Economics & Development

Este plan de acción acompaña el informe diagnóstico del Banco Mundial “Fortalecimiento de los Resultados de Inmunización en Bolivia: Soluciones Prometedoras.” El mismo ofrece una hoja de ruta secuenciada y basada en la evidencia para abordar las barreras conductuales y sistémicas más críticas para la inmunización infantil rutinaria en Bolivia, diagnosticadas en el informe. El plan está estructurado para ofrecer mejoras inmediatas ("victorias rápidas"), al tiempo que sienta las bases para las reformas a mediano y largo plazo necesarias para lograr una cobertura vacunal sostenible y equitativa en todo el país. Las intervenciones propuestas se basan en la ciencia del comportamiento, se discutieron en talleres subnacionales que permitieron la co-creación con representantes del personal de salud de todo el territorio y se priorizaron basándose en la evidencia de lo que ha funcionado en Bolivia y en contextos comparables. Al combinar "victorias rápidas" con reformas progresivas, Bolivia puede construir un sistema de inmunización más resiliente, equitativo y centrado en las personas, asegurando que todos los niños estén protegidos de enfermedades prevenibles por vacunas.

Ratings of the West Bengal Major Irrigation and Flood Management Project for India were as follows: outcome was highly satisfactory, Bank performance was highly satisfactory, and monitoring and evaluation quality was substantial. Lessons and recommendations are as follows. First, private sector engagement in irrigation reform gains political feasibility when responsibilities for water allocation and service delivery are separated; retaining public control over allocation and asset ownership while contracting performance-based service delivery to irrigation service providers (ISPs) can strengthen accountability without undermining core public functions. Future projects should clearly define institutional roles and consider separating allocation and delivery functions to enable adoption and scaling of ISP models. Second, sequencing reforms around measurable improvements in service reliability, predictability, and equity can reduce resistance to change and build user confidence; projects should prioritize early, visible service gains before advancing more sensitive institutional or financial reforms such as pricing or cost recovery. Third, informal groundwater markets strongly shape farmer decisions; when reliable canal water becomes available at the right time, farmers shift away from groundwater despite energy subsidies. Preparation should therefore assess the structure and costs of informal groundwater markets to anticipate behavioral responses and design interventions that effectively displace groundwater dependence. Fourth, monitoring and evaluation systems have greater institutional traction when designed as operational tools that provide real-time decision support; projects should invest early in a project management information system (PMIS), remote sensing, and analytics, and embed their use in daily workflows to sustain evidence-based management and facilitate statewide scaling beyond project closure.

This report examines the decline in childhood vaccination coverage in Bolivia and the growing disparities in immunization outcomes across regions and population groups. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative analysis, qualitative research, policy review, and stakeholder engagement, the study identifies the behavioral, social, and health system barriers that hinder vaccine uptake and completion. Key challenges include fragmented service delivery, workforce instability, weak data systems, limited follow-up mechanisms, inadequate communication strategies, vaccine hesitancy, and access constraints faced by vulnerable, rural, indigenous, migrant, and religious communities. The report highlights practical opportunities to improve immunization performance by strengthening provider engagement, enhancing caregiver communication, improving reminder and follow-up systems, integrating vaccination services with primary health care and social programs, and leveraging trusted community networks. It proposes a combination of short-term quick wins and longer-term structural reforms aimed at improving coordination, workforce continuity, data integration, equity, and service quality. The findings position childhood immunization as both a critical public health priority and a strategic entry point for strengthening Bolivia’s broader primary health care system and improving maternal and child health outcomes.

This Performance and Learning Review (PLR) reports on the implementation of the World Bank Group (WBG) FY22-26 Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the Republic of Serbia and extends it by one year. This extension will ensure a credible government commitment to a new program after parliamentary and presidential elections that will be held in 2026/27. It will also allow time to deliver the program in full, based on PLR adjustments including alignment of the Result Framework (RF) to revised activities and expected results. A new CPF will be prepared in FY28, in partnership with the Government, underpinned by analytics under preparation, including a Country Growth and Jobs Report (CGJR) (FY27). The WBG program is mostly on track to deliver the outcomes expected under the CPF RF by FY27. Important results were achieved on building human capital, greening Public Financial Management (PFM), fostering renewable energy, boosting digitalization, supporting the strengthening of carbon taxation and the research and innovation ecosystem, moving towards green energy and investments and aligning the legal and regulatory framework with the EU. Conversely, less progress than expected was realized on mining, decarbonization and the just transition, although recent developments have injected renewed impetus in the energy transition agenda. On the operational side, implementation bottlenecks emerged in the railways sector and in the engagement with local self-governments (LSGs). Strong collaboration across the WBG and active partnerships with the French Development Agency (AFD) and German Development Bank (KfW) leveraged resource mobilization and deeper sectoral engagements.