Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States

The World Bank Group has identified support to fragile and conflict-affected states as a strategic priority. This paper provides a systematic portfolio review of the International Development Association-funded projects in fragile and conflict-affe...

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Main Author: Ralston, Laura
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank Group, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20366317/success-difficult-environments-portfolio-analysis-fragile-conflict-affected-states
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20618
id okr-10986-20618
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-206182021-04-23T14:03:59Z Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States Ralston, Laura BORROWING COMPLEX PROJECTS COUNTRY PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ECONOMIC GROWTH FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS INCOME INTERMEDIATE INDICATORS OPERATIONS PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS PORTFOLIOS POVERTY REDUCTION PREPARATION COSTS PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROJECT PERFORMANCE REGRESSION ANALYSIS SATISFACTORY RATINGS SUPERVISION SUPERVISION COSTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TRANSPORT URBAN DEVELOPMENT The World Bank Group has identified support to fragile and conflict-affected states as a strategic priority. This paper provides a systematic portfolio review of the International Development Association-funded projects in fragile and conflict-affected states during 2001 to 2013 and a detailed empirical analysis of the correlations between project and country-level characteristics with project outcome ratings. The portfolio review identifies a decline in the proportional amount of resources directed to fragile and conflict-affected states and a decline in the number of internationally recruited staff based in these countries. The empirical analysis finds no statistical difference in whether projects obtain at least a moderately satisfactory outcome rating between countries that are fragile and conflict-affected states and those that are not. Examination of the distribution of project outcome ratings indicates that projects in fragile and conflict-affected states obtain slightly lower ratings conditional on being unsatisfactory or satisfactory. Detailed cross-section regression analysis finds that indicators of project complexity, such as supervision costs, staff time, preparation time, and financing, are correlated with lower outcome ratings. Project leader characteristics are correlated with project outcome ratings, but to a lesser degree in fragile and conflict-affected states, potentially indicating that it is more difficult for project leaders to influence project outcomes in these environments. Last, a new approach to control for unobservable project characteristics, such as inherent complexity or ambition, shows preliminary evidence that changes in the project leader and increases in the supervision budget are correlated with improvements in project performance. 2014-12-03T16:28:41Z 2014-12-03T16:28:41Z 2014-11 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20366317/success-difficult-environments-portfolio-analysis-fragile-conflict-affected-states http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20618 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7098 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Group, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic BORROWING
COMPLEX PROJECTS
COUNTRY PORTFOLIO
DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
ECONOMIC GROWTH
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
IMPROVEMENTS
INCOME
INTERMEDIATE INDICATORS
OPERATIONS
PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIOS
POVERTY REDUCTION
PREPARATION COSTS
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PROJECT PERFORMANCE
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
SATISFACTORY RATINGS
SUPERVISION
SUPERVISION COSTS
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TRANSPORT
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
spellingShingle BORROWING
COMPLEX PROJECTS
COUNTRY PORTFOLIO
DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
ECONOMIC GROWTH
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
IMPROVEMENTS
INCOME
INTERMEDIATE INDICATORS
OPERATIONS
PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS
PORTFOLIOS
POVERTY REDUCTION
PREPARATION COSTS
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PROJECT PERFORMANCE
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
SATISFACTORY RATINGS
SUPERVISION
SUPERVISION COSTS
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TRANSPORT
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Ralston, Laura
Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7098
description The World Bank Group has identified support to fragile and conflict-affected states as a strategic priority. This paper provides a systematic portfolio review of the International Development Association-funded projects in fragile and conflict-affected states during 2001 to 2013 and a detailed empirical analysis of the correlations between project and country-level characteristics with project outcome ratings. The portfolio review identifies a decline in the proportional amount of resources directed to fragile and conflict-affected states and a decline in the number of internationally recruited staff based in these countries. The empirical analysis finds no statistical difference in whether projects obtain at least a moderately satisfactory outcome rating between countries that are fragile and conflict-affected states and those that are not. Examination of the distribution of project outcome ratings indicates that projects in fragile and conflict-affected states obtain slightly lower ratings conditional on being unsatisfactory or satisfactory. Detailed cross-section regression analysis finds that indicators of project complexity, such as supervision costs, staff time, preparation time, and financing, are correlated with lower outcome ratings. Project leader characteristics are correlated with project outcome ratings, but to a lesser degree in fragile and conflict-affected states, potentially indicating that it is more difficult for project leaders to influence project outcomes in these environments. Last, a new approach to control for unobservable project characteristics, such as inherent complexity or ambition, shows preliminary evidence that changes in the project leader and increases in the supervision budget are correlated with improvements in project performance.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Ralston, Laura
author_facet Ralston, Laura
author_sort Ralston, Laura
title Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
title_short Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
title_full Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
title_fullStr Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
title_full_unstemmed Success in Difficult Environments : A Portfolio Analysis of Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
title_sort success in difficult environments : a portfolio analysis of fragile and conflict-affected states
publisher World Bank Group, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20366317/success-difficult-environments-portfolio-analysis-fragile-conflict-affected-states
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20618
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