An Independent Review of World Bank Support to ... - DAG Ethiopia

exclusively by balance of payments and budget support conditionality and ESW (exceptprocurement reform). The social sectors were supported mainly by studies and training(studies constituted the only earmarked support given since the mid-1990s).Table 4.6: Use of Capacity Building ToolsSector TA Training ESW/Studies Support conditionalityRoad Substantial Substantial Modest SubstantialEducation None Uncertain c Substantial a NegligibleHealth None Substantial Substantial a ModestPublicModest b Modest High HighExpenditureManagementa. Including PER work focused on the social sectors. Funds have been committed under the CBDSD andPSCAP, but are not broken down by nature of support and have for the most part not been utilized.b. On procurement. Some inputs under CBDSD started in 2003/04 but not quantified.c. No records available. Indications are that the Bank funded some local training4.51 Usefulness of Different Bank Instruments: The instruments used by the Bankinclude (i) investment lending, (ii) adjustment lending, (iii) technical assistance lending,(iv) IDF grants, and (v) analytical work.4.52 Investment lending has funded effective training activities in roads, andsubstantial training of front-end service delivery staff in health and education. In addition,the instrument has been used to promote institutional reform in the roads sector by tyingappraisal and effectiveness of the large, and much desired by government, civil worksprogram to agreed reform measures. Investment lending has also been instrumental indelivering organizational change in the core institution of the roads sector.4.53 Investment lending to finance sector-wide investment programs helped to ensureappropriate funding of all aspects of the respective SDPs. However, the Bank’s ability toinfluence the direction, scope and quality of capacity building activities has been reducedunder this type of financing.4.54 Adjustment lending (including PRSC budget support grants) has had mixedsuccess. Indications are that supported actions were implemented only where theimplications of the actions agreed (studies and plans) were limited, or where theGovernment would have implemented the actions irrespective of the financial supportoffered (though it is difficult to assess if the negotiations with the Bank on thesearrangements have focused the Government on important changes it would otherwisehave ignored or delayed).4.55 TA projects have proven difficult to implement with serious start up delays. Onlyone objective (CSRCB) has been achieved, and that was an objective introduced by a redesign.It could well be that the experience is a function of these instruments beingapplied only in relation to public sector management reform, rather than the nature of the28