The World Bank is in the midst of a renewal. Through a long process of managed change, it is reshaping itself to strengthen its effectiveness in helping countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. Central to this process is a focus on learning:
Some of this learning comes through accumulated experience--not only the Bank's but also that of clients and donors--from slow and sometimes painful trial and error. Some comes through discussions with other members of the international community, as comparisons of what each has done separately begin to reveal important patterns in growth and development. But on the issues that are the most complex and the most controversial--and often on the issues that involve the greatest conflicts between those who will gain and those who will lose--useful lessons emerge only when such patterns are studied carefully, objectively, over time, and across countries or regions.
It is to these issues that World Bank research repeatedly turns. And because these issues usually involve tradeoffs, changes in patterns of living, and shifts in the distribution of losses and benefits under current policies, the results of research investigating them are questioned, examined, and disputed. So Bank researchers refine the studies, revise the definitions and measures, and expand the coverage of countries and possible policy approaches. The process of learning, of acceptance, and of change is a slow one.
This volume is a snapshot of one year in this process of investigation, debate, and reassessment. Some issues are just emerging, others are the subject of major programs of research, and a few have been resolved and the findings are beginning to be reflected in policy.
The Bank's work encompasses lending programs, technical assistance, and policy advice across the broad range of issues that governments confront. Because questions and conflicts arise across this entire range, the Bank's research program is equally broad.
