Annexes

The development objective of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Shanghai Agricultural and Non-Point Pollution Reduction Project is to reduce the rural and agricultural pollution to the East China Sea through demonstration of effective and innovative pollution reduction activities in Shanghai’s selected rural areas. Negative impacts include: rising dust; noise pollution; discarded soil and building refuse; living garbage; waste gas; air pollution; cultural relic; river course blocks; surface water environment; and solid waste. Mitigation measures include: 1) building materials such as sand and cement that produce rising dust easily should be put in proper place where there are wind-guard or retaining wall, put cement in storage, use dust cover when unload bulk cement; 2) choose low-noise machines and equipments. If the construction site is near residential quarters, should set up simple sound insulating board; 3) a certain amount of discarded soil and building refuse will be produced during the construction; 4) the vehicles that have bad combustion and emit waste gas heavily should be repaired before being used; 5) dust elimination measure must be taken in the workshop produced dust and the workers must have physical protection apparatus; and 6) prohibit that sewage and livestock waste discharge into epidemic prevention river.

China – Third Jiangxi Highway Project

This project paper introduces changes in the China, Third Jiangxi Highway Project, and accompanying amendments to the project’s legal documents. The specific changes will include: (i) reduction of the scope for Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) component and related adjustments in intermediate results and their indicators; and (ii) increase disbursement rate for the LRIP component from 25 percent to 41 percent. The amount of the loan allocated to LRIP, US$10 million will remained unchanged due to price escalation and the increase of the disbursement rate from 25 percent to 41 percent, which was recommended in order to fully utilize the Bank loan.

China – Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project

China – Second Energy Efficiency Financing Project

China – Liaoning and Shandong Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET II)

Summary of environmental impact assessment report

The objectives of the Chongqing Urban-Rural Integration Project (CURIP) for China is to: (a) increase access of rural residents in participating counties to improved basic public services (water supply, roads, sanitation, primary healthcare, and vocational education) towards achieving urban service levels in the Municipality; and (b) improve the administrative capacity of participating counties to design and manage facilities constructed under the project. Negative impacts include: traffic noise; pollution of surface water; air pollution; hazardous accident; soil conservation; construction noise; public disturbance; disease and pest prevention; and drainage system. Mitigation measures include: 1) in order to protect the environment and traffic safety, it is recommended to remove the non-traffic structures which are too close to the roadside; 2) diversion ditches are set up on the surface of bridge so as to prevent the surface flow on the bridge from entering the river directly; 3) prepare precautionary measures against the accidents and risks in the course of transportation of hazardous chemicals as well as collection and transportation of medical waste; 4) set up a temporary drainage ditch or add a retaining wall or toe block in the course of filling the sub-grade on the side slope; 5) keep the construction machines and vehicles in good working condition, reduce the simultaneous working time of noisy equipments; 6) prevent the oil material of bridge construction machinery from leaking, it is forbidden to throw sewage or garbage into water; 7) timber for construction from other areas must pass the inspection at local forest pest and disease prevention stations; undertake corresponding measures to the site, vehicle or equipment whose measurement exceeds the noise and air pollution standard; 9) periodically clean up the drainage system; and 10) water supply plant should standardize their draining exit for better management, inspection and supervision.

China : urban services and governance

The study addresses governance challenges in public service delivery in China. It builds on the citizen scorecard survey conducted in five Chinese cities in 2006 to gauge citizens’ experience with public services, and demonstrates the usefulness of citizens’ feedback for policy development and implementation. The survey found that citizens were generally pleased with urban public services, but worried about the associated fees. Compared with the official urban residents, the urban poor and rural migrants in cities reported sharper utilization constraints, lower readiness to complain or pay informal fees, and a much larger income share spent on public services. The reported citizens’ perceptions sometimes diverged from the evidence and pointed to significant information asymmetries. Explaining the survey results, the study reveals problems of inadequacy, inequality and misaligned incentives in public resource allocation. The study presents several successful experiments reducing the dependence on user fees in basic education and primary healthcare. It recognizes that China has been undertaking comprehensive reforms to enhanceequity and quality in public service delivery. Such reforms have included measures to strengthen the regulatory, monitoring, and enforcement systems and accountability relationships. In the context of the ongoing reforms, this study highlights the need to: a) hold the provincial governments accountable for public service delivery performance; b) develop effective mechanisms to align public resources and incentives at each level of government with the national priorities; and c) develop proper means to empower the citizens. In this context, the study affirms that the Chinese government is rightly placing reforms in the intergovernmental, administrative, and public finance systems at the top of its agenda.

Environmental management plan : Lu’an

The objective of the Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project in China is to enhance to the mobility of the citizens of the project cities along critical corridors. Negative impacts of the project are as follows: surrounding scenes will be destroyed, explosion risks in oil station, wastewater discharge will pollute the surface water, impact on residents going out and crossing the street, impact of traffic noise to residential life, impact on air quality, impact on surrounding transportation, noise impacts during construction period, impact on ambient air, and impacts on rivers of sewage. Mitigation measures include: 1) the fuel and gas station should be designed with safety distance, fire proof, lightening proof, and static power proof requirements; 2) design overflow-prevention pond of oil tank; 3) the fuel and gas station at the bus maintenance fields in Lion mountain and Hongguang road should be far away from resident districts; 4) as for the crossings and in front of school and hospital, design cross-street signal control points or erect an overpass for the convenience of crossing street; 5) design the sensitive points of ambient air quality within this range to be gradually moved or reconstructed to mall, office building, warehouse and other enclosure buildings; 6) adopt advanced low-noise equipment as much as possible and abandon seriously damaged equipment. The construction equipment used near sensitive points should be maintained and protected periodically, reduce the influence extent on ambient environment; 7) the road should be constructed within redline range during construction period, the soil and materials should not be stacked in near farmlands; and during excavation, drilling and removal course, spray water to keep operation at a certain humidity; as for loose and dry surface soil in the construction site, often spray water to prevent dust; when backfilling, properly spray water when the surface soil is dry to prevent dust flying; prohibit construction in big windy day and confirm the construction place properly.

Environmental management plan : Wuhu

The objective of the Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project in China is to enhance to the mobility of the citizens of the project cities along critical corridors. Negative impacts of the project are as follows: surrounding scenes will be destroyed, explosion risks in oil station, wastewater discharge will pollute the surface water, impact on residents going out and crossing the street, impact of traffic noise to residential life, impact on air quality, impact on surrounding transportation, noise impacts during construction period, impact on ambient air, and impacts on rivers of sewage. Mitigation measures include: 1) the fuel and gas station should be designed with safety distance, fire proof, lightening proof, and static power proof requirements; 2) design overflow-prevention pond of oil tank; 3) the fuel and gas station at the bus maintenance fields in Lion mountain and Hongguang road should be far away from resident districts; 4) as for the crossings and in front of school and hospital, design cross-street signal control points or erect an overpass for the convenience of crossing street; 5) design the sensitive points of ambient air quality within this range to be gradually moved or reconstructed to mall, office building, warehouse and other enclosure buildings; 6) adopt advanced low-noise equipment as much as possible and abandon seriously damaged equipment. The construction equipment used near sensitive points should be maintained and protected periodically, reduce the influence extent on ambient environment; 7) the road should be constructed within redline range during construction period, the soil and materials should not be stacked in near farmlands; and during excavation, drilling and removal course, spray water to keep operation at a certain humidity; as for loose and dry surface soil in the construction site, often spray water to prevent dust; when backfilling, properly spray water when the surface soil is dry to prevent dust flying; prohibit construction in big windy day and confirm the construction place properly.

Environmental impact assessment

The objective of the Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project in China is to enhance to the mobility of the citizens of the project cities along critical corridors. Negative impacts of the project are as follows: surrounding scenes will be destroyed, explosion risks in oil station, wastewater discharge will pollute the surface water, impact on residents going out and crossing the street, impact of traffic noise to residential life, impact on air quality, impact on surrounding transportation, noise impacts duringconstruction period, impact on ambient air, and impacts on rivers of sewage. Mitigation measures include: 1) the fuel and gas station should be designed with safety distance, fire proof, lightening proof, and static power proof requirements; 2) design overflow-prevention pond of oil tank; 3) the fuel and gas station at the bus maintenance fields in Lion mountain and Hongguang road should be far away from resident districts; 4) as for the crossings and in front of school and hospital, design cross-street signal control points or erect an overpass for the convenience of crossing street; 5) design the sensitive points of ambient air quality within this range to be gradually moved or reconstructed to mall, office building, warehouse and other enclosure buildings; 6) adopt advanced low-noise equipment as much as possible and abandon seriously damaged equipment. The construction equipment used near sensitive points should be maintained and protected periodically, reduce the influence extent on ambient environment; 7) the road should be constructed within redline range during construction period, the soil and materials should not be stacked in near farmlands; and during excavation, drilling and removal course, spray water to keep operation at a certain humidity; as for loose and dry surface soil in the construction site, often spray water to prevent dust; when backfilling, properly spray water when the surface soil is dry to prevent dust flying; prohibit construction in big windy day and confirm the construction place properly.

China – Second Phase Wuhan Municipal Traffic Project : resettlement action plan

The objective of the Second Phase Wuhan Municipal Traffic Project for China is to enhance mobility within and to the central area of Wuhan (the area within the 2nd Ring Road) in an environmentally sustainable, integrated, and safe manner. Some of the negative impacts and their mitigation measures are as follows: carry out project optimization and comparative selection, make consideration as most as possible to the impact of project construction on local society and economy, and try to occupy vacant land and minimize the occupation of cultivated land if land occupation is unavoidable; 2) minimize relocation if it is unavoidable, and regard it as one key indicator for program optimization and comparative selection. Meanwhile, reserve reasonable space for the connection of this project with other municipal facilities; 3) make full consideration to and try to minimize land acquisition and relocation when comparing different design programs; 4) include station construction in the urban construction planning, and carry out reserve control for station location to avoid the impact of land acquisition and relocation; 5) if land occupation is necessary, try to occupy vacant land without relocation; 6) if relocation is unavoidable, select land sections with low building density and small affected population; 7) during the relocation, get help and support from local governmental authorities to ensure the smooth implementation of resettlement, and to reduce the pressure and loss of displaced persons, institutions and enterprises; and notify in advance displaced persons, arrange sites for relocation, compensate the loss of displaced persons, minimize the idling period, and provide jobs for employees of affected enterprises.

Environmental management plan : AnQing

The objective of the Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project in China is to enhance to the mobility of the citizens of the project cities along critical corridors. Negative impacts of the project are as follows: surrounding scenes will be destroyed, explosion risks in oil station, wastewater discharge will pollute the surface water, impact on residents going out and crossing the street, impact of traffic noise to residential life, impact on air quality, impact on surrounding transportation, noise impacts during construction period, impact on ambient air, and impacts on rivers of sewage. Mitigation measures include: 1) the fuel and gas station should be designed with safety distance, fire proof, lightening proof, and static power proof requirements; 2) design overflow-prevention pond of oil tank; 3) the fuel and gas station at the bus maintenance fields in Lion mountain and Hongguang road should be far away from resident districts; 4) as for the crossings and in front of school and hospital, design cross-street signal control points or erect an overpass for the convenience of crossing street; 5) design the sensitive points of ambient air quality within this range to be gradually moved or reconstructed to mall, office building, warehouse and other enclosure buildings; 6) adopt advanced low-noise equipment as much as possible and abandon seriously damaged equipment. The construction equipment used near sensitive points should be maintained and protected periodically, reduce the influence extent on ambient environment; 7) the road should be constructed within redline range during construction period, the soil and materials should not be stacked in near farmlands; and during excavation, drilling and removal course, spray water to keep operation at a certain humidity; as for loose and dry surface soil in the construction site, often spray water to prevent dust; when backfilling, properly spray water when the surface soil is dry to prevent dust flying; prohibit construction in big windy day and confirm the construction place properly.

Environmental management plan : Huaibei

The objective of the Anhui Medium Cities Urban Transport Project in China is to enhance to the mobility of the citizens of the project cities along critical corridors. Negative impacts of the project are as follows: surrounding scenes will be destroyed, explosion risks in oil station, wastewater discharge will pollute the surface water, impact on residents going out and crossing the street, impact of traffic noise to residential life, impact on air quality, impact on surrounding transportation, noise impacts during construction period, impact on ambient air, and impacts on rivers of sewage. Mitigation measures include: 1) the fuel and gas station should be designed with safety distance, fire proof, lightening proof, and static power proof requirements; 2) design overflow-prevention pond of oil tank; 3) the fuel and gas station at the bus maintenance fields in Lion mountain and Hongguang road should be far away from resident districts; 4) as for the crossings and in front of school and hospital, design cross-street signal control points or erect an overpass for the convenience of crossing street; 5) design the sensitive points of ambient air quality within this range to be gradually moved or reconstructed to mall, office building, warehouse and other enclosure buildings; 6) adopt advanced low-noise equipment as much as possible and abandon seriously damaged equipment. The construction equipment used near sensitive points should be maintained and protected periodically, reduce the influence extent on ambient environment; 7) the road should be constructed within redline range during construction period, the soil and materials should not be stacked in near farmlands; and during excavation, drilling and removal course, spray water to keep operation at a certain humidity; as for loose and dry surface soil in the construction site, often spray water to prevent dust; when backfilling, properly spray water when the surface soil is dry to prevent dust flying; prohibit construction in big windy day and confirm the construction place properly.

Lock-in effects of road expansion on CO2 emissions : results from a core-periphery model of Beijing

In the urban planning literature, it is frequently explicitly asserted or strongly implied that ongoing urban sprawl and decentralization can lead to development patterns that are unsustainable in the long run. One manifestation of such an outcome is that if extensive road investments occur, urban sprawl and decentralization are advanced and locked-in, making subsequent investments in public transit less effective in reducing vehicle kilometers traveled by car, gasoline use and carbon dioxide emissions. Using a simple core-periphery model of Beijing, the authors numerically assess this effect. The analysis confirms that improving the transit travel time in Beijing’s core would reduce the city’s overall carbon dioxide emissions, whereas the opposite would be the case if peripheral road capacity were expanded. This effect is robust to perturbations in the model’s calibrated parameters. In particular, the effect persists for a wide range of assumptions about how location choice depends on travel time and a wide range of assumptions about other aspects of consumer preferences.

Learning from China’s Experience to Help Africa’s Development

In July, 2009, 33 senior officials from 19 West and Central African countries came to China and participated in a High-Level China-Africa Experience-Sharing Program on Development, jointly organized by China’s Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and State Council’s Leading Group Office for Poverty Alleviation and the World Bank. 

The program was composed of a three-day workshop, a five-day field visit and a final half-day wrap-up session.  The workshop focused on presentations and discussions on China’s reform strategy, agriculture and rural poverty reduction, infrastructure development, FDI and Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and China’s engagement with Africa.

After the workshop, two parallel field visits were organized. One group of African decision makers traveled to Shandong, a coastal province in east China.  Shandong has achieved rapid agricultural development and poverty reduction since reform started in 1978, with rural per capita income up from less than CNY1,000 to CNY17,000 in 2008. The introduction of agricultural technology and vegetable wholesale market facilitated agricultural exports and incorporated farmers into the global value chain.

In Shandong, the African visitors were shown a range of projects including a water supply reservoir, an integrated modern agricultural development project, a bio-gas project, a vegetable wholesale market, a river environment improvement project, an economic and technological development zone, and a port.  Local hosts briefed them on how Shandong made rapid progress through market-oriented reforms and integrated rural development.

In Qingdao, the African visitors were impressed by a dynamic, open and fast growing city. Thanks to the efforts to create a good investment climate, Qingdao managed to attract FDI and develop several industrial clusters including high technology, electronics, logistics and modern services, and petroleum and chemical clusters.

The other group of African participants went to Fujian, another fast-growing coastal province. Fujian has focused on provision of water, roads, electricity, connectivity, health and education services, and given priority to promotion of labor migration, skills training and job creation, and encouraging coastal enterprises to invest in poor mountainous areas, leading to significant poverty reduction.  A favorable investment climate and a learning environment were the key to attracting FDI which in turn brought technology, financing and innovation.  Public-private partnership played a crucial role in infrastructure development.

The African officials heard about a variety of new and innovative approaches adopted when they visited a fruit and vegetable processing site, honey pomelo and tea production centers, a mobile phone manufacturer, an aircraft engineering company, an automotive manufacturing company, an aviation industry park, a hi-tech industrial development zone, and a container terminal. They also talked with local government officials, farmers and entrepreneurs to hear their experience.

During the wrap-up session, the African participants shared their reflections from the field visits. They were impressed by:

• the scale and speed of China’s development; the excellent infrastructure not only in cities but also in rural areas;
• the public-private partnership in infrastructure including the extensive use of user fees to recover construction cost;
• the development-oriented, integrated poverty reduction approach incorporating agricultural development, skill training, and social services provision;
• the competitive environment among enterprises, cities, counties and provinces;
• the strong government commitment and determination to development at all levels;
• the pragmatic approach and the strong capacity and efficiency of implementation at all levels; and
• the unique “collective learning and innovative spirit”, demonstrated by local officials, entrepreneurs and villagers, that has helped China take advantage of  globalization, learning by doing, learning by experimenting and gradually moving up the global production value chain.

The African participants felt inspired by what they saw, heard and learned. They saw China’s experience as offering a different and refreshing perspective on development. They felt many of China’s experiences could be adapted and adopted in Africa. For example, “when China started its reform, agriculture was as important as it is in many African countries now,” noted Yaouba ABDOULAYE, Cameroon’s Vice Minister of Planning and Territorial Management.

“We hope this will not be a one-off event, but part of a process”, said Vice Minister Togba Nah TIPOTEH from Liberia in his closing remarks on behalf of all the participants.

Several parts of the World Bank assisted in organizing the program. The World Bank Institute put together the program structure and content.  The African Region helped identify the speakers.  And the East Asia and Pacific Region provided funding support.  Staff from all three units and from IFC participated in delivery of the program. This was the second major event of the multi-year program. The first learning event took place in May 2008, with participants coming from East and Southern African countries. 

China – Wenchuan Earthquake Recovery Project : procurement plan

China – Global Environment Facility (GEF) Shanghai Agricultural and Non-Point Pollution Reduction Project

China – Integrated Forestry Development Project

China – Shandong Ecological Afforestation Project

China – Integrated Forestry Development Project

World Bank Report Highlights Need for Continued Reform Efforts in China’s Rural Health Sector

Contacts:

Li Li, 86-10-5861 7850

Lli2@worldbank.org 

 

Beijing, July 23, 2009 – A new report by the World Bank presented in Beijing today commends the government’s health reform efforts to date, concurs that its planned further reforms are necessary, and offers ideas for concretizing the broad ideas set out in the recently-issued government’s masterplan. The report also uses the experiences of the OECD countries to gaze into China’s future: it asks not only what China’s health system might look like but also how the country might get there from where it is today.

 

The report, Reforming China’s Rural Health System, begins by setting the context for the recent and planned reforms by examining the symptoms and causes of China’s health challenges at the start of the new Millennium. In the 1980s and 1990s improvements in health outcomes were outpaced by China’s economic growth. Inequalities emerged. Health care costs rose rapidly, and made health care unaffordable for some. The causes included: the decline of the old commune-based rural health insurance system; the relatively slow growth of government health expenditure; the shift from government finance of health facilities to patients paying out-of-pocket; relative prices that resulted in health providers earning higher margins on drugs and tests; and the high degree of fiscal decentralization, with fiscal transfers reducing but not eliminating geographic inequalities in fiscal capacity. 

 

Reforming China’s Rural Health System next looks at the health reforms of the 2000’s. It concurs with the government that the reforms were a major step in the right direction. The report goes on to set out ways to address the remaining challenges in the context of the government’s ongoing reform efforts. It looks at options for raising further revenues for the new cooperative medical insurance scheme (NRCMS) and the targeting of NRCMS subsidies, exploring possible mechanisms for a tighter link between household and local government contributions on the one hand and income levels on the other. The report explores options for a benefit package that covers outpatient and preventive care, and has smaller deductibles. It discusses how NRCMS might evolve from being a passive bill-payer into a “purchaser” of services, including primary care.

 

Reforming China’s Rural Health System also sets out ideas for reform, at a time when the government has called for sweeping reforms for the years 2009-2011.  For example it looks at medium-term reform in service delivery and public health. It discusses options for revising prices and shifting ultimately from fee-for-service to prospective payments. It also discusses the interrelated issues of health facility autonomy and governance. It calls for a balancing of government regional planning with more autonomy and accountability at the facility level under a revised incentive framework.  In public health, Reforming China’s Rural Health System reaffirms the importance of public finance, and the need for generous central government transfers that limit geographic differences in public health capacities. The report discusses ways of clarifying responsibilities in public health at different levels of government, and across agencies including NRCMS.

 

“This volume will be immensely useful, not only for informing the ongoing national health reform in China, but also for many other countries around the world struggling with similar issues.” said Emanuel Jimenez, Director of Human Development for the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific region. 

 

“Reforming China’s Rural Health System not only breaks new ground analytically but provides an evidence-base for Chinese policymakers in assessing and implementing reforms”, said Jack Langenbrunner, Human Development Coordinator of the World Bank’s China program.  Mr. Langenbrunner continued: “The report comes at an opportune time in the Government-Bank partnership to fund grants to ‘flagship counties’ in eight provinces to design and implement a series of reforms in financing, delivery, and public health.  The report is a tutorial for the student just starting, or a useful guide for the seasoned policymaker leading the effort at any level… The student of health care policy will better understand the missteps of the ‘market reforms’ of the 1980s and 1990s, but will be heartened by the strides to reestablish a system in this decade which may lead to improved efficiency, better outcomes and financial protection.” 

The final part of the report looks to the longer-term reform agenda.  The reader can align the authors thinking with China’s health care reform strategy through 2020.  It looks at some of the challenges created by fragmentation across insurance schemes and the reliance on individual contributions. Possible problems based on the experience of OECD countries include inefficiencies in the delivery of care, adverse selection through selective enrollment, underreporting of earnings, and informal work arrangements to avoid mandatory contributions. The report discussed options for narrowing gaps between schemes, for joint management, and for the eventual merger under a single health finance agency, either at the provincial level or national level.  Finally, Reforming China’s Rural Health System examines different options for a unified financing model, including a tax-financed minimum benefit package (whose generosity might vary geographically), with voluntary contributions to expand benefits above the minimum.

Evaluating the Impact of Development Programs: Turning Promises into Evidence

A one-week Impact Evaluation Workshop, jointly organized by the World Bank and National Development and Reform Commission and funded by the Spanish Trust Fund, will be held in Beijing on July 20-24, 2009. With the objective to give participants an overview of impact evaluation, this workshop will include cutting edge techniques of impact evaluation, an understanding of its importance for policymaking and program design, a clear understanding of how to construct a results chain, and practical skills in the application of impact evaluation techniques to their own projects. About 200 participants are expected for the workshop.

The workshop is a highly interactive mix of small and large group sessions involving the “hands on” application of what is learned throughout the week.  The first day is a plenary discussion for all participants.  On days 2 and 3, participants choose between parallel tracks — one targeted to policy makers, one targeted to researchers –- which cover the same topics, but with different degrees of econometrics.  Both tracks are designed to ensure consistency and the diffusion of key messages to both groups. From the very first day of the workshop until the last one, participants (policymakers, technical staff and World Bank task team leaders) will work together as project teams with expert moderators on the “hands-on” design of a high quality impact evaluations and implementation plans for their projects.  On the final day of the workshop, the teams present their proposed evaluation plans to the whole group and receive guidance from each other and the course moderators.

Workshop Structure:

The workshop is organized into plenary, parallel and small group sessions. The plenary sessions are for all participants, while the parallel sessions are divided between “Policymaker” and “Technical Track” tracks.

- Policymaker Sessions are designed for professionals working in an operational capacity and responsible for oversight, implementation and logistics of impact evaluations. These sessions provide the theoretical foundation for identifying causality and the different evaluation methodologies.  The policy sessions also cover practical techniques for building high quality impact evaluations into new programs, including sampling designs, roll-out strategies and other operational tools.

- Technical Track Sessions are geared towards professionals that want to deepen their knowledge of econometric estimation methodologies as applied to impact evaluations.. These sessions cover the theoretical foundation for identifying causality and the different evaluation methodologies used to conduct impact evaluations, using econometric and statistical notation as well as case studies that illustrate the clear link between theory and practice.

- Small Group Sessions reinforce the material covered in the plenary and parallel tracks and foster participation and interaction among participants.  Expert moderators will work with each group to guide the conversation and provide technical support.  On days 1, 2 and 4, groups focus on the development of a rigorous impact evaluation design for their own projects.  On day 3, groups will work on a case study. On day 5, working groups present the impact evaluation design for their own projects to the larger group for feedback. 

 

Financial Crisis Highlights Need for More Social Safety Nets, Including Conditional Cash Transfers

Related Contents

> Download the Report

Beijing, July 15, 2009 – Demand for well-designed safety net and cash transfer programs to assist poor families is growing across the world, as 2009 has developed into a year of tough economic challenges-especially for households already hit by the recent food and fuel crises, and for governments concerned that the financial crisis could turn into a humanitarian one, according to a World Bank report presented in Beijing today.

The report, Conditional Cash Transfers: Reducing Present and Future Poverty, evaluates CCT programs that offer qualifying families cash in exchange for commitments such as taking babies to health clinics regularly or keeping children in school. It finds that these programs—where the responsibility for breaking out of poverty is shared by the state and poor households—can reduce poverty both in the short and long term, particularly when supported by better public services.

 

After early successes in South Asia and Latin America, CCT programs are now found on every continent. They operate in more than two dozen developing countries, as well as in several developed countries, including the United States. In countries such as Mexico and Brazil, CCT programs were introduced as part of larger efforts to make safety nets more effective, replace badly targeted subsidies, or integrate smaller programs. Colombia’s nationwide Familias program has generated important and positive evaluation results and has received sustained support from the World Bank.

 

CCTs have also grown tremendously within countries. Mexico’s Progresa began in 1997 with 300,000 households; its successor Oportunidades now reaches 5 million households. Positive evaluations by researchers encouraged this scaling up. In economic terms, the program’s transfers account for about one-fifth of the consumption of the median recipient household.

 

« With their focus on mothers and young people and their ability to deliver critical health and education services, conditional cash transfers are a vital safety net for countries seeking to help those hardest hit by the financial crisis, » said Justin Lin, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President, Development Economics.

 

The report’s analysis of more than 20 impact evaluation studies of these programs shows that CCTs have led to many positive results: higher household consumption; increased use of preventive health services; a reduction in child labor; and higher school enrolment.

« CCT programs have also helped modernize social sector management since they require coordination across many agencies, » said Ariel Fiszbein, report co-author and Chief Economist for Human Development at the World Bank. « Many have built in careful monitoring and evaluation that is invaluable in assessing results objectively and helping design better programs going forward. »

 

KEY LESSONS LEARNED

 

CCT programs should be seen as part of a social protection system. CCT programs are mainly intended to support poor households with children. They should be supplemented by other transfer programs such as social pensions or workfare to provide social protection to all vulnerable groups.

 

CCT programs have reduced poverty. In general, transfers have been well targeted to poor households, raising consumption levels among beneficiaries, and reducing the incidence of poverty by several percentage points. Concerns that participants might exit the labor force or have more children as a result of receiving cash are not borne out-such effects were absent or very small.

 

CCT programs have increased the use of health and education services. For example, in Mexico the CCT program decreased the drop-out rate between 6th and 7th grade by 9 percentage points; while in Cambodia, two pilot programs have reduced the drop-out rate between these grades by 20 to 30 percentage points. In Pakistan, another program increased the number of 10- to14-year-old girls in school by 11 percentage points. CCT programs have increased the use of preventive health care services in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua by between 8 and 33 percentage points. Encouragingly, many of these improvements have been concentrated among the poorest households.

 

CCT programs cannot work in isolation. Using services more has not always translated into improved outcomes in health and education. For example, in Cambodia and Mexico higher school enrollment rates have not been matched by better performance in learning tests. To actually reduce child mortality or improve learning, CCTs need to be complemented by higher-quality education and health services and a strong focus on giving children a head start, such as via better nutrition or preschool programs.

 

« CCT programs enable households to make critical investments in child nutrition, health, and education, » concluded Norbert Schady, report co-author and a Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Development Research Group. « But many obstacles remain at the household level, including a lack of information and inadequate parenting practices. CCT programs are now experimenting with new complementary approaches to help address these constraints. »

 

“CCT programs have growing relevance for China,” noted Jack Langenbrunner, Human Development Sector Coordinator in the World Bank’s Beijing office.  “In Health, coupon programs are being piloted in Chongqing, allowing mothers to better access post-natal care services and child nutritional supplements.  With growing numbers of multi-drug resistant TB patients (now over 100,000), CCTs also could be utilized to improve compliance with drug treatment programs, helping patients and reducing risks to those around them.  To improve the quality and effectiveness of education, CCTs hold the potential in areas such as Early Childhood Development to provide cash to poor families if they can send kids to kindergartens or child centers.  These could be used to help provide subsidies to poor families if the children can complete compulsory education, and, finally, CCTs can help in the areas of technical and vocational education and training by providing cash to poor families that send graduates of junior or senior secondary to enter into vocational schools and obtain skills certification.”

 

 

The report and related materials are publicly available on the web at: www.worldbank.org/ccts-report

China – Second Energy Efficiency Financing Project : environmental impact assessment framework

The objective of the Second Energy Efficiency (EE) Financing Project is to scale-up commercial debt financing for EE investment across China through an EE debt financing mechanism. Sub-projects to be financed by the project include: (a) adoption of energy saving industrial technologies such as more efficient industrial boilers, kilns, and heat exchange systems; (b) recovery and utilization of by-product gas, waste heat and pressure; (c) installation of highly efficient mechanical and electrical equipments, including motors, pumps, heating and ventilation equipments; and (d) reduce energy use. Generally these types of sub-project have either minor or no adverse environmental impacts and provide environmental benefits (reductions in local pollution such as dust and sulfur dioxide emissions or reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide). In order to insure that consultation, disclosure, and community engagement continues throughout the sub-project construction and operation phases, the sub-borrower will, consistent with the risks and adverse impacts of the project, establish a grievance mechanism as part of their environmental management system. This will allow the sub-borrower to receive and facilitate resolution of concerns and grievance about the sub-projects environmental performance raised by the affected communities or individuals. The sub-borrower will inform the affected communities during the public consultation and the mechanisms to ensure any concerns are addressed promptly and transparently.

China – Liaoning and Shandong Second Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET II)

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