World Bank Group │ What Have We Learned? The Evaluation Podcast

This episode explores lessons from the World Bank’s support to the blue economy, a widely recognized approach to shift the way we work and think in ocean spaces. Blue economy principles emphasize planning, restorative, and inclusive actions that support the sustainable and equitable management of ocean resources for future generations.

Supporting the creation of more, better, and more inclusive jobs is critical towards achieving the goals of poverty reduction and shared prosperity in countries. This is especially true for low-income countries that face multiple challenges, such as informal employment, inequality in earnings, and lack of opportunities, among others, when it comes to creating jobs. Tackling these multiple challenges requires a multipronged approach, including engaging with the private sector. Since 2014, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, the International Development Association (IDA) has made jobs a particular focus in its projects. In this episode, host, Birgit Hansl, Manager in the economic management and country program unit in IEG, speaks with Oscar Calvo-Gonzalez, Regional Director of the World Bank's Economic Policy Global Practice in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, and Rashmi Shankar, Lead Economist in IEG. Together, they unpack the challenges that low-income countries face in creating better jobs and discuss how the World Bank can help address some of these challenges focusing on the role of the private sector.

Geospatial analysis has the potential to provide new perspectives on major development challenges and shed new light on the impact of development interventions. This episode features a lively conversation about using geospatial analyses in evaluations, breakthroughs, challenges, and the future of this technology.

The World Bank is committed to reaching women and girls trapped in fragile, conflict-affected and violent contexts with support aimed at meaningful and lasting change. How is the World Bank approaching this challenge? What lessons can be learned from its experience?

The second episode on this series about taxes, or domestic revenue mobilization, features a conversation between IEG host Jeff Chelsky and Rusudan Kemularia, Head of the Tax Inspectors Without Boarders Secretariat at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Une récente évaluation menée par le Groupe indépendant d'évaluation (IEG) offre des enseignements pour orienter l'avenir de l'assistance de la Banque mondiale au Maroc, tout en mettant en lumière les principes fondamentaux d'une collaboration efficace avec les pays à revenu intermédiaire. Dans cet épisode, Estelle Raimondo et Sabine Durier se penchent sur le partenariat de la Banque mondiale avec le Maroc, sur ce qui a fonctionné ou pas. Estelle Raimondo, responsable des méthodes d’évaluation d'IEG, a dirigé la récente évaluation du programme pays du Maroc. Sabine Durier dirige le département de la gestion des connaissances et de la communication d'IEG.

Boosting energy efficiency is critical for addressing climate change. This episode explores lessons on how to scale up energy efficiency efforts to fully realize their potential.

This episode unpacks lessons about factors that facilitated the World Bank Group's strong response to the pandemic and explores areas that can be strengthened to boost crisis preparedness as we navigate compounding crises. Related Resources IEG Evaluation: The World Bank’s Early Support to Addressing COVID-19 Health and Social Response IEG Evaluation: The World Bank Group’s Early Support to Addressing the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Economic Response (April 2020-June 2021) Blog: Lessons for building on the World Bank’s unprecedented health and social response to COVID-19

Every year, the world generates 2 billion tons of trash, including 400 million tons of plastic. Most of this waste is mismanaged, piling up and flowing into our oceans, adding to greenhouse gas emissions and land and water pollution. A long-term solution requires the world to shift to a circular economy. What does circularity entail? What can we learn from global efforts to tackle solid waste, and in particular plastics? Host Jeff Chelsky talks trash with Steve Fletcher, Professor of Ocean Policy and Economy at the University of Portsmouth, to take stock of lessons from a waste crisis that is disproportionately affecting people in poverty.

Data are vital for understanding the progress and impact of strategies in global development. New technologies coupled with increased computing power are creating opportunities for gathering and analyzing ever larger amounts of data from a greater range of sources. In addition, remote data collection has played an important role in getting around the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But innovative use of technology began before the pandemic. How have new technologies influenced data gathering and use, and what are their implications for learning from evidence and for evaluating efforts in international development?

What have we learned from tackling previous debt crises? We discuss the conditions that steered low-income countries into the current wave of debt distress and possible paths development organizations can take to prevent a new crisis.

Millions of people rely on natural resources for their livelihoods and well-being. What have we learned from climate adaptation efforts to preserve and manage natural resources and their impact on local communities? Climate change is accelerating the degradation of natural resources, putting whole communities at risk. In this episode we take a look at the Great Green Wall, a large belt of trees stretching across 12 African states, developed to combat land degradation and desertification of the Sahel. The World Bank and its partners have invested over one billion dollars on this iconic project to preserve and manage natural resources. Listen in as Lauren Kelly, of the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), and Oumou Moumouni, of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN OCHA, share lessons learned from the implementation of these programs and their impact on local communities.