Assessing World Bank Support for Trade, 1987-2004 : An IEG Evaluation
This evaluation of the Bank's assistance on trade-related issues focuses on the period between fiscal years 1987 and 2004. The majority of developing countries have significantly improved their environment for trade and economic growth, follow...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC: World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/6740116/assessing-world-bank-support-trade-1987-2004-ieg-evaluation http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6966 |
| Summary: | This evaluation of the Bank's
assistance on trade-related issues focuses on the period
between fiscal years 1987 and 2004. The majority of
developing countries have significantly improved their
environment for trade and economic growth, following over
two decades of assistance from the Bank in trade reform.
Arguably, the developing world is more open today than at
any time in recent memory. Developing countries have more
than doubled their exports since the mid-1980s, helping many
of them to grow steadily. Exports and imports have risen as
a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) across a wide
range of countries, fueled in part by China's
remarkable trade performance, and the growth in services
trade. Trade policies have also been significantly
liberalized. Average import tariffs have fallen steadily
over the period, although the fall in other forms of
protection has been more gradual. Between fiscal years 1987
and 2004, about 8.1 percent of total Bank commitments went
to 117 countries to help them better integrate into the
global economy. This financing has been accompanied by a
large volume of analysis in operational economic and sector
work (ESW), research publications on trade, and working
papers on trade-related topics. During the first phase
(starting in the 1980s), the Bank focused largely on the
traditional trade agenda related to opening up economies.
During the second phase, from the mid- to late-1990s, the
Bank's emphasis on trade declined, although the impact
of earlier trade reforms was still playing out. In the third
phase, initiated with the collapse of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) Seattle trade ministerial meeting in
1999, growing pressure to deliver on the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG), and interest from development
partners (notably bilateral donors), led the Bank to
reappraise its trade activities. This phase has focused on
the global trading system, and "behind-the-border
barriers" to trade. The Bank's trade activities
during the period were led by a grade policy reform package
supported by four components: import-related;
export-related; exchange rate and foreign exchange
management; and, industrial and other supporting policies.
This assessment reviews project-related outcomes and
outputs, to focus on the progress toward a more
development-friendly trading. Recommendations include
addressing poverty-distributional outcomes and external
shocks in a balanced approach; revisiting the balance
between global and country agendas, and strengthening
operational links on trade issues; and, strengthening
knowledge management efforts. |
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