Author Description

In 1990, when the Bank prepared its 'World Development Report' on poverty, the prospects for global poverty reduction looked bright. The context in which the Bank operates has altered significantly since then, as has the international economic environment. While there have been significant improvements in social indicators in most regions, the absolute number of poor has continued to rise. Many of the significant events of the following decade could not have been predicted. The onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, outbreak of civil war, rash of natural disasters, and the difficult transition to a market economy in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia gave no warning signals. Against this backdrop, the Bank has reconfirmed its commitment to fighting poverty while changing its strategy significantly. While it is too early to evaluate the direction set by the new initiatives, this report examines the direction set for the Bank by the 1990 strategy. It analyzes implementation of the strategy and relates the lessons of experience about the relevance of the Bank's evolving policy framework for poverty reduction. It recommends better monitoring and evaluation techniques with the inclusion of clear, measurable benchmarks for assessing implementation performance as the Bank proceeds with the new strategies.