Coalitions for Reforms Global Program

Watch this space for upcoming events.

This BBL showcases Catalonia’s citizen participation process on budget policy, launched in response to PEFA findings and aligned with broader PFM reforms. The session covers the enabling environment—universities, UNICEF, and professional bodies—and how the team defines the scope of participation, manages expectations, and incorporates citizen preferences into the budget cycle. It also highlights feedback practices that build trust and strengthen stakeholder engagement. Speakers include Paolo de Renzio (FGV), Maria Riera Estorch and Xavier Mestre Rosanes (Government of Catalonia), with discussants José‑Manuel Bassat and Roman Kachur (World Bank).

Discover findings from an ex-post evaluation of USAID- and World Bank-funded social accountability work in the Dominican Republic. Starting with a 2011 World Bank-supported training, a growing coalition helped drive two World Vision projects—one with USAID and another with the Bank’s GPSA—advancing participatory, school-based management. The webinar showcased an innovative civil society–government protocol and offers practical lessons on MEL, communication, and aligning coalition-building with short funding cycles for sustainable impact.

This webinar explored why political perceptions often spark protests more than economic ones—especially in high-income countries.

The Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) Global Program organized a half-day seminar focused on the evidence behind its approach to supporting effective reforms and policy implementation. The C4R approach to coalition-building and change management combines tools from political economy, leadership and organizational management, multi-stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications.

The seminar convened colleagues, development partners, and leading academics to discuss cutting-edge research and innovative applications in the field. Participants learned how to use the C4R approach to assess change readiness, engage stakeholders, foster adaptive management skills, and promote political momentum for effective and sustainable change.

What is the role of media in building accountable, efficient, and inclusive institutions necessary for development? In a context of increased polarization and closing civic space, the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) – a partnership of 51 countries – recently published a report to answer this question. The report compiles over 100 pieces of evidence demonstrating the far-reaching benefits of a healthy media sector. It highlights how independent media contribute to economic stability and growth by providing reliable market information, improve public health by empowering citizens with critical health data and a platform to advocate for their rights, and increase government and service provider accountability through investigative reporting and public scrutiny.

“Another reform?” “Nothing will change; we are already doing it.” These are common reactions from civil servants and civil society when governments initiate public reforms. This webinar presented the approach developed by TrustInside to address trust as a key component in the success of public reforms.

C4R, supported by the World Bank’s Governance & Institutions Umbrella Program, organized an event on "Building Trust in a Complex Policy Environment – Results from OECD Trust Survey and Experience in LAC".

The session featured experts from the OECD Governance Indicators Division, who presented key findings from the latest OECD Trust Survey, covering trust levels in public institutions across 30 OECD countries and their evolution since 2021. Discussions focused on how governments can strengthen trust by improving reliability, responsiveness, integrity, fairness, and openness in public governance. The event also highlighted plans to expand the OECD Trust Survey to non-OECD countries, starting with Latin America in 2025, offering insights into regional challenges and opportunities. Participants explored connections between trust in institutions, the success of policy reforms, and ongoing World Bank efforts to support trust-building initiatives globally.

C4R, supported by the World Bank’s Governance & Institutions Umbrella Program, organized an event—“Supporting Leadership for Women Mayors and in Local Governance”. Learning objectives included the key factors to be considered in designing women’s leadership in local governance programs. Mayor of Despeñaderos in Córdoba, Argentina, Carolina Basualdo spoke about the work of a non-profit association, RIL (Red Innovacion Local) in  strengthening the leadership capabilites of 30 women mayors in Argentina, where less than 19% of local governments are led by women.

C4R, in collaboration with GovEnable, organized an event titled, “Understanding Policy Failure: Power, Agency, and Collective-Action" aiming to address the question - why do well-intended reforms so often fail to achieve their objectives? Learn more.

This event delved into the concepts and tools necessary for building coalitions aimed at systems change. It included discussions on the theory behind systems thinking in the context of scaling up, supplemented by a practical case study using system diagnostic tools.

The World Bank’s Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) team, in collaboration with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and supported by the World Bank’s Governance & Institutions Umbrella Program, organized an event focusing on “Policy and Institutional Reform for Sustainable Development.” This event introduced the "PIR Methods Menu" platform, designed to aid development evaluators and practitioners in selecting appropriate evidence approaches for reform programs. 

This event discusses the need to align Champions of environmental issues in government with the work of civil society and media for impact.

A discussion with Nobel Prize-winning Economist, Joseph Stiglitz on the importance of free, independent and quality journalism for development

This event, organized jointly with the Accountability Research Center, presented findings from a study published in World Development that compares a set of 19 diverse reform initiatives that delivered tangible openings to enable collective action for socially excluded groups.

The green transition will require building coalitions between civil society, governments and the World Bank. Organized jointly with Green Economy Coalition, this session presents the strategic approach of the Green Economy Coalition to advance good governance, capacity building, and partnerships with civil society for climate and environmental action, together with social development.

This event, hosted jointly with the Asia Foundation, discusses how the success of development operations often depend on how well organizations can engage and mobilize stakeholders to support reforms, policies, and the effective implementation of projects.

This event, hosted jointly with IDEA International, discusses the role that countervailing institutions can play in strengthening democracy, ensuring the rule of law, upholding rights, and enabling accountable institutions and citizen participation.