paper outlining recommendations for how the Bank should update its
safeguard policies
The IEG study underscores the observation that the WBG portfolio is growing most quickly in
the segments where the safeguard policies face their greatest challenges While the rapid growth
in demand for DPLs (as with lending through financial intermediaries and for operations
governed by policy frameworks like SWAPs) is a sign that the safeguard policies are
increasingly outdated development policy lending was excluded from the IEG analysis ldquobecause
it is not subject to the same environmental and social requirementsrdquo20
ldquoSince safeguard policies
do not apply to DPLs financed by the World Bank which are governed by the Operational
PolicyBank Procedure (OPBP) 860 DPLs are excluded from this evaluationrdquo21
Management and the Bank Board endorsed the exclusion of DPL policy as well ldquoResponding to
a few speakersrsquo interest in a review of safeguards for development policy lending (DPL) Bank
Management noted the different nature of DPLs and that these requirements and practices will be
reviewed in the context of DPL retrospectiverdquo22
This missed opportunity to assess one of the
thornier concerns about effectiveness in the evolving Bank portfolio has resulted in providing
Bank management the freedom to exclude DPL operational policy 860 from the 24 month
policy review
19
IEG (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group
Managements response httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards pg xiii 20
IEG (2010 xiv) IFC analysis by IEG was hampered in part by the lack of project level results since the 2006
Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy was approved Still IFC operations particularly the growing share
to financial intermediaries were included in the sample 21
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) pg 5 22
IEG Safeguards in a Changing World (2010) Management response pg xliv
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
20
In 2004 The Bank adopted a national regulatory systems approach to Development Policy
Lending in 2004 under Operational Policy 860 The Policy directs the Bank to consider the
ldquoborrowerrsquos systemsrdquo to ensure consideration of environmental and social concerns If
shortcomings in this system are identified the Bank describes how such gaps would be
addressed ldquobefore or during program implementationrdquo The Inspection Panel is mandated to
consider complaints that OP 860 has been violated yet OP 860 is not really a safeguard policy
because it does not recognize an affected population The Inspection Panel cannot provide
adequate recourse when the Bank may have violated this or other Operational Policies
In FY09 DPOs represented close to 50 of all IBRD and IDA lending Many DPOs lack
transparency are poorly consulted and whose attributable effect on the policy choices taken or
not by borrowing governments is widely debated A rapidly growing appetite for DPLs despite
accountability gaps infers pressure to move money over incentives for results
DPLs are nevertheless one of the central concerns of the Bankrsquos review of its Environmental
Strategy which has also been underway for the past year Several background papers
commissioned for the strategy review process address the effectiveness of DPLs and the track
record of the Bank in clearly defining and producing results in terms of sustainability policy
reforms
One background paper for the Environmental Strategy currently under internal review at the
Bank focuses on the effectiveness of recent Environmental DPLs which have been piloted
disproportionately in Latin America and include the SEM DPL23
Focusing on the 16
Environmental DPLs approved by the World Bank in energy water etc including some
Programmatic Reform Support Credit (PRSCs) with Environmental Conditions the paper
explores how governance was strengthened ndash defined as the ways that capacity was built where
inter-sectoral coordination was fostered and sectoral stories or patterns of policy change can be
attributed to the DPL The objectives of environmental DPLs have been to support reforms that
strengthen environmental institutions and better define roles and responsibilities improve
intersectoral coordination and bolster environmental management instruments including the
EIA
This paper attempts to assess the impacts of environmental DPLs in bringing about long term
policy shifts promoting sustainable institutional reforms influencing broader environmental
outcomes and promoting poverty alleviation and social development Environmental
mainstreaming indicators for DPL effectiveness that attempt to record the real ldquogainsrdquo behind
these environmental DPLs (eg increased attention to environment in policy agenda increases in
budgets for environment ministries etc) are considered While facing challenges relating to
attribution and establishment of a counterfactual attempt to gauge the relative impacts of the
Bankrsquos environmental DPL when compared to the impacts of sectoral lending24
23
Anjali Acharya The Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting Environmental Sustainability Assessing
Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Forthcoming 24
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental DPLs concept note
httpgoworldbankorgDIBGYL7SF0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
21
Unfortunately DPL Operational Policy 860 is not covered in the Environmental DPL
background paper Another Environmental Policy background policy on Environmental
Mainstreaming will apparently address OP 86025
Some of the core concerns noted by CSO inputs regarding the effectiveness of Environmental
DPLs include
Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of Operation Amount
DPL program documents include no cost-benefit or cost effectiveness metric such as an
economic rate of return (ERR) Like emergency loans sector wide support loans and operations
such as community driven development projects for which the final use of Bank funds is not
explicitly known at the time of approval DPLs rarely include ERRs Lack of data is a major
reason particularly in terms of quantification of benefits for specific sectors (education health
and environment) In a recent evaluation of use of cost benefit analysis in Bank operations IEG
takes great issue with the reasons behind the ldquonot applicablerdquo justification for missing ERRs26
IEG reminds us that not knowing the final use of the funds poses a problem for any ex-ante
analysis let alone a full-fledged CBA Environmental DPLs are conditioned on policy reforms
that should be in some way associated with the value of the operation Some explanation of the
cost effectiveness should be included in the program document Lacking a reliable cost
effectiveness metric DPLs are inherently limited in explaining effectiveness
Government officials have also complained that they didnrsquot know how the DPL funds are
allocated and would like to see earmarking of DPLs funds for the institutions that are allegedly
being strengthened While the rapid increase in DPL use indicates the popularity of this
instrument for many governments some would prefer earmarking the DPL funding for certain
sector budgets The World Bank reminds us regularly that OP 860 is clear in demarcating the
independence between the use of the DPL funds and the actions outlined in the policy matrix
The DPL disburses to the Minister of Finance while the conditions are often pertinent to other
institutions For the Bank there is no need to track the use of the DPL funds which are pooled
within a specific national treasury account and used as the country sees fit
The political economy of any national context inevitably influences the use of the DPL funds
although the negotiations are often informal and therefore are not addressed in any way by the
guidance provided by OP 860 An Environmental Minister may negotiate a DPL with the
World Bank to provide budget support requested by the Ministry of Finance that in return
approves an investment loan to the environmental sector These informal negotiations permeate
most if not all DPLs yet are not reveled to the public through any cost effectiveness assessment
in the DPL appraisal Earmarking some or all of the DPL funds might offer a safeguard to the
potential corruption that is often associated with informal negotiations over the use of
concessional credit
25
World Bank 2010 Environmental Strategy review background paper on environmental mainstreaming concept
Note httpgoworldbankorg71Z7N0J5M0 26
See McElhinny ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as criteria for project
approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
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McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
22
More importantly all DPLs should include an explanation about how the total operation amount
was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative instruments If
the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also be clarified
Improved consultation and transparency is important regarding how DPL prior
actions and triggers are chosen
DPLs provide for very little transparency and consultation for decisions directly related to the
design and implementation of the loan While DPLs might reflect appropriate policy areas they
often lack legitimacy because few know how those specific conditions were defined in the
context of the DPL results matrix Civil society organizations also argue that the ambition of the
conditions is not consistent with the privileged access to concessional lending The key concern
is rewarding governments for doing too little in advancing sustainability reforms The process of
establishing priorities that eventually inform the design of the DPL begins with the Country
Strategy The prior actions for an Environmental DPL should be consistent with priorities
identified in the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) ndash the World Bankrsquos primary upstream
planning document The CEA should in turn identify social and environmental objectives
strategies and results in the Country Assistance Strategy The Bank consults widely in the
formulation of these two important country programming documents The DPL design rests on
this 1-2 year dialogue and planning process
In moving from the CEA and Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) to the specific DPL conditions
(prior actions and triggers) the Bank significantly reduces transparency and consultation The
Bank Operational Policy 860 guidance on consultation for DPLs is vague and provides
tremendous discretion to the Task Team Leader
Consultations and Participation
As part of its country dialogue the Bank advises borrowing countries to consult with and
engage the participation of key stakeholders in the country in the process of formulating
the countryrsquos development strategies27
For a development policy operation the country
draws on this process of strategy formulation to determine in the context of its
constitutional and legislative framework the form and extent of consultations and
participation in preparing implementing and monitoring and evaluating the operation
Bank staff describe in the Program Document the countryrsquos arrangements for
consultations and participation relevant to the operation and the outcomes of the
participatory process adopted in formulating the countryrsquos development strategy
Relevant analytic work conducted by the Bank particularly on poverty and social
27
Key stakeholders include social groups directly affected by the operations as well as public sector private sector
and donor organizations relevant to the operation Country strategies include the poverty reduction strategy paper
(PRSP) process in IDA counties or the countryrsquos overall or sectoral development strategy in IBRD countries For
internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on consultations and participation staff may refer
to the Good Practice Note in Supporting Participation in Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
23
impacts and on environmental aspects is made available to the public as part of the
consultation process in line with the Bankrsquos disclosure policy28
Beyond the formal consultation on general programmatic goals the Bank guidance on specific
DPL consultation and participation refers to a best practice note that delegates responsibility to
government in the context of national laws Two problems emerge with Bank DPL guidance
First OP 860 stops short of establishing minimal criteria for assessing the effectiveness of these
commitments Second national level consultations may not be adequate for decision-making
related to defining the specific conditions for the DPL
The Bank often suggests that national level consultations such as for the National Climate
Action Strategies are in fact the basis for legitimizing the design of the DPL which includes
prior actions that may be aligned with the targets of this Climate Plan However in practice
there is little explicit guidance for assessing the alignment the quality of the chosen performance
targets or the means for verification of evidence of compliance with DPL conditions In a
number of cases the key DPL documents are not translated into a native language further
limiting the possibility of adequate consultation Finally the program document that outlines the
specific policy reform matrix is not disclosed prior to Board approval thus reducing oversight at
the most significant decision point in the preparation process
A recent Bank Inspection Panel preliminary investigation into reported problems with a DPL
preparation in Yemen validated claims by local civil society organizations that adequate
transparency and consultation had been lacking Before the Inspection Panel formally launched
a full investigation Bank management acted to translate the program document into Arabic and
expanded the scope of consultation in reaction to the Inspection Panel initial inquiries into the
project29
In sum DPLs are not adequately transparent or properly consulted which in turn raises
many questions regarding the quality of the design and outcomes It is recommended that
the World Bank also move away from reliance almost exclusively on dialogue with the
government to define the prior actions and triggers of Environmental DPLs Transparency
reforms for DPLs should involve the disclosure of a pre-approval draft program document The
World Bank access to information policy permits simultaneous disclosure of the draft DPL
program document when it is submitted to the Board prior to approval The borrowing country
may object and block simultaneous disclosure but must explain the rationale30
28
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 point 6 29
See World Bank Inspection Panel eligibility report for Yemen DPL
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTINSPECTIONPANELResourcesYEMEN_WHOLE_FINAL_ELIG_REPO
RTpdf 30
See Bank Information Center ldquoUnlocking the World Banks Access to Information Policyrdquo
httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12148aspx and World Bank Access to Information site section on Simultaneous
Disclosure httpgoworldbankorgZQHL6PS6G0
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
24
DPLs and Accountability
Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs under
OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment of the
DPL with the magnitude of risk There are two ways in which weak accountability associated
with DPLs can undermine effectiveness First DPLs conditions tend to focus less on
strengthening accountability for the reforms themselves and rarely if ever include conditions
that empower demand for accountability within society As illustrated in the Environmental
Governance paper cited above the Bank has provided unbalanced support to governments in
pursuit of strengthening environmental norms and institutions often ignoring accountability
mechanisms Environmental DPLs have also missed the opportunity to build governance from
below by including explicit conditions for strengthening social controls and other institutional
checks and balances that could improve governance and enhance the probability of achieving
DPL results
Secondly OP 860 does not adequately recognize or enable an affected population that might be
harmed policy by reforms promoted by the DPL with proper recourse if they perceive Bank
policies to have been violated By providing ambiguous guidance on social and environmental
due diligence DPLs effectively disarm Bank lending from a key component of a real safeguard
function Given the wide discretion for compliance with OP 860 populations that might be
affected by policy reforms are disadvantaged
Operational Policy 860 states
Environmental Forests and other Natural Resource Aspects
The Bank determines whether specific country policies supported by the operation are
likely to cause significant effects on the countryrsquos environment forests and other natural
resources31
For country policies with likely significant effects the Bank assesses in the
Program Document the borrowerrsquos systems for reducing such adverse effects and
enhancing positive effects drawing on relevant country-level or sectoral environmental
analysis If there are significant gaps in the analysis or shortcomings in the borrowerrsquos
systems the Bank describes in the Program Document how such gaps or shortcomings
would be addressed before or during program implementation as appropriate32
Recent environmental DPLs are addressing some of the thorniest policy reforms on sustainable
development in developing countries that inevitably encounter populations affected by the social
and environmental impacts of these reforms Reforms in the areas of hydroelectricity licensing
forest governance air and water quality mining remediation payments for environmental
services among other issues identified by DPLs all involve challenging negotiations between
winners and losers from the outcome of these reforms The World Bank walks a fine line in
attempting to reinforce country ownership of the reform process at the same time that it takes a
31
For internal guidelines to assist in the application of OP and BP 860 on analyzing environmental and natural
resource risks and opportunities in development policy lending staff may refer to the Good Practice Note on
Environmental and Natural Resource Aspects in Development Policy Lending 32
OP 860 point 11 An equally ambiguous paragraph provides guidance for social impacts
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
25
position on the most effective way to influence the incentive structure for that process The
current guidance on DPLs provides little leverage to communities potentially harmed by the
Bankrsquos choice of policy reform incentives to defend their rights enshrined in the traditional Bank
safeguard policies
On both counts compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for traditional investment loans
DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to affected communities that
want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the process in which these
conditions were negotiated or implemented
DPLs Effectiveness and Additionality Measurement
DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality
Specifying the attributable value added by DPLs to countries development process is an art
rather than a science made more challenging by the lack of clear guidance for establishing a
baseline for institutional capacity or measuring improvement in a systematic and reliable way
OP 860 does not distinguish between different institutional contexts consistent with a pattern
identified in World Bank environmental governance operations more broadly that demonstrate
little apparent differentiation between size stability or income level of a particular country33
Lacking a clear framework for measuring the effectiveness of Bank effort to strengthen
institutional capacity DPLs designed largely to do build this capacity will miss opportunities to
generate knowledge and accountability for performance
Inadequate results frameworks are often a strong signal that proper supervision is also unlikely
IEGrsquos evaluation of Bank safeguard effectiveness shows an incentive structure that fails to
ensure adequate supervision of safeguards during implementation Supervision weaknesses
include the lack of specified social and environmental safeguard outcome indicators to be
monitored third party independent monitoring and validation of client provided monitoring
information and the overall poor use of supervision budgets compared to project risk34
Considering these observed problems with the quality control of Bank operations during project
implementation DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust monitoring
and evaluation framework
Environmental DPLs are designed to strengthen environmental governance build capacity and
foster inter-sectoral coordination The Bank claims that DPLs are instrumental for promoting
policy dialogue in environments where the Bank has had limited prior policy engagement or
where no prior Country Environmental Assessment exists The DPL can foster consensus
building around key reforms In contexts of emerging environmental institutions DPLs can
enhance the credibility of a new Ministry of Environment and further policy priorities
33
Env governance - 34
IEG
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
26
particularly where environmental goals are missing from national development plans or sector
planning is weak
For clients with more robust environmental contexts DPLs should carry more ambitious
performance indicators that are fully consistent with stated national development objectives
Clients with established environmental capacity view environmental DPLs as an improvement
over past structural adjustment loans in which the conditions were imposed and not necessarily
aligned with government development programs In contexts of established capacity DPL
results should align clearly with stated national goals but clearly demonstrate additionality
Effective policy change has impact is a long-term process and one DPL cannot be evaluated on
the basis of generating these impacts Reform success is usually difficult to explain and require a
combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators Assessing impact would require a
methodology that explores ldquoprior actions or triggersrdquo in depth that incorporates counterfactual
analysis (ie what would have happened without the WB DPL) The Bank should also pursue
qualitative indicators process tracing analytical narratives
However the commitment of time and resources for counterfactual approach to monitoring and
evaluation of DPL outcomes is often more than what most clients are willing to borrow and
conflicts with the premium placed on rapid DPL turnaround time A more robust monitoring and
evaluation framework for measuring the quality of reform options chosen and implemented will
be a determining factor in the debate about whether DPLs are really about learning to more
effectively promote national policy reform agenda or just pushing money out the door
Are DPLs hypothesis driven or knowledge seeking Given the World Bankrsquos reputation as a
knowledge bank the monitoring and evaluation track record is surprisingly weak when it comes
to environmental DPLs For the 16 most recent environmental DPLs only 1 Implementation
Completion and Results Report (ICR) is available35
This condition of lax self assessment on
DPLs reinforces the recommendation that IEG should evaluate DPLs annually and periodically
assess impact IEG evaluations should focus on outcomes a missing element in the
managementrsquos stylized DPL retrospectives and provide the rational for good practice methods
for MampE which are addressed only indirectly in the current Operational Policy36
ICRs should be
available sooner in programming cycle to ensure learning is transferred to sequential DPLs
Without a more robust institutional evaluation framework DPLs are susceptible to misuse in
instances of rewarding reforms that would have happened without the DPL Unclear variability
in the size of DPLs is explained in part by the lack of clear guidance regarding the alignment
between DPL policy framework with the institutional context
35
World Bank Environmental Strategy 2010 Background paper ldquoThe Role of Environmental DPLs in Supporting
Environmental Sustainability Assessing Experience Learning Lessonsrdquo Concept Note April 2010 accessed June
2010 but no longer available on World Bank website 36
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects of Development
Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTEEIResourcesWBDPLTooklitCRA1pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
27
DPLs Operational Policy should be consistent with the proposed revisions to the World Bank
Environmental Strategy that indicate a five point framework for measuring institutional
capacity37
a Capacity strengthening both at the national and subnational government level based
clear baseline indicators with increasing emphasis on adaptive problem solving
capacity
b Inter-institutional coordination the formation of effective inter-ministerial working
groups or committees frequency and quality of working group meetings products
civil society participation as an index of the overall quality of this coordination
c Strengthening enforcementcompliance clarity of institutional roles and
responsibilities evidence of performance independent monitoring and verification
of evidence
d Enhancing reform capability improved understanding among key actors about how
policy reform happens sustainable finance mechanisms for reforms
e Facilitating outreach to different audiences including CSOs public disclosure
accountability mechanisms)
DPL effectiveness is limited by suboptimal results frameworks Improved guidance to OP 860
in the design of DPL monitoring and evaluation frameworks including increased reliance on
external or independent monitoring and evaluation is recommended
DPL coordination with Bank instruments and leverage for longer planning horizons
There is little differentiation among DPLs that maximize coherence with relevant Bank
investments or to achieve planning commitment for longer time horizons
How can DPLs contribute to policy change and institutional reforms that often require sustaining
the reform process for 10 ndash 20 years when a DPL is only 1-3 years in duration DPL
effectiveness can be enhanced when synergies with other Bank instruments are maximized over
as long a timeframe as possible As such DPLs should be explicit in defining parameters for
cross-conditionalities with technical cooperation investment lending and advisory services by
the Bank as well as coordination with other sector bilateral and NGO cooperation DPLs should
privilege clients that subscribe to programmatic operations (have multiple stages) that sustain
certain design principles and results frameworks for longer periods
The World Bank is misusing environmental DPLs if they are designed to achieve the proposed
performance targets by themselves Environmental DPLs with appropriately ambitious
performance targets that advance complex policy agendas such as moving investment toward a
low carbon development path are not likely to succeed in the absence of complementary
instruments Where Environmental DPLs have had been most effective (as in the case of
37
These five areas are outlined first in the World Bank 2003 World Development Report
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
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McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
28
promoting a clean energy and transport policy agenda in Mexico) the Bank has coordinated
environmental DPLs with government initiatives as well other Bank instruments
Synergy between DPLs and different Bank instruments is maximized by evidence of coherence
across a suite of possible Bank services contemplated within a country strategy DPLs are just
one incentive to sustain reforms but should be complemented by advisory servicestechnical
cooperation or in other words certain non-reimbursable resource incentives investment loans for
capacity building that are also programmatic and analytical reports that focus on raising the
visibility of key issues
Where governments are pursuing REDD strategies with World Bank assistance as in the case of
the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) an Environmental DPL should be synchronized
with the Readiness Plan to leverage the Bankrsquos role in both processes
DPL effectiveness is ultimately measured in the long term Continuity of the policy reform
process is therefore an important variable in maximizing DPL effectiveness The Bank suggests
that clients often want sequenced programmatic DPLs in order to use the conditions to build
ownership among competing interests for successive stages of reform In some contexts the
rotation of Ministers is frequent and government policy commitment is not consistent To
sustain momentum for reforms the DPL might anticipate and compensate for this institutional
instability by aiming to embed the support for the reform process more deeply within society
The Bank should not focus only on building support within the government alone DPLs should
have prior actions or triggers that foster on support or empowerment of civil society as an
accountability mechanism for complying with the DPL conditions and the policy reforms more
generally The Bank might experiment with community driven DPLs to strengthen support for
certain reforms more broadly across society so as not to depend on whether a specific
government reverses or changes its reform promises
Perhaps the most enduring safeguard is a vigilant capable and demanding civil society to hold
any government accountable Unfortunately the Bankrsquos track record in following its own advice
on how to build accountability does not bode well for this recommendation as the next section
illustrates
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McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
29
IV DPLs as Instruments to Promote Environment and Governance An important background study with relevance to DPLs focuses on Environmental Governance
and Institutions38
Furthering the goals of environmental sustainability involves balancing a
number of different objectives Building capacity for policy formulation in the short term
involves achievement of feasible environmental goals within the constraints placed by existing
institutions and governance structures At the same time the Bank must strive to strengthen and
improve those same institutions and governance structures The goal in the longer term would be
to help establish competent institutions capable of picking up signals about problems balancing
interests fairly and efficiently in formulating policies and executing policies in an accountable
manner39
The paper ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role
of the World Bank Grouprdquo explores how the Bank might realize its comparative advantage in
institutional capacity strengthening The paper suggests that the principal challenge for the Bank
is to establish a better methodology to measure effectiveness lacking of clear metrics to measure
Institutional Capacity Strengthening Some proposed indicators
Long-term engagement (as in commitments carried forward through programmatic
lending)
Metrics for how to do quality EIA SEA
Policy formulation
Ensure adequate staffingresources
Ability to achieve inter-sectoral inter-governmental or civil society coordination
Independent oversight
Reform durability
Among the different instruments that the WB employs to strengthen environmental governance
the paper focuses on investment lending analytical work and non-reimbursable operations such
as GEF projects) However many of the findings are directly applicable to DPLs
ldquoThe results of our content analysis indicated that the critical institutional ability of
accountability requires more attention in WBG operations We recommend that
Development Policy Loans (DPLs) could be applied more directly to strengthen
institutional accountability DPLs have been used to reform formal rules that govern
38
Melanie Eltz Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening Environmental Institutions
and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment
Strategy The World Bank (Nov 3 2010) httpgoworldbankorg7LIFDR16C0 39
World Bank Environmental Strategy Review ldquoEnvironmental Governance and Institutions Concept Note citing
The World Development Report 2003 Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World Transforming Institutions
Growth and Quality of Life Washington DC
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
30
environmental institutions and to recognize achievements These loans could also be
made more effective by fully incorporating recommendations from CEA and SEArdquo40
However increased reliance on DPLs should break with a pattern of building accountability only
from the top down another finding revealed in the study
Accountable institutions not only require the staffing expertise and resources at all-levels of
government to implement policy but are held accountable by mandates circumscribed by clear
formal rules along with independent oversight institutions and the judiciary The WBG has
sought to strengthen these abilities by activities such as securing independent budget support to
ensure reform durability supporting the drafting of policy which requires judicial oversight and
again supporting civil society organizations However when Bank effort is compared across all
four institutional abilities the tendency suggests that recent projects have not been targeting
evenly in its Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) investments in line
with the policy advice in the World Development Report (WDR) 2003
Improving institutional accountability involves activities designed to increase the demand for
good governance such as strengthening civil society organizations formulating policy which
requires judicial oversight and support for greater transparency The portfolio content analysis
results reported in Table 1 illustrate that building environmental accountability is the lowest
emphasis of the World Bank support over the past decade These types of investments
accounted for only 12 of the ENRM portfolio ldquoEnsuring that the environmental institutions
are being held accountable by strengthening civil society organizations and oversight institutions
has received relatively less focus and may be an area of future engagement for the WBGrdquo41
Table 1 WB Environmental Projects by Institutional Ability Targeted (from WB report)42
40
Eltz et al (2010) pg 5 41
Op cit pg 3 The paper reviewed 522 projects financed by the World Bank between 2002-2009 classified under
the Environment and Natural Resources Management theme 42
Op cit pg 12
Note The percent of the portfolio does not add to 100 percent because most
projects targeted multiple institutional abilities
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
31
Not only have recent environmental DPLs not included bottom up accountability conditions
they have at times included conditions that run contrary to the very oversight institutions that
are important for governance but have not received as much Bank support The authors suggest
that the Ministeacuterio Puacuteblico Federal (MPF Public Prosecutors Office) in Brazil is a positive
example of an institution capable of promoting compliance and enforcing environmental laws
and regulations despite the limited direct Bank support for this institution at the Federal level43
This analysis of the Brazilian Public Prosecutors Office suggests a possible area for reform
priority in a future DPL44
In fact the SEM DPL currently in execution in Brazil includes a condition that focuses on what
some perceive to be a weakening of the MPF accountability role The first objective in the
SEM DPL is to ldquoimprove effectiveness of government agencies in implementing mandated
Brazilian environmental and social management proceduresrdquo The outcome indicator for this
objective is proposed as follows ldquoImprove the environmental licensing process using as proxy
the 20 decrease of the number of judicially challenged licenses by Public Prosecutors Office
compared with the number of environmental licenses issued at the Federal level during 2002-
2007rdquo Implicit in this outcome indicator and in the most recent World Bank CEA for Brazil
that focuses on obstacles to the environmental licensing process particularly for hydroelectric
dams is the argument that the MPF is in part responsible for unnecessary delays in licensing
high risk projects The DPL goal of ldquodepoliticizingrdquo the licensing process measured by a net
reduction in the number of judicially challenged licenses could reflect a weakening of the MPF
ability to intervene in the environmental licensing process in defense of the legitimate rights of
affected communities45
To understand whether the ldquodemandrdquo side of governance activities were being targeted as
opposed to the ldquosupplyrdquo side categories of accountability were devised to distinguish between
these two approaches to building accountability Supply refers to activities targeted at those
organizations and stakeholders tasked with the supply of environmental services (mainly
Ministries) while demand-side generally refers to civil society organizations which demand the
environmental service and to activities aimed to increase their participation In the study supply
and demand designations were made based on the type of stakeholder engaged in that activity
The limited attention paid to accountability in the portfolio reflects the greater emphasis on
strictly supply-side than demand-side operations in the portfolio As Figure 7(from the World
Bank study) depicts operations which involved solely supply-side interventions represent the
majority of the portfolio and serve to target the key institutional abilities other than
accountability Most often strictly supply-side interventions involved training and technical
capacity development within key government ministries Supply-side operations also consisted
of the creation of new technical monitoring divisions within environment ministries such as the
Center for Biodiversity Monitoring and Forecasting in the Brazilian Ministry of Environment
43
Through recent investment loans the World Bank has provided some technical support to the MP at the Federal
and at several state level agencies to strengthen capacity for review of environmental and social law compliance 44
See Box 4 and Annex 2 LCR Institutional and Governance Briefs The Case of the Public Prosecutors Office in
Brazil pgs 54-60 45
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydropower Developments in Brazil A Contribution to the
Debaterdquo Report No 40995-BR)
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
32
Formulation of new regulatory frameworks and the integration of environmental concerns into
other sectors are other examples of supply-side activities
Figure 8 Projects by Institutional Abilities and SupplyDemand Point of Entry (Figure 1 in World Bank report)
The authors note that similar conclusions were reached in a recent review of CEAs (Pillai 2008)
which found that while CEAs had helped to improve the quality of institutional analysis they
had focused on public sector institutions rather than private sector or civil society Within public
sector CEAs tend to focus on mandates staffing and resources rather than decision-making
processes or assessment of vertical and horizontal accountability structures
Also relevant to learning about effective use of DPLs is the finding of little differentiation
between Bank instruments for environmental governance when controlling for income or
political stability suggesting a relatively weak assessment of governance contexts to inform the
most efficient use of these resources An analysis of the distribution of governance interventions
by level of democracy reveals that accountability was slightly more favored in weak democracies
when compared to strong democracies or autocracies However the content analysis leaves little
doubt that the key institutional ability of accountability highlighted in the WDR 2003 appears to
be under-emphasized regardless of country type and therefore a deficit that that Bank might
consider compensating in future engagement through DPLs or other instruments that focus on
and partner with civil societyrdquo46
46
Eltz et al (2010) pgs 21-22
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
33
This analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a further
rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency and
results Future DPLs to strengthen environmental institutions and governance should ensure
greater civil society involvement both in the design and implementation of the DPL but also in
the desired outcome of building accountability DPLs could promote greater demand side
accountability by including specific conditions and outcome indicators that promote and measure
the empowerment of civil society organizations to monitor compliance with national and local
sustainability commitments
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
34
V Conclusions
In this brief the first of two that focuses on the evolving relationship between the World Bank
and middle income countries such as Brazil we examine the shifts in the Bankrsquos portfolio the
safeguard policy framework and the emergence of new less prescriptive lending instruments
Since 2004 development policy operations have emerged as a preferred financial instrument for
a growing number of clients Despite the popularity of DPLs including their employment in new
areas such as environmental governance concerns are mounting about effectiveness and
accountability
Both trends indicate a scenario where traditional safeguard policies may apply to as little as a
third of the World Bankrsquos future portfolio while DPLs and other less prescriptive and
accountable instruments expand as a share of Bank operations to keep middle income countries
borrowing
As competing sources of development finance have diminished the relative financial clout of the
World Bank and force it to modernize this institutional reform process must face an existential
question in the coming years Over the next decade many of the Bankrsquos largest borrowers will
approximate the graduation point Should the World Bank continue to privilege middle income
countries with concessional public credit Should middle income countries continue to play
such a decisive role in revising the safeguard policy framework that is most appropriate to the
World Bankrsquos poverty reduction mission for the coming decades
In the first of this two part analysis the DPL is examined as an example of institutional evolution
and survival at the World Bank in middle income countries such as Brazil There are many that
view the use of environmental DPLs as a forward looking and promising innovation by the
World Bank and support the experimentation with these new instruments As experiments the
Bank should emphasize learning and adjustment to fully maximize DPL potential This brief
lays out five recommendations for the World Bank to ensure that this experimentation with
environmental DPLs results in learning and effective development
A full external evaluation of DPLs - a product line that now constitutes 40 of the entire WBG
business is long overdue47
Such a future DPL evaluation should emphasize results particularly
in terms of strengthening environmental governance that have so far been overlooked by the
biannual management produced DPL retrospectives
As the World Bank sets out to review and update its Safeguard Policy framework over the next
two years the Operational Policy 860 governing the use of DPLs should be included in that
review Recent analysis of past Bank effort to build environmental governance should provide a
further rationale for revising Operational Policy 860 in the area of consultation transparency
and results The brief identifies five areas of DPL policy guidance that merit revision
47
See PRSC evaluation httpgoworldbankorgEF8P6W17T0 See also a review of six health sector
swaps httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
35
Concerns and Recommendations
1 Poor Cost Benefit Analysis of DPLs ndash No Justification of DPL Cost DPLs require better
cost effectiveness accountability All DPLs should include an explanation about how the total
operation amount was derived and how the specific instrument was compared to other alternative
instruments If the DPL is associated with any budget allocations this relationship should also
be clarified
2 Improved consultation and transparency is necessary to ensure legitimacy and likely
achievement of chosen DPL prior actions and triggers DPLs are not adequately transparent
or properly consulted which in turn undermines the quality of the design and outcomes
Improved guidance on minimal standards for acceptable transparency and consultation is
required
3 Guidance on assessment of environmental and social impacts in the design of DPLs
under OP 860 is ambiguous and therefore subject to excessive discretion in the alignment
of the DPL with the magnitude of risk Compared to the Bankrsquos safeguard framework for
traditional investment loans DPL Operational Policy provides significantly less accountability to
affected communities that may want to defend or challenge the proposed DPL conditions or the
process in which these conditions were negotiated or implemented
4 DPL Operational Policy has an inadequate framework for measuring institutional
capacity which diminishes the ability to demonstrate DPL effectiveness and clarify World
Bank additionality DPL should ensure evidence-based results that begin with a robust
monitoring and evaluation framework differentiated by institutional setting but guided by
standardized metrics that emphasize building demand for accountability
5 No differentiation among DPLs regarding coherence with relevant Bank investments or
planning commitment for longer time horizons To sustain momentum for reforms DPL
might anticipate and compensate for this institutional instability by privileging support for the
reform process within a framework that extends beyond a single DPL articulate with other Bank
instruments and invests more deeply in civil society based accountability mechanisms
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
36
Bibliography
Eltz Melanie and Urvashi Narain Alessandro Orfie and Robert Schneider ldquoStrengthening
Environmental Institutions and Governance What Should be the Role of the World Bank
Grouprdquo Background paper for the 2010 Environment Strategy The World Bank (Nov
3 2010)
de Gouvello Christophe (May 31 2010) ldquoBrazil Low-Carbon Country Case Studyrdquo World Bank
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2008) Poverty Reduction Support Credits
An Evaluation of World Bank Support World Bank
Keck Margaret ldquoPlanfloro in Rondonia The Limits of Leveragerdquo in J Fox and David Brown
ed (1998) The Struggle for Accountability The World Bank NGOs and Grassroots
Movements MIT Press
McElhinny Vincent (2010) ldquoWorld Bank evaluation shows decline of cost benefit accounting as
criteria for project approvalrdquo httpwwwbicusaorgenArticle12161aspx
Pillai P (2008) ldquoStrengthening Policy Dialogue on Environment Learning from Five Years of
Country Environmental Analysisrdquo Environment Department Papers Institutions and
Governance Series 114 WBG Washington DC
Pillai P and L Lunde (2006) ldquoCEA and Institutional Assessments A Review of International
and WBG Toolsrdquo Environment Strategy Paper Number 11 The WBG Environment
Department The WBG Washington DC
World Bank (2000) ldquoReforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance A WBG
Strategyrdquo Public Sector Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM)
Network The WBG Washington DC
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Notes For Development Policy Lendingrdquo (Oct 2004)
World Bank Group (2005) Integrating Environmental Considerations in Policy Formulation
Lessons from Policy-based SEA Experience Environment Dept
World Bank (2006) ldquoStrengthening the World Bankrsquos Engagement with IBRD Partner
Countriesrdquo Report DC2006-0014
World Bank Operational Policy 310 Annex C Financial Terms and Conditions of IBRD Loans
IBRD Hedging Products and IDA Grants (Updated December 2009)
World Bank Operational Policy OP 860 Development Policy Lending
World Bank ldquoGood Practice Note ndash Designing Development Policy Operations
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
37
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) ldquoAchieving Development Results in Middle-
Income Countriesrdquo October 18 2007 Washington DC
httpwwwworldbankorgiegmicconference
World Bank (2008) ldquoAssessing the Environmental Forest and Other Natural Resource Aspects
of Development Policy Lending A World Bank Toolkitrdquo
World Bank (2008) ldquoEnvironmental Licensing for Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil A
contribution to the Debate ldquo (Vol 1) Washington DC World Bank Report No 40995-
BR)
World Bank (IEG) (2008) Evaluation of WBG Support for the Environment
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2009) Do Health Sector-Wide Approaches
Achieve Results Emerging Evidence and Lessons from Six Countries
httpsiteresourcesworldbankorgEXTWBASSHEANUTPOPResourceswp4pdf
World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) (2010) ldquoSafeguards and Sustainability Policy
in a Changing Worldrdquo including World Bank Group Managements response
httpwwwworldbankorgiegsafeguards
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
38
Annex A Recent World Bank DPLs in Brazil
PROJECT ID
WORLD BANK BRAZIL DPL PROJECT NAME
LENDING INSTRUMENT
APPROVAL DATE
CLOSING DATE
TOTAL AMT
TEAM LEAD
IMP AGENCY URL
P122391 BR-Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Urban and Housing Development Project
Development Policy Lending
pipeline NA 485 Zhang Ming
SECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P122391
P082442 HD Programmatic Sector Reform Loan 2
Development Policy Lending
cancelled NA 500 Kebeck Lerick S
MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P082442
P111665 Rio de Janeiro Municipality Fiscal Consolidation for Efficiency and Growth DPL
Development Policy Lending
1-Jul-10 30-Jun-13 1045 Sakho Yaye Seynabou
SECRETARY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P111665
P117244 Fiscal Sustainability Human Development and Competitiveness DPL
Development Policy Lending
2-Feb-10 31-Dec-11
485 Gragnolati Michele
STATE SECRETARIAT OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P117244
P103770 ALAGOAS FISCAL AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM
Development Policy Lending
17-Dec-09 31-Dec-11
19545 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARIATS OF FINANCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P103770
P095205 First Programmatic Development Policy Loan for Sustainable Environmental Management
Development Policy Lending
5-Mar-09 31-Dec-10
1300 Lundell Mark R
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT amp BNDES
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095205
P106767 RIO GRANDE DO SUL FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Development Policy Lending
31-Jul-08 31-Dec-10
1100 Fajnzylber Pablo
STATE SECRETARY OF FINANCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P106767
P095675 Second Programmatic Sustainable and Equitable Growth Loan
Development Policy Lending
6-Jun-06 30-Jun-08 6015 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P095675
P088543 Minas Gerais Partnership for Development
Structural Adjustment Loan
11-Apr-06 31-Dec-07
170 Wetzel Deborah L
STATE GOVERNMENT OF MINAS GERAIS
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P088543
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
39
P078716 Programmatic Loan for Sustainable amp Equitable Growth Supporting Housing Sector Policy
Development Policy Lending
14-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 50252 Wahba Sameh Naguib
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P078716
P086525 BR PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM - SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
Development Policy Lending
2-Jun-05 30-Jun-06 6583 Zviniene Asta
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P086525
P080829 First Programmatic Reform Loan for Environmental Sustainability
Structural Adjustment Loan
24-Aug-04 31-Dec-04
50252 Azevedo Luiz Gabriel
MINISTRIES OF FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080829
P080827 Brazil First Programmatic Loan for Sustainable and Equitable Growth
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
19-Feb-04 31-Dec-04
50505 Reis Jose Guilherme
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080827
P070641 2ND PROGRAMMATIC FISCAL REFORM ADJUSTMENT LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
12-Jun-03 31-Dec-03
40404 Herrera Santiago
MIN DE FAZENDA NACIONAL amp MIN DO PLANEJAMENTO ORCAMENTO
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070641
P080746 HD PRGM SECTOR REFORM LOAN
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
25-Feb-03 31-Dec-03
50505 Lindert Kathy A
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P080746
P076905 Energy Sector Reform Loan Sector Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
45455 Porto Carreiro Jayme
MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P076905
P066259 2nd Programmatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
13-Jun-02 31-Dec-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P066259
P070640 First Programatic Financial Sector Adjustment Loan
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
24-May-01 31-Mar-02
40404 Kumar Anjali
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P070640
P060575 Programatic Fiscal Reform I
Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan
18-Jan-01 31-Mar-02
75758 Matsuda Yasuhiko
STATE DER httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P060575
P063341 Fiscal and Administrative Reform Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Carrizosa Mauricio
MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063341
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
40
P064901 Second Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan
Sector Adjustment Loan
30-Mar-00 31-Dec-00
50506 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY (MPAS)
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P064901
P063340 Social Security Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 7576 Cortes-Gorman Mariluz
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063340
P063351 Social Protection Special Sector Adjustment Loan Project
Sector Adjustment Loan
7-Jan-99 30-Jun-99 2525 Griffin Charles C
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
httpwebworldbankorgexternalprojectsmainpagePK=64283627amppiPK=73230amptheSitePK=40941ampmenuPK=228424ampProjectid=P063351
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
41
Annex B IBRD MIC Countries Per Capita Incomes Lending Eligibility and Repayment Terms
A IBRD Only 1
Category iv (over $6725)
Korea Rep of 21360 Chile 9400 Trinidad and Tobago 16540 Venezuela RB de 9230 Equatorial Guinea 14980 Turkey 9030 Antigua and Barbuda 13790 Palau 8600 Croatia 13740 Uruguay 8260 Poland 11880 Romania 7930 Libya 11590 Brazil 7450 St Kitts and Nevis 10920 Malaysia 7260 Seychelles 10290 Gabon 7240 Mexico 9980 Argentina 7200 Russian Federation 9680
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Botswana 6470 Belize 3790 Montenegro 6440 Ecuador 3640 Mauritius 6400 Thailand 3640 Lebanon 6350 El Salvador 3480 Panama 6180 Jordan 3310 Kazakhstan 6140 Tunisia 3290 Costa Rica 6060 Ukraine 3210 South Africa 5820 China 2940 Serbia 5690 Marshall Islands 2890 Bulgaria 5490 Turkmenistan 2840 Belarus 5380 Guatemala 2680 Suriname 5010 Morocco 2580 Jamaica 4870 Swaziland 2520 Colombia 4660 Micronesia Fed Sts 2340 Dominican Republic 4390 Syrian Arab Republic 2090 Algeria 4260 Paraguay 2070 Namibia 4200 Indonesia 2010 Macedonia FYR 4140 Philippines 1890 Peru 3990 Egypt Arab Republic 1800 Fiji 3920 Iran Islamic Republic NA Albania 3840 Iraq NA
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
42
B Blend2
Category iii ($1135 - $6725)
Grenada 5730 Azerbaijan 3830 St Lucia 5530 Armenia 3350 St Vincent and the Grenadines 5140 Cape Verde 3130 Dominica 4760 Georgia 2480 Bosnia amp Herzegovina 4500 Bolivia 1480
Category ii ($1135 or less)
India 1070 Pakistan 980
Papua New Guinea 1050
Category i ($975 or less)
Uzbekistan 910 Zimbabwe3 NA
Vietnam 910
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-
copy Bank Information Center 2011 ndash For more information visit wwwbicusaorg
McElhinny
43
Annex C DPL Trends by Region and Year
Figure 2 (from the IEG 2010 Annual Results Report) shows that IBRD DPLs peaked at about
$14 billion in FY99 then reached about half that in FY02 but has generally averaged about $4-
$5 billion annually since 1990
Figure 4 also from IEG RAP 2010 shows that the Latin American region has historically been
the most consistent consumer of DPLs While demand for DPLs by Asian countries exploded
just after the 1998 crisis it has virtually disappeared since
- VinceDPLTitlepdf
- World Bank and DPLs2-1pdf
-