Asita De Silva - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Asita De Silva

The World Bank, 2000

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a lower middle-income country in the western Pacific. It has a rich nat... more Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a lower middle-income country in the western Pacific. It has a rich natural resource base that includes deposits of gold, oil, copper and gas; a vast fishing zone; fertile soil; extensive tropical forests; and attractive sites for tourism development. It has a population of 4.5 million and a per capita income of US$890. However, PNG's social indicators compare to those of much poorer countries. In rural areas, where 80 percent of the people live, GDP is estimated to be US$350 per capita. Major development constraints include a lack of national cohesion; rugged terrain; an ineffective and politicized civil service; lack of law and order; political instability; and a complex system of land ownership. Despite a boom in mineral exports and substantial financial, technical, and advisory assistance from the Bank and other donors during the 1990s, PNG's development objectives were hardly advanced during the decade. The country was unable to maintain macro-stability; fiscal management remains weak; growth in the non-mineral sector-particularly agriculture-stagnated; limited progress was made in improving infrastructure; access to social services remains low; capacity-building efforts had doubtful long-term impact; and questions continue to surround the sustainability of natural resource use. Social indicators in the 1 990s were stagnant or barely improved and remain well below those of similar-income countries.

Document of the World Bank, 1999

World Bank performance in Nepal in the 1990s was unsatisfactory. In retrospect, the Bank should h... more World Bank performance in Nepal in the 1990s was unsatisfactory. In retrospect, the Bank should have done more to help address fundamental institutional and policy constraints to create an enabling environment for (i) costeffective and sustainable public investment; and (ii) much greater private sector activity. No agreed policy framework was in place after 1995; no policy loans were made in the 1990s; the Bank did not actively engage in policy dialogue in key areas, including agriculture, the financial sector, or privatization; civil service and public expenditure reforms were not pressed after 1995. The Bank changed country directors six times between 1990 and 1997 and relatively low attention was paid to Nepal by the respective country department. The dropped Arun III power prcject generated wide negative publicity for the Bank, affected relations with the government, and consumed substantial Bank staff efforts and financial resources.

Peru Country Program Evaluation for the World Bank Group, 2011

Since 2003, Peru has emerged as an open, rapidly growing economy. Over the review period of 2003–... more Since 2003, Peru has emerged as an open, rapidly growing economy. Over the review period of 2003–09, successive governments adopted policy platforms aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability, furthering the private sector supply response, broadening participation in growth, improving social service delivery, and strengthening public institutions. There was a strong supply response over the review period, with private investment increasing sharply, the economy diversifying into new areas, and gross domestic product (GDP) growing at nearly 7 percent a year. Poverty declined substantially, although unevenly, across Peru’s three distinct geographical regions.

Evaluation of World Bank Assistance to Pacific Member, 2005

The evaluation provides an independent assessment of the role of World Bank assistance during the... more The evaluation provides an independent assessment of the role of World Bank assistance during the period 1992–2002. The Country Assistance Evaluation (CAE) examines whether:(a) the objectives of Bank and International Development Association (IDA) assistance were relevant; (b) the Bank’s assistance program was effectively designed and consistent with its objectives; and (c) the Bank’s program achieved its objectives and had a substantial impact on the country’s development during this period. Examining these questions allows the CAE to draw lessons and offer recommendations for future Bank assistance.

Results and Performance of the World Bank Group (RAP) 2011, 2012

In seeking to help reduce poverty, the work of the World Bank Group (WBG) supports four core goal... more In seeking to help reduce poverty, the work of the World Bank Group (WBG) supports four core goals at the global and country levels: expanding economic opportunities, enhancing human development, mitigating socioeconomic and environmental risks, and improving governance and public sector effectiveness. In the first half of the 2000s, developing countries made advances in these areas, leading to a significant reduction in poverty. Historically high economic growth rates as well as improvements in key aspects of human development were realized. A series of global economic crises as well as natural disasters contributed to setbacks, and global climate change continued to threaten all progress.

Books by Asita De Silva

The World Bank Group Guarantee Instruments 1990–2007, 2009

Foreign direct investment and private capital flows are highly concentrated geographically, with ... more Foreign direct investment and private capital flows are highly concentrated geographically, with almost half of them reaching the top five destinations. These flows tend to evade many high-risk countries, with the exception of those directed to extractive industries. Regulatory and contractual risks, particularly in infrastructure, have inhibited investments in many parts of the developing world. A core objective of the World Bank Group (WBG) has been to support the flow of private investment for development; guarantees and insurance have been among the instruments that the Group has used to pursue this objective.This evaluation assesses the effectiveness in the use of guarantee and insurance products by the WBG. It finds that these instruments have effectively advanced WBG strategic objectives, in particular facilitating the flow of private investment to high-risk sectors and countries. The diverse range of these instruments has helped to meet the demand for risk mitigation under a variety of circumstances. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, (MIGA), a relatively small institution of 100 staff, has issued $17 billion in guarantees and meets a gap in the provision of political risk insurance that private providers are unable to meet. The World Bank’s partial risk guarantee has supported large and complex public-private partnership infrastructure projects in high-risk countries. Its partial credit guarantees have introduced countries to commercial markets or reintroduced them following a crisis. The International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) guarantee instruments have led its entry in the market for local currency finance and have helped improve access to finance for underserved market segments

Drafts by Asita De Silva