58057
VOLUME 8 I NUMBER 6 • JUNE 1989
The World at Your
Fingertips-page 2
Ba~k's World
VOL8/ N06 JUNE 1989
In this Issue:
Articles
2 The Worl'd at Your Fingertips.
Technology is quietly bringing in a
new era for the Paris office.
S Sneakernet-The Missing Link. The
basics are still done by foot.
6 Discounts, Freebies and Other
Goodies. What you may not know
you're entitled to.
8 For the Health of &t. Sanitation for
$24-and a status symbol.
10 Linking Tabugon to the Rest of the
World. In the Philippines, hand built
roads.
14 The Theatre Caper or the Case of
the Mysterious Cast. Asleuth on the
trail of the Theatre Group.
16 Mapping Unknown Territory: The
Emerging Market Data Base. Stock
markets in developing countries are
A bird's-eye view of Paris. July 14 will mark the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
today's hot items.
Departments
12 On the Record. Alexander ter Weele
High Tech in the City ofLights
on IDA and the social sectors.
17 Staff Association. The look of
Success.
18 Around the Bank
20 Staff Changes
The World at Your
21 Letters to the Editor
23 The Observer in London
24 AnswerLine
Fingertips
Cover
You can communicate to almost by Jerry Floyd
anywhere thanks to the Paris
Office's new electronic gateway.
Photos by Maurice Asseo and
"I was a great skeptic," recalls Hans
Rothenbuhler, Special Financial
cost-effective work. Indeed, as Peter
Hsueh, Chief of Information, Technology
William Spidle Representative in Europe, of the onset and Facilities (lTF) Communications Di
early last year of the revolution in com vision, points out, "Use of the satellite
munication technology in the Bank's link to Paris and supporting technology
Paris office. 'When All-in-l service was allow us to achieve a high level of service
installed in February last year, I asked to integration and yet save on costs."
be the last in our office to have it. Now, An example of how this integration
The Bank's World, Vol. 8, NO.6. Published I'm hooked on All-in-l. It's fantastic, and pays dividends is that staff in Paris are
monthly in Washington, D.C., by the Media a much faster means for someone in now able to send telexes through the
and Communications Division of the World Paris to communicate outside of work Bank's Telex Switch via AII-in-l, as do
Bank for all employees and retirees of the
World Bank/International Finance Corporation, ing hours with Headquarters." staff in Headquarters. Carolyn Wilson at
1818 H St., N.w., Room E-8045, Washington, Like many other staff in Paris, Mr. the Paris Conference Center says that
D.C. 20433. Rothenbuhler stresses these new tech thanks to this innovation, she no longer
Thierry Sagnier, Editor
Jill Roessner, Associate Editor nologies make for more efficient and climbs six floors to send telexes. And
Morallina Fanwar-George, Editorial since she's no ~onger away from the Cen
Assistant
Editor's note: Jerry Floyd is Business ter for extended periods, she has stopped
Bill Fraser, Designer
Manager of the All-in-J system. carrying a beeper.
This month, John Muir, the ITF Paris Chief, points
installation of out that the Paris office is also in the pro
cess of establishing on-line access to the
upgraded computers large data bases housed in main frame
computers in Washington. Access to
in Paris is DEC and IBM main frames already ex
ists, and the link to the Unisys main
expanding the frame will be tested later this summer.
gateway's capability More flexibility
to handle an "Many of the past frustrations associ
ated with getting messages and re
increased volume sponses to and from Headquarters have
been eliminated," says Mr. Muir. Recent
and complexity of enhancements of the voice communica
tions tie line between Washington and
communications the French capital prompt Mr.
Rothenbuhler to add, "Being Swiss and
traffic and allow in finance, I'm very cost conscious, and
my afternoon used to be organized
more staff to use around getting the only tie line we had.
All-in-l. Now, with four lines available, I have
much more flexibility."
Mr. Hsueh notes, "Thanks to improve
ments in communication technology
Photo by Maurice Asseo and deregulation, the four tie lines we
now have cost about the same as the pre
vious single line."
When the imminent switch-over from
satellite to the newly laid undersea fiber
optics cable takes place-the only major
holdup is that the cable needs to sink far
enough beneath the Atlantic seabed so
that sharks won't bite into it-things
should go even more smoothly. As ITF
Director Harinder Kohli explains: "The
shift to fiber optics cable will improve
the quality of data transmission and re
duce the lag or echo in voice connec
tions as well as yield savings."
This month, installation of upgraded
computers in Paris is expanding the
gateway's capability to handle an in
creased volume and complexity of com
munications traffic and allow more staff
to use All-in-l. According to All-in-l
Project Manager Marc Nodell, "The up
Left to right, Marc NodeU, Dominique Barbe-Boyer and Peter Hsueh. Photo by Jill Roessner grade will make the Paris office's role as
a communication gateway even more im
portant. It will be especially useful to our
In the future, even more staff re phone to the Bank's telex switch-a com other offices in Europe and on other con
sources may be saved, for as Mr. Hsueh plicated procedure often hampered by tinents."
explains, "Efforts are under way to en busy or unreliable long-distance circuits.
able a message prepared in All-in-l to be Now, offices in New Delhi, Abidjan and
Impact
sent through electronic mail, telex and Bangui create telexes in All-in-l and The new technology has had an im
fax to different destinations at the send them through the Paris gateway to pact on almost every aspect of the Paris
sender's choice." the switch in Washington. The telexes office. The Conference Center there has
Previously, all Bank field offices cre can be transmitted to other destinations been host to a large number of consulta
ated their telexes in Mass-ll, converted at rates lower than those in the originat tive group and consortium meetings.
the documents and sent them by tele ing city. Janine Savaux, the Center's Manager,
THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989 3
weekly media newsletter. "Now we can
transfer the copy directly to Mass-II in
stead of having to retype it before transla
tion. That makes it easier for the transla
tors, since they're able to work on a split
screen."
New career
Dominique Barbe-Boyer worked 15
years as an administrative secretary and
now is a part-timer with the ITF techni
cal support team coordinated by Gerard
Attinost. Mrs. Barbe-Boyer is pleased
with her new career. "I've been given op
portunities I never thought I'd have,"
she explains.
Mr. Attinost concurs. "Not only have I
taken the most up-to-date training," he
says, "but I've also been given the oppor
Public Mfairs Specialist Henri Bretaudeau. Photos by Gerard Attinost tunity to help others in the Bank." He
has traveled to Bank offices in Europe
and Mrica, installing AII-in-l and teach
ing staff how to use PCs and software.
uses All-in-l to publish a schedule of res glish, fax machines enable him to get the During his travels, he encountered
ervations and to find out what services, forms corrected far more quickly than if some unexpected challenges, such as the
such as interpreters, temporary staff, he relied on mail. time last November when a flock of
food and printing, will be needed for a Electronic mail has been a boon to crazed crows attacked a satellite relay
given conference. Public Mfairs Specialist Henri dish in Bangui. The avian raid caused a
Luis Olivares, Chief of European Bretaudeau. "I read All-in-l first thing in three-day delay in testing transmissions
based recruiting for the Bank, says, "Re the morning and spend an average of between the Central African Republic
cruiting by telephone or mail can take two hours a day on my PC. The technol and France. The delay was felt in Paris,
weeks. All-in-l makes it easier for field ogy in Paris cuts down on errors and pro where John Gaynard, a member of the
offices to communicate with us." Mr. vides a lot more flexibility after working technical team, was standing by to assist.
Olivares is also a fax fan, pointing out hours." AU-in-l also makes it easier for And in Washington, Le Vu, Chief of the
that since personnel history forms are Annie Rinaldi to publish the French ver ITF Data Communications Section, who
often sent in languages other than En- sion of World Bank News, the Bank's was also assisting with the installation,
had to wait until the maddened birds set
tled.
Breakthrough
"Our objective," says Mr. Kohli, "is to
help the Bank communicate with its
field offices and other agencies as
quickly and economically as possible.
The pHot project in Paris shows how in
creased deregulation of the telecommu
nications industry and the breakthrough
in technology can offer new opportuni
ties."
However, Mr. Kohli cautions that
while "the initial results are very posi
tive, we must still move carefully be
cause of the technical complexity of
these links and the constraints on
human and financial resources."
Meanwhile, as France celebrates the
bicentennial of its revolution and the
skies of Paris explode with fireworks, the
Bank is certain to be getting more bang
for the buck from a revolution of its
John Gaynard in Paris. own.
4 THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989
~
~
j
.
"
\ j
r
Sneakemet
===
c::= : :)
1\
'I
.~
;~
i.' ,
." ..
The Missing Link
\, ·t
Ir
by Omar El Aref, Jay Moses
l r
.:,.
and Mohammad Khalid
L ,ast October 1, the Mail and Distribu
~ tion Section of the Support Services
Division, GSD, officially came under new
management. David Murray, formerly
Chief of the Telex and Facsimile Service,
took over responsibility for the section
upon the retirement of its previous
Chief, Colin Russell. For Mr. Murray,
this was an interesting career move:
from telecommunications, with which
he'd been involved since leaving school,
to what is in effect the world's original
communications network-Sneakernet.
Good communications are essential to
the successful growth of any business.
The Bank Group is no exception. More
communications, more work; more
work, more communications. It is, in
fact, the staggering advances in commu
nications technology that enable us to
transfer information far more quickly ingly complex, the conscious awareness at the time, but, whatever the volume
and easily than ever. Stop and consider of Sneakernet and its essential part in was, those five messengers would be
the options: electronic mail, data com the scheme of things slowly fades away, amazed to see what their operation has
munications of all kinds- facsimile, and it's worth rediscovering and recon become: a communications network for
telex, telegram- audio and video sidering its simplicity. Or is it all so sim written material and other forms of bulk
teleconferencing, and, of course, the ple? mail, firmly established as an essential
ubiquitous telephone. There is some doubt as to the official link in the Bank's work; a network based
birthday of the Bank, but it's certain that on people, which stretches throughout
Sneakemet one of the many things that had to be the developed and developing world.
But there's a link in this chain that is done at the start of business was to set Here at Headquarters is the nerve center
missing: all the advances we have been up a mail handling operation. Thus, channeling and handling messages
witness to cannot distribute thousands under Administrative Order No.1, dated among individual staff, the field offices
of Operational, Staff or Administrative September 5, 1946, what is now the mail and the world at large.
Manuals. How do we deliver 6,500 copies and distribution section was born. The
of The Bank's World to staff throughout service came under the jurisdiction of Enormous quantities
Headquarters in the cheapest, quickest William McCorkle, Chief of Office Ser The individual units of the Mail and
and most efficient way? With all the tech vices. He had a work force of five messen Distribution Section handle enormous
nology available, we must still go back to gers located in room A-220. quantities of official mail. The Incoming
Sneakernet. No one knows what volume of exter Mail Unit, supervised by Tanga
But as life around us becomes increas nal and inter-office mail they dealt with Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso, processes in
THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989 5
excess of 3.5 million pieces of mail a
year. In addition to this are personal
mail for the field office staff, bulk mail
Discounts, Freebies
ings arriving from companies eager to
get work from us, advertisements and
junk mail. In spite of our worldwide com
and Other Goodies
munications network, the staff of this
unit is handling more first-class mail,
diplomatic pouches and express or over
night courier messages than ever before.
The Outgoing Mail Unit, supervised by
Jamaican national Sandy McDonald, is
also processing more than 3.5 million
items a year. The real growth in this unit
is in the diplomatic pouch and courier
services. More than 112 tons of mail
were shipped to the field offices in the by Jill Roessner
last 12 months by diplomatic pouch. On
a daily basis, 125 pieces of mail, which
absolutely, positively have to get there
(and there can be anywhere from Accra
Notaries Public are available through
to Zomba), are sent by courier service.
out the Bank and there is no fee for their
Final link can Express." "Of course," we chorused. services. Look in the World Bank Group
Sitting between the Incoming and Hmm, sometimes we think The Observer Directory for the one nearest you-and
Outgoing Mail Units is the Messenger isn't all that observant. For instance, call for an appointment first.
Service, supervised by Bruno Zara, who who else among the expatriate staff
comes from Italy. This is the final link in would fail to take home leave for his first
the communications chain: a corps of four years in the Bank because, and we Banking Services are available at both
ethnically diverse regular and temporary quote, "I didn't know I was entitled to American Security and the Credit Union.
Bank staff who yearly make some it ... The Bank-Fund Credit Union was char
218,000 trips and deliver more than 6.5 "Is there anything else along those tered exclusively to serve the staffs and
million pieces of mail, and daily handle lines I ought to know?" he inquired. families of the World Bank and the IMF,
450 special pickups that must be deliv "Better yet, write a piece for The Bank's and it offers a broad range of financial
ered anywhere in the Main Complex World listing all the discounts and so services ranging from interest-paying
within two hours. Vans, mailcarts and forth available to staff. Then, those of us checking and savings accounts to no-fee
sneakers are the backbone of this net who are too busy wor1 king to find out travelers' checks (mostly through
work. about that kind of thing will have a Thomas Cook) in US dollars as well as 11
quick reference." So, we checked around other currencies: pounds sterling,
Out or up and here's what we came up with. These, deutsche marks, Swiss francs, French
From the entry level for a messen incidentally, are discounts or services francs, Hong Kong dollars, Japanese yen,
ger-grade II-there are only two ways available to all staff-they do not in Dutch guilders, Australian dollars, Span
to go in the Bank: out or up. And up is clude expatriate benefits or official allow ish pesetas, Portuguese escudos and Ca
the way many messengers have gone. ances. nadian dollars. Their Foreign Exchange
Luis Descaire, Chief of the Support section also makes currency exchanges
Services Division, has not only encour and handles international transfers. In
aged training of his staff but has also Discount Car Rentals may be obtained addition, you can access your account
helped career development by taking a not only from Hertz, but also from Avis, and make transactions by telephone 24
pragmatic view of training possibilities Budget, National, Europcar, Tilden and hours a day. Ninety percent of Bank staff
elsewhere in the Bank. Alamo. Information is available at the and 80 percent of Fund staff have ac
The result is GSDMD staff moving up Travel Office. While these discounts are counts at the Credit Union, but not ev
in both the section and the division, and intended to be used for official travel, the eryone is familiar with the full range of
out into the Print Shop, Accounting and car rental agencies are equally willing to member services. For all the details, con
other areas. Wherever and whenever pos allow them for personal travel. The dis tact the Credit Union, on the second
sible, promotions in the Mail and Distri counts vary according to the car rental tloor of the F building.
bution Section come from within. As agency you choose, but you should be
staff move up and out, others are enhanc aware that you can frequently find better
ing their education on their own time, discounts and special package deals in American Security also offers free
aware that finding a position is not an newspaper ads or through associations checking to Bank staff with no mini
easy task, but aware, as well, of the op such as AAA, especially for weekend rent mum balance required. It will provide
portunities here at the Bank. Ell als. There are often tie-ins with airlines too. dollar denominated American Express
6 THE BANK'S WORLD ( JUNE 1989
travelers' checks without a fee, and lar Activities" and "In the Community" your heart out with the Choral Society,
travelers' checks in other currencies for sections and you'll find a free lunch hour be dramatic with the theatre group or
a fee of 1 percent. American Security will or evening concert almost every week calm down through Transcendental Med
cable money internationally without any sometimes every day of the week-in the itation. (A list of Bank clubs, national
charge, and the cost for domestic trans H building auditorium, the IMF Visitors' groups and so forth appeared in the Feb
fers is $8.50 (compared to the $20 fee Center, nearby Lisner Auditorium, occa ruary 1988 issue of TBWand will be up
charged elsewhere). American Security sionally the OAS, the Galleria at 2000 dated again in the July issue.)
will also provide international drafts at Pennsylvania Avenue or one of the You don't have to be a movie star to
no cost to its World Bank customers and churches in the area. go to an opening night. Staff and their
for a $5 fee to other Bank staff. They'll Quite apart from official seminars and families are usually invited (through The
exchange foreign currency (but not training, there are also worthwhile lec Weekly Bulletin) to the opening recep
coins) at no fee. You can find out about tures from time to time, often on health tion for each new art show that is
their full range of services by stopping in topics. And, speaking of health, although mounted by the Art Society. Even if you
at the branch right on Bank premises on it costs $95 annually to use all the Physi don't go to the opening night, there is al
the second floor of the F building. cal Fitness facilities at the Bank, mem most always a display worth visiting,
bership gives you access to a full range both in the Bank Gallery (E building,
of Nautilus equipment along with the ex 12th and 13th floors) and in the Fund
Across the street from the Main Com pertise of qualified fitness personnel. Or, Atrium.
plex, Potomac Photo at 1819 H Street if you just want to participate in any of If you want to sell your car, hire a
will give Bank staff a discount card good the innumerable exercise and aerobics maid, find a vacation rental, take music
for 15% off on Kodak processing and a classes, you can take out a $15 member lessons or just about anything else, put a
10% discount on other processing, pic ship. Pick up a copy of the Exercise notice on the Bulletin boards (two in the
ture frames and albums. Right in the Schedule and Description ofExercise Bank and one in the Fund). It won't cost
Main Complex, same day or overnight Classes from any of the exercise rooms you anything to advertise there.
discount photo processing is available at or the Medical Department. The Fitness
the Newsstand (in the corridor leading program will be described at greater
from the E lobby to the F lobby). length in an upcoming issue of The Other free services to staff include a
Bank's World. Real Estate Counselor to help you find a
house or apartment, and a Schools Spe
Every week, The Weekly Bulletin lists cialist to advise you on schools for your
books that are complimentary or dis Many of the Bank clubs have special children. And you can find help with per
counted to staff and are available discounts for their members. Knitters sonal problems through the good offices
through the Bookstore-admittedly have opportunities to buy yarn at re of the clinical social workers in the
these are not exactly best-selling novels. duced prices and skiers get to participate Staff Counseling Service (described in
And, if you want to buy a computer, the in package tours to the slopes. A bridge the October 1988 issue of The Bank's
Personal Computer Users Group has a Grand Master gives virtually free lessons World).
General Discount Program Plan, which and the International Cine Club shows There's probably more. Write and tell
you can find out about at the ITFP Li films at nominal cost. You can belong to us if you know of any specially good
brary, Rm. F-3000. a Ham Radio Society, or join the Camera deals that your colleagues might like to
The Weekly Bulletin is a good source Club. You can improve your public know about. We'll run them in a later
of bargains. Look in the "Extra-Curricu speaking through the Toastmasters, sing issue. BiD
THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989 7
Women Latrine Builders Take
Pride in Their Work
For the Health of It
by Mary McNeil
N ellia Mukarida, Stella Gunda,
Martha Chikomwe and Mary
Shamwarira live near the town of Rusape
in Makoni District, Manicaland Province,
Zimbabwe. Dressed in brightly colored
overalls, they have gathered early this
Saturday morning to take part in a job in
which they take great pride. For four
days they will work together to build a
Blair VIP latrine, earning approximately
50 Zimbabwean dollars (US$24) which
they will split among themselves. Two
women working per latrine can each
earn up to 25 Zimbabwean dollars for
their labor, more than the minimum
weekly agricultural wage.
"Thank you for helping us build our
latrines," they chant in recognition of
the help their government-funded
trainer has given them. "This will help
us get rid of the flies gathering in our toi
let."
Status symbol
The women latrine builders' program
in Manicaland Province is indicative of
the spirit behind the rural sanitation pro
gram in Zimbabwe. More than 150,000
Blair VIP latrines have been built here
since independence in 1980, with 47,000
constructed in 1987 alone. The Blair la
trine is positively associated with devel
opment, and is a status symbol in many
areas-so much so that it is not uncom
mon to talk with families who have beau
tifully constructed latrines near their
homes, surrounded by flower gardens
and stone-lined pathways. Yet, these Building a latrine is no easy task. These officially certified builders will work four days and earn $24.
Photos by Curt Carnemark
same people still walk up to 400 meters
four times a day to draw their water Development (NORAD). After complet trine, must contact the local health assis
from an unprotected source. ing six latrines, trainees receive a di tant, who outlines what the family will
As the women of Rusape work, they ploma from the District Medical Supervi need to do. This includes digging a pit,
are supervised by a local trainer ap sor testifying that they are officially paying the builder, making bricks of
pointed by the Ministry of Health with certified builders. It is a day of rejoicing, sand and water and burning them in a
funds provided by the Swedish Interna an excuse to slaughter a goat and drink a kiln for four days. Cement and the fly
tional Development Agency (SIDA) and beer or two. screen for the vent pipe are provided by
the Norwegian Agency for International The construction of a Blair latrine not the Ministry of Health, but the house
only gives the women salable skills but hold bears all other costs-about US$62.
Editor's note: Mary McNeil is a writer ensures that the household itself is re So far, the major constraint has been a
and editor for the UNDP- World Bank sponsible for its construction. Each shortage of cement, which has put a
Water and Sanitation Program. household, upon deciding it wants a la- damper on construction.
8 THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989
"We've worked at making people be have been constructed by women build Generally, women have very little in
lieve they've done it themselves," says ers. They are enthusiastic about the come-earning potential in this rural
Piers Cross, a water and sanitation ad work, according to Clever Matiringe, Dis farming district. Some sell their vegeta
viser posted in the Ministry of Health by trict Health Inspector for Makoni Dis bles in the market, others brew beer for
the UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanita trict, one of the two districts in sale, collect firewood or burn bricks.
tion Program. "This way, we build confi Zimbabwe where the program has been House construction is still primarily a
dence in the program. People get a gov active, "and they stick to the job until it man's activity, as well as roof thatching,
ernment subsidy for their first latrine, is done." but because of their new skills as latrine
but subsequent ones must be con They are less likely than men to want builders, women are able to construct
structed entirely by the household. In to move on to building other things, says small bathrooms or additional rooms for
this way, we hope to foster sustainability. Mr. Matiringe, and they take a lot of their houses. They use the extra income
"The position of women in rural pride in their work. Men'working with they earn to pay school fees for their chil
Zimbabwe leaves much to be desired," the teams usually mix cement, leaving dren, to hire people to help cultivate
continues Mr. Cross. "However, govern the more highly skilled bricklaying and their fields, to buy kitchen utensils or to
ment is mandated to improve their sta construction tasks to the women. deposit in savings accounts.
tus. Within the sector, the aim has been The women of Rusape did not want
to secure women as lead actors in con Women volunteer me to leave. Laughing, they performed
structing latrines, in managing water "We started the latrine builders' pro the songs and dances they had created
committees, and as village health work gram in 1987," says Mr. Matiringe. "We during their work. Each wanted me to
ers." discovered that when we sent out our re take down her name, to ask how many la
As a result of this spirit, more and cruitment teams, more women than trines she had built, and what she did
more women are entering the program. men were volunteering to be trained. with the money she earned. And as I
Out of the 825 builders in the district, The first group of women we trained made my way back to the Land-Rover,
116 are women and 85 are currently un worked out very well. The men didn't they followed me, singing and clapping
dergoing training. More than 467 toilets work out nearly as well." the whole way. •
Of Gourds and Clean Hands
Children in the Madakurwe village in the
rural area of Chihota, Zimbabwe, now
wash their faces each morning after they
get up. Their washstand is a container
made of galvanized metal shaped like a
Mukombe gourd and hung outside their
families'VIP latrines. Every two days,
the device is filled, and, when tipped, re
leases about 200 ml of water through a
small hole at the tip of the spout.
For the past year, the Blair Research
Laboratory in Harare has studied hand
washing. The study, sponsored by UNI
CEF, looks at methods for getting rural
populations to wash their hands after
using a latrine.
In an attempt to rely on readily avail
able materials, the Blair Lab first tested
the use of the Mukombe gourd, which
was hollowed out to make a water con
tainer. Because the gourd rotted easily,
however, Blair devised a new design. The
new container holds about two liters of A new Mukombe "gourd."
water, costs approximately 8
Zimbabwean dollars, and is made by a on the outskirts of Harare, on commer them regularly. In interviewing several
tinsmith in Harare using a design based cial farms in Marondera and in Chihota. mothers, staff were told that the
on the Mukombe. The container can be Over 16 weeks, staff from Blair regularly Mukombe was a good reminder to chil
easily copied elsewhere in the country as checked these areas to see if the dren to wash their hands after leaving
the materials used are locally available. Mukombes were being used, and re the toilet. In fact, most of the children
Fifty of the new Mukombe were given ported that as many as 56 percent of the were running to use it throughout the t .
to families in Epwirth, a peri-urban area people supplied with the containers used day. III
THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989 9
Photo by Leandro Coronel
Branco Bjelogrlic gives Tabugonian workers some tips on road-building.
Barrio Residents in Philippines Build Roads the rainy season they turn into swampy
wallowing grounds for carabao, the Phil
with Their Own Hands ippine water buffalo.
The barrio is home to settlers from
various parts of the Philippines who
moved there in the 1950s under a gov
Linking Tabugon to the ernment program encouraging settle
ment and cultivation of idle, fertile land.
At the time, development had been con
Rest of the World centrated on the main island of Luzon
(where Manila, the capital, is located),
and the government wanted to spread
the population around while providing
income-generating opportunities for the
settlers. Land was distributed free.
by Leandro V. Coronel Tabugon was one of the settlement areas.
Hard times fell on Tabugon when the
T he residents of Tabugon are build
ing their own roads, carving them
from what used to be mere buffalo trails.
nical help from the government and the
World Bank, the people in this commu
nity have learned to build basic, all
world sugar market collapsed a few years
ago. Many in the barrio worked the large
plantation fields as itinerant sugarcane
Tabugon is a small, isolated barrio in weather gravel roads. Soon they will be cutters, but planting sugar became a los
the town of Kabankalan in Negros Occi transporting their produce to market ing proposition for the landowners, and
dental Province in the Philippines' with greater ease. the plantations became idle. Though the
Visayan Islands. With financial and tech- Tucked in the northwestern hills of Tabugonians, jobless, went back to their
the traditionally sugar-rich Negros Is barrio and started planting other crops
Editor's note: Leandro V. Coronel is Edi land, Tabugon is so far away from any on their own plots of land, the lack of
tor of World Bank News, a weekly media body that it's almost a forgotten place. good roads discouraged commerce be
newsletter. The roads to Tabugon are bumpy, and in tween barrios and towns.
10 THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989
In 1980, the Philippine government Married, with three children, he said he
through the Department of Local Gov was looking forward to the day when the
ernments and the Department of Public Mang in the ban-io road will finally reach his own neighbor
Works and Highways-launched a rural hood. "This will change life around
roads improvement project to connect worked the large here," he said.
isolated areas to main towns. The World As we were leaving one site, I spoke to
Bank helped finance the project, first plantation fields as a housewife who leaned out of her
with a $62 million loan, and in mid-1986 kitchen window as we passed. "Oh, yes,
with a second loan of $80 million. The itinerant sugarcane the new road will definitely make a differ
government expanded the project to ence," she said. "We will go to market
cover an additional 14 provinces. Under cutters, but planting more easily and more often."
the second project, some 1,340 kilome There has been some inefficiency in
ters of road were slated for improve
sugar became a the road work. "Most of these people are
ment, including a total of 600 kilometers losing proposition farmers, and this kind of work is new to
in Kabankalan and two other settlement them," said Ben Dublon, an earnest, soft
areas on Mindanao Island, farther south. for the landowners, spoken Public Works and Highways engi
The road work in Tabugon began in neer who has been assigned to Tabugon
September 1988. About 48 kilometers of and the plantations as Project Manager. "They're still learn
earth road are being improved and an ing road-building skills, but they're com
other 12 kilometers are being con became idle. ing along."
structed.
Occasional problems
Pet undertaking There have also been occasional prob
The rural road scheme has become a lems, like getting the payroll on time
pet unde'rtaking of consultant Branco work groups were crushing stones, level from the Public Works office in Manila.
Bjelogrlic, a former Project Officer in ing the ground, digging ditches and com "Things get snagged in red tape some
the Infrastructure Division of the Bank's pacting the soil. The workers were all times," according to Ray Cahoon, a Con
Asia Region. 1\\10 years ago, before actual residents of Tabugon. sulting Engineer from the International
work under the second project had It was back-breaking work. Clouds of Labor Office. "It is a testament to these
begun, Mr. Bjelogrlic told The Bank's gray dust spewed out of a machine, people's desire to improve their lives
World the operation would provide job which crunched 15 tons of limestone an that they carry on even when they don't
opportunities for people in the rural hour. The laborers were feeding the ma get paid on time," he added.
communities. He emphasized the cost chine 90 tons of stone daily. The Philippine government has been
saving, labor-intensive nature of the proj On this particular day, the road being attempting to speed up development of
ect. worked on was in Sitio Marungis. rural areas, promoting labor-intensive
"The project will hire laborers from Egmidio Ellang, a 55-year-old resident, projects whenever possible. This project
the community to build the roads," Mr. was among those digging ditches to im gives priority to economically isolated
Bjelogrlic said. "It wilt minimize the use prove drainage along the new road. He and depressed rural areas, providing jobs
of heavy machinery whenever possible; it had moved to Tabugon in 1962 from an and boosting local residents' incomes.
will emphasize the involvement of peo other part of Negros. He is a farmer, like "There should be more labor-intensive
ple." Traditionally, road construction in many of the others working on the proj projects like this," said Mr. Bjelogrlic.
the Philippines is done by contractors ect. ''What we need for this kind of project
who bring in their own work force. "When this road is finished, we will are hand tools and good hands."
Recently, Mr. Bjelogrlic and I visited have an easier time taking our crops to The next phase of the project is also
the Tabugon project site, some 400 kilo market," Mr. Ellang told us. "Until now, important, according to Mr. Bjelogrlic.
meters from Manila and a three-hour it's been hard." "Maintaining the roads will be vital to
bumpy ride from Bacolod, the capital of Fernando Flores, 35, the president of how long they will be useful," he said.
Negros Occidental. The blazing Philip the neighborhood association in Sitio "That will also give us an opportunity to
pine sun was directly overhead when we Magca-oway, a community of about 250 help the local people. Again, we will
reached the construction site. Several residents, was also one of the laborers. focus on people instead of machines." Ell
THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989 11
IDA and the
Social Sectors
Alexander ter Weele
Last February, Alexander ter Weele, Chief, Population and firsthand. Nonethe'less, let me give a few figures just to remind our
Human Resources Division, Asia Region, spoke at the IDA-9 selves of the status of human resources in our Asian IDA countries.
Deputies'Meeting. Here are excerpts from his remarks:
GNP per capita. There are about 10 countries in the world with
annual per capita COPs on the order of $160. These are the world's
poorest countries. Four of them are in Asia-Bangladesh, Bhutan,
T he social sectors are a relatively recent component of IDA's
work program. The Environment Department and the
Women in Development Division were created 1-112 years ago.
Laos and Nepal.
Population. There are 2.4 billion people living in the 36 coun
The PHN department-Population, Health and Nutrition-was tries classified by IDA as "low-income economies." Of these, about 2
created in 1979. And although the first education loan was billion live in Asia and about 300 million live in Mrica. Excluding
made in 1964, it was not until the '70s that the concept of edu China and India, the population of the low-income countries of Asia
cational investment was expanded from vocational-technical is about 300 million-equal to the population of the low-income
training projects to include projects in primary education. countries of Mrica.
In short, the social sectors are relatively new to IDA-and they
continue to absorb only a small portion of our resources-pres Absolute poverty. It is estimated that perhaps 950 million people,
ently, 6 percent of IDA lending is directed at the social sectors. worldwide, live in absolute poverty. Somewhat more than half of
In my view, directing only 6 percent of investment at the social these-500 million-live in Asia.
sectors is inadequate. Why? Because the fundamental constraint to
development in our IDA countries is the low level of human re The under 5 death rate. In India, the under 5 death rate is 150
sources development there. While it is possible to achieve some de that is, 150 of each thousand children die before age 5. In
velopment-growth in COP-through investments in mines, major Bangladesh and Bhutan this number reaches a staggering 200
port facilities, fertilizer plants, hydroelectric dams, it is difficult to one of each five children born in Bangladesh and Bhutan dies be
imagine substantial, significant, long-term development in our fore reaching age 5.
Asian IDA countries without removing the constraints imposed by
illiteracy, ignorance, environmental degradation, malnutrition, Education. One-hundred-and-twenty dollars was spent per year
high birth rates and high infant mortality rates. to educate a child in low-income countries in 1970. Ten times as
much-$1,200-was spent in the same year in industrialized coun
Asia Region. We all know that the IDA countries of Asia have tries. By 1980, the expenditure per pupil in low-income countries
large populations. We know that they are poor. We need only walk had declined from $120 to $80 per year, while in industrialized
the streets of Bombay, Dhaka, or Kathmandu to observe poverty countries the figure had almost doubled from $1,200 to $2,300.
12 THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989
Low-income countries spend only one-fortieth as much to educate between the subsystems of the social sectors and the need, conse
their children as do industrialized countries. Unfortunately, re quently, to deal with the subsystems of the social sectors in an inte
search on school achievements confirms that these spending differ grated manner. Poverty alleviation, health, population growth, nu
entials result in enormous, and increasing, differentials in learning. trition levels, educational achievement and environmental
degradation are intimately related. They must be addressed in an in
IDA achievements. Let me look for a moment at what IDA is tegrated, coherent manner. Take hea'ith and education-it is diffi
doing, what IDA has achieved, in the social sectors in Asia. cult to improve health levels without teaching people how to care
for themselves, how to improve their diet, their hygiene, why it is
Environment. IDA is in the process of completing environmental necessary to boil water. It is also difficult to educate children who
strategies for the major IDA countries in Asia. In India and are in poor health, ill or malnourished-their school attendance is
Bangladesh we are working with governments on reforestation, wa P90r, their listening span short, and their mental abilities impaired.
tershed management and control of industrial and urban pollution. Equally so related are poverty and the environment. So we have
In China we are assisting the government in dealing with a new . learned, and our governments have learned, that we need to work
problem-that of pollution caused by rural industrialization. on population, health, nutrition, education, training, and the envi
ronment in an integrated, coordinated fashion.
Population. We have, in India, the largest series of IDA invest
ments in population-five projects implemented, or under imple Three issues. Let me close by noting three problems, three is
mentation, and an additional two or three in the lending program. sues which we face in the social sectors.
With the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, we are con The first issue is lack of resources. Poor countries, and people in
ducting a study of family planning activities in India, as well as in poverty, have too little money to invest. And in time of constraints,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. the social sectors, it seems, are always the first to feel the budget
cut. In many of our IDA countries, struggling as they are with short
Nutrition and education. In India, as well, we have worked wi th term financial problems, we have seen a cutback in resources for
the government on the issue of malnutrition of infants and their the social sectors. On the issue of money, IDA, of course, can help.
mothers. The India nutrition projects are examples of what can be The second issue is that the social sectors are management inten
achieved-at modest cost-in carefully targeted nutrition pro sive...and good management is a scarce commodity in many of our
grams. In Bangladesh, we have worked with the government on up IDA countries. Social programs often involve hundreds of thou
grading and expanding the primary education system. In China we sands of people and are often dispersed, sometimes over a whole
worked with the government to recreate its system of higher educa country. A common problem in social sector programs, including
tion after that system had been closed for a quarter of a century be those assisted by IDA, is that they are poorly managed. Conse
cause of the Cultural Revolution. quently, many if not all of IDA's social sector projects include ele
Some of the achievements of IDA in Asia have been exciting. ments to strengthen management. And-though management re
None of us, however, is naive enough to believe that there are no mains a problem-we've had some modest success. IDA's portfolio
problems, no issues. Let me touch on some of those in a moment. of population, health, nutrition and education projects has a good
record of implementation. Whether measured in terms of "problem
Lessons from development. First let me mention two lessons projects," rates of disbursement, or other measures, IDA's social sec
that we have learned over the past two decades of social sector in tor portfolio is "average"... it is not, despite the complexity of the
vestments. sector, a "problem sector." Nonetheless, assisting governments to
The first lesson is that good social sector projects include four el upgrade management of social.sector projects is always a priority.
ements in their design. The first element is infrastructure-the A third issue, particularly relevant to IDA, is the reluctance of
hardware required to make a program viable-the building of clin many governments to borrow for investments in the social sectors.
ics, the building of schools, the provision of medical and instruc As good economists, we would all argue that one should not hesi
tional equipment. The second element is the provision of software tate to borrow for an investment with a high return-regardless of
we have learned that without curriculum, books, and trained whether that investment is in a hydroelectric dam or a school. But
teachers, schools do not work, and without trained health workers in the real world, the realities are that some countries are reluctant
and a regular stream of medical supplies, health clinics have little to borrow for investments in the social sectors. IDA funds are there
to offer. The third element is institution building-the research in fore important-governments are more apt to borrow on IDA terms
stitutions, planning offices, curriculum development units, popula for social sector investments than they would be to borrow on Bank
tion information agencies, institutions to train administrators to terms.
manage the systems, etc., which are necessary to backstop a deliv Rather than end on the pessimistic note of "issues," I would like
ery system. And in the last few years we have increasingly included to close in a more optimistic tone. IDA is the largest single investor
a fourth element-policy adjustment, removal of constraints which in the social sectors. We are the largest single investor in popula
impede the success of the investments in infrastructure, software tion, health, nutrition, the environment and education. We have
and institutions. Such adjustments include, for instance, adjust had, and are having, an enormous impact on hundreds of thou
ments to inappropriate licensing requirements, relaxation of limita sands of lives-on nutrition levels of children, on hillside forests,
tions on private schooling and private medicine, revisions of unreal on urban pollution, on population growth, on the health of expec
istic salary schedules, and reallocation of resources-directing tant mothers, on the school achievement levels of their children.
more resources at teaching materials and medical supplies, for in IDA can, therefore, take satisfaction in what it has achieved ... and
stance, and relatively less at the salaries of teachers and medical yet, we need only look at the 500 million people in Asia living in ab
workers. solute poverty to shake our heads sadly and wonder if, somehow, we
A second lesson we have learned relates to the interrelationship couldn't do more. II
THE BANK'S WORLD f JUNE 1989 13
T he name's Spade. Samantha Spade.
Working the international develop
The Theatre Caper
ment beat in the EMENA Region is a
tough job. It gets lonely up here in my
office late at night. But, hey, I'm dedi
or
cated to my work.
One night, I was sitting at my desk
looking at a mile-high pile of papers. I
knew I'd see the dawn before I was fin
ished. I also knew I needed a drink as
bad as a Bank consultant needs a
Rolodex. I took four bits from my wallet
and hopped the elevator to HB2 to get
some coffee.
Just as I was about to knock back a slug
of java, the elevator bell dinged. I
stepped into the shadows, saw a suspi
cious looking man enter the vending ma
chine room. He was an older guy, wear
ing a black beret and holding a cane.
I followed him into the elevator and
behaved like I had every right to be
there. He didn't say a word. Typical eleva
tor behavior, or was it? He got off at the
B1 level and hurried around the corner
toward the auditorium. In the pit of my
stomach, I had the funny feeling some
thing strange and possibly illegal was
about to happen.
Suddenly I heard a woman's voice yell,
"Rock 'n' roll!" A second woman
screamed and a man's sinister voice said,
"No, no, no. Please try again, only make
her scream louder this time." The
woman screamed again. What was this?
Late night loan negotiations? Deep
down, I didn't think so. I looked around
for a weapon. If there was going to be a
scuffle, I wanted to be prepared. I tiptoed
around to the back of the auditorium
and entered a scene that did not belong
to the world of international develop
ment.
T he older guy was sitting on the stage
watching a woman with a crystal ball tell
the fortune of another woman holding a
suspicious looking basket. I turned to
The Case of the
call the guards when everything went
blank. When I came to, I was surrounded
by a motley group of strangely garbed,
heavily made-up men and women. They
Mysterious Cast
had the concerned look of the guilty on
thei r faces.
Editor's note: Samantha Spade's real
by Samantha Spade
name is Stephanie Soutouras, but she'd
prefer you didn't know that.
14 THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989
"What gives here?" I tried to get up "My dear Miss Spade," he answered,
from the cold, hard floor. "Tell me quick, "for once you are correct. We all have
and tell me straight, or I'll let my fists do regular day jobs, but during the night,
the talking."
He reached into his well, we have... other lives, other pur
The older guy nodded. Two of his
henchmen led me to a chair. He said,
pocket. My mind suits."
That shook me, but I didn't let on.
'Welcome to our rehearsal, Miss Spade. screamed a "What about the money, Winterbottom?
You tripped over one of our set pieces Where does it all go? I checked. Your
and hit your head. I do hope you're feel warning. I grabbed group has an account with the Credit
ing all right." Union."
How did he know my name? Had I, in a letter opener ...
my delirium, betrayed the Bank and
quoted debt relief strategies? The babe
with the crystal ball read my mind. "We
I had to admit it. He was as cool as a
cucumber. He smiled patiently. ''Very
found your Bank ID in your pocket," she Nees, Martin and Czar. You don't need a clever, Miss Spade. I am impressed. But
said. A likely story. weatherman to tell which way the wind we give part of our proceeds to charity.
I turned to the older guy, snarled, "I'll blows. This was the Mob, plain and sim The rest of the money goes to produc
just bet you're worried about my health, ple. tion costs, like costumes and crystal
mister. Okay, you know who I am, but I The next morning I paid a call on balls. But you've overlooked an essential
don't know you from Adam, see? What's Winterbottom, the answer-man. The first part of our group, the dedicated people
this 'rehearsal' for, anyway? I know I thing I noticed was that the beret, dark who work tirelessly behind the scenes
heard a woman scream." glasses and cane were gone. He was wear with costumes, ticket sales, lighting and
"Oh, that," said a tiny lady with an ac ing a suit and tie. They didn't match. sound. And you might want to know that
cent. 'We're rehearsing a play for the "Please come in, Miss Spade. I've been besides our main stage productions, we
World BanklIMF Theatre Group. You'll expecting you," he said as he ushered me also give play readings, acting classes
come, of course? I'm sure Goddard to a chair and closed his office door. I and voice classes. And we always wel
Winterbottom, our Artistic Director, will heard the latch click. I was trapped like come new members, like yourself." He
give you complimentary tickets for open an economist trying to carry a portable stood, led me to the door. "Now, if you'll
ing night." computer out of the Bank without a excuse me, I have Bank work to do."
building pass. I stood about an inch away from his
face and hissed, "Sure, Winterbottom,
T he group members introduced them sure. But I want proof."
selves, real friendly, like nothing had
happened. I wasn't buying it. They didn't
I decided to take the offensive. "Okay,
Winterbottom, you'd like me to believe
He reached into his pocket. My mind
screamed a warning. I grabbed a letter
look like Bank staff, and they didn't act you were rehearsing a play. You'd like opener. He had a few pounds on me, but
like Bank staff. I memorized each name me to believe this Theatre Group gang I'd go down fighting. He handed me a
and face. Then, seeing an opening, I works regular jobs here during the day. ticket to their play.
knocked over the two henchmen, Normal people, normal jobs. But I heard
pushed past a woman brandishing a that woman scream last night. It made
feather duster. Eventually, I made it back
to my office.
my blood' curdle. Screams like that
aren't normal Bank behavior." I let him
T he opening was that very night.
There was nothing to do but wait for the
There was more to this Theatre Group think that over. He didn't flinch. I went curtain to go up, and I'm good at wait
than met the eye, and I was just the pri on. 'Want to hear more? Nees, Martin ing. I decided then and there that if
vate eye to figure it out. I decided to and Czar don't work for the Bank or IME things didn't look jake, I'd close them
start with Winterbottom, a.k.a. "Artistic Procurement doesn't handle costumes down faster than a-well, you know
Director." I hit the computer. It told me and crystal balls. You can't destroy world what I mean.
Winterbottom worked in PUB, a division development efforts and get away with I took my seat just as the lights
chief. Other conspirators-Donovan, it." dimmed. I wasn't alone in the darkened
Houle, Freilich, Wolf-Goldfrank~all He was crafty. He didn't miss a trick, auditorium. There were other Bank staff
worked in PUB. This scene had subter but I knew I had him. and their families. The play was good, I'll
fuge written all over it. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Miss give them that. As good as anything I've
Then I discovered a LAC connection Spade, but you're completely deluded. seen performed by other community the
Devan, an Administrative Officer, and The group is made up of ordinary Bank ater groups in Washington, and I've been
Lopez-Calleja, a Staff Assistant. Mild and Fund staff who are interested in pro around. I've seen them all.
mannered "Piano Man" Poole had re ducing quality theater. Sometimes, we So I was wrong. Case closed. Or was it?
cruited innocents like Marion Young and can't cast the show entirely from Bank What play were they performing next?
Anna Custer from ITF. Dana checked out and Fund staff, so we audition outsiders Did they really give acting classes?
all right; I found her in the IMF tele likes Nees and Martin." Would they take an abrasive, dead-eye
phone directory. Laurence "Rock 'n' I played my ace. "Sure. I bet you're Dora like me into their ranks? That's
Roll" Sage, EDI; Menno "Lights" going to tell me Czar is an agency when I decided. They hadn't heard the
Pradhan, PHR. Three names remained: temp," I sneered. last of me. EliD
THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989 15
Mapping Unknown Territory:
The Emerging Market
by Asimina Can1inis
Data Base
hether you walk into IFC's Capital cussing data. "When we call correspon life in response to regulatory reforms
Markets Department at 7 in the dents," says Peter Wall, "we can't always and government efforts to promote
morning or 8 in the evening, you're be sure of getting an English language them. And the 1990s hold the promise of
likely to find at least one member of the speaker on the phone. But with all of our entirely new markets coming into exis
team that produces IFC's Emerging Mar different languages, one of us is usually tence, such as those recently formed in
kets Data Base (EMDB) hard at work. able to communicate with the person on Hungary and China.
Collecting data for EMDB has to be done the other end." The audience for IFC's data base is
during the working hours of the also growing. At Christmastime, IFC
department's correspondents around the Investment decisions launched a direct mail campaign market
world. That means EMDB staff often The raw data are reviewed by ing its Factbook to institutional invest
work odd hours. Under the general su Madhumita Dutta-Sen, Samer Jumean, ors. Orders have been received from in
pervision of Divisional Manager Farida and Bock Pun Toh, analysts with specific vestors all over the world. IFC recently
Khambata, EMDB draws on the energy country responsibilities, to ensure that signed a contract giving the exclusive
and talents of nine staff members, all of they meet the Department's standards. distribution rights for on-line data to a
whom work on other capital markets The three then "manipulate" the data well-known business consulting think
projects as well. into information EMDB subscribers can tank, The WEFA Group.
The Capital Markets Department went use in making investment decisions.
commercial with its data base in early EMDB staff calculate both a price
1988. It had been collecting data on Sophisticated and accessible
index and a total returns index for each
emerging stock markets in developing developing country market, not unlike As demand for the data base grows,
countries for its own use since 1981. Standard & Poor's 500 index, which the EMDB team works at making it more
''We were just flooded with requests for allow the performance of these markets sophisticated and accessible. Mathemati
information," says Peter Tropper, who to be measured against the performance cian Kyuee-Ha Pahk and Financial Ana
manages the EMDB team. "There was of more established markets. The in lysts Peter Wall and Iyad Malas are re
simply no other place investors could get dexes are published each week in the Fi sponsible for refining the theoretical
the sort of information we were compil nancial Times and six other newspapers. framework of the data base, while Sys
ing. The principal reason we went com They are also cited on cable television's tems Analyst Dong-Ik Lee strives to im
mercial-seiling our information, rather Financial News Network. prove the computer systems involved in
than giving it away-was to defray the Once a year, EMDB publishes a transmission and manipulation of data.
growing costs of maintaining an up-to Factbook (there have been three so far), Keeping track of potential clients and
date, comprehensive data base. One of giving an overview of emerging stock contacts is Sonia Miklas, who is able to
the benefits of selling the data is that we markets. Investors who need more infor draw on her years of experience doing
find out very quickly what kind of infor mation can subscribe to the Quarterly similar work elsewhere in the Bank and
mation the private sector really wants." Review, which offers detailed updates on IFC. ''Working with such a dynamic
19 equity markets. Or investors may sub group and seeing the results of our work
Network of correspondents scribe to the computerized data base published by world-class publications
The data, which are supposed to con which provides updated information have been rewarding experiences," says
form to guidelines and formats estab weekly on most of the markets and Ms. Miklas.
lished by EMDB staff, come from a net monthly on smaller ones. The smallest EMDB now faces competition
work of correspondents in 19 different stock exchange in the data base is Salomon Brothers and Morgan Stanley
countries. Correspondents in 13 of these Zimbabwe's, which lists $700 million in have recently begun covering developing
countries are able to transmit their data shares. country markets, "probably as a result of
by modem, the method preferred by In the past year, the number of stock our work," states Mr. Wall. The team
EMDB staff. The other six transmit markets covered by the data base has in members agree that this is as it should
theirs by fax, telephone, or courier. The creased from 10 to 19. In the future, staff be. Declares Mr. Tropper, "IFC, as a cata
broad ethnic and linguistic diversity of expect to add summary coverage of an lyst, is supposed to stimulate investor in
the team is handy when gathering or dis other dozen small markets (under $500 terest in developing countries. If others
million shares traded). The data base will follow us into what was once unknown
Editor's note: Asimina Caminis is an Edi no doubt continue to evolve as stock and uncharted territory, we've done our
torial Assistant with fFC. markets grow or dormant ones spring to job." II
16 THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989
~ The Look of Success
by Ann Hammond
O n May 19,1988, the Board approved
a structural salary increase less
than the cost-of-living increase for staff
treated fairly and equitably?" Mr. Con
able saw and heard for himself the depth
and breadth of staff dissatisfaction.
One precondition for success is the
willingness to hear. What had been
treated as non-issues in May became
in grades 18 and above, and less than Within a month, he established a Task frontline issues in June because senior
even half that for staff in grades 11-17. Force to identify priorities and specific managers showed a willingness to hear.
On June 3, more than 1,000 Bank staff actions on the support staff issues identi Staff said in June what they had said in
gathered in Eugene Black Auditorium to fied in our report. Those groups com February, the difference was that some
ask Mr. Conable why. pleted their work in November; an ongo body chose to hear-a quality rightly
One year later, we find the Board has ing group now oversees implementation. prized by staff whose managers have it.
approved a new compensation system There is never a need to shout at one
aimed in part at providing staff at all lev who readily listens to normal tones.
els greater protection against erosion of Success includes active participation
real income and the same minimum an by all parties. It means involving the
nual salary increase. It is not a perfect One precondition Staff Association as a consulting party in
system; work still lies ahead, but there
has been some measure of success. We
for success is the decisions about staff welfare and condi
tions of employment. Thanks go to our
have a salary increase that begins to re
store eroded staff incomes, and grade 11
willingness to hear. Compensation Working Group and the
working level staff in Personnel, who put
17 staff are being measured this year by long hours and tremendous energy into
the same yardstick as all other Bank forging a strong and productive working
staff. Where is credit due, and what les level dialogue. Thanks go to those senior
sons can we learn from this? managers who held firm against the inev
itable political pressures, and Board
Specific actions members who had the courage and con
In February 1988, we sent to Mr. Con On the compensation front, too, se viction to make the welfare of the staff
able a report analyzing the situation of nior management responded. Manage paramount. Most notably, thanks go to
grade 11-17 staff prepared by more than ment representatives at all levels stepped staff who, with help from the SA dele
100 people over three years, and that had up their discussions with the SA. Person gates, stayed involved.
the support of four consecutive Delegate nel began meeting three hours a week
Assemblies. The report recommended with our Compensation Working A vote of confidence
specific actions over an array of issues in Group-and kept that pace for eight Success is also the visible and grow
cluding compensation, job grading, months. Representatives from grades 11 ing support of the Staff Association. The
training, career development and han 17 accompanied Personnel on visits to increasing number of active, dues-pay
dling of grievances. Senior management local comparator organizations. The As ing members provides the financial base
first ignored the report, then called it sociation was invited to make a number for us to get analytical and legal support
"... a declaration of perceptions on the of presentations on crucial compensa we need to maintain the integrity of our
part of the Staff Association, rather than tion system elements to the Administra work. It also represents a vote of confi
deductions based on facts." The more tive Advisory Committee, the President's dence in the Staff Association and its pro
specific, tangible response was to grant a Council, the Board Committee on Per grams and strengthens our voice with
structural salary increase for grades 11 sonnel Policies, and the full Board. This management.
17 of 1.5 percent, then increase cafeteria marked a dramatic shift from the four But mostly, success starts with staff
prices by 4 percent, parking fees by 4 per years of deliberations by the Joint Com standing up and speaking out. Those
cent, and medical insurance by 15 per mittee, where both IMF and Bank Staff who attended the meeting with Mr. Con
cent. Associations had been almost completely able last June, and especially those who
So we invited Mr. Conable that June 3 excluded. The overall time frame was im had the courage and conviction to speak
to an open meeting to answer questions possibly short, and frameworks set by so eloquently and forcefully-it is they
and to hear directly from s,taff. The room the Joint Compensation Committee se who began to turn the tide. This experi
was crammed with people and many verely Iimtting. Despite this, Personnel ence shows us that senior management
were left impatiently standing outside. staff and senior management met their can listen and respond, that staff can in
While the questions put to him ranged deadline. fluence senior management and can
across a number of issues, the underly Success of a product relies in part on have a say in the direction of this institu
ing one was: ''When are staff going to be success of a process. tion and in their own futures. Eli l
THE BANK'S WORLD / JUNE 1989 17
, l
Thank Her on July 31
Most staff don't know her, but Noriko
Lao plays a vital role in the compensa
tion of every employee, particularly
when it is time for salary increases. As a
computer systems analyst in Personnel's
Human Resources Information Center,
she designs and programs reports that
both in developed and developing coun go to managers, providing them with in
tries. In fact, in Andhra Pradesh State in formation on each staff member's cur-
India, farmers planted only 100 hectares
in 1986, but 10,000 in 1988.
Vetiver may well be the key to a sec
The Vetiver Network ond agricultural revolution (see The
It survives both drought and freeze, Bank's World, June 1988) and now it has
holds back the silt from rain runoff, an official fan club, the Vetiver Network.
makes a fine hedge, smells foul to all ani The network, established by Richard
mals save man, stays in place and is gen Grimshaw, Chief, Agricultural Division,
erally well-behaved, requires no mainte AST, seeks to feed and receive informa
nance, produces fodder and builds up tion on Vetiver successes, failures, re
groundwater tables. It has many other search field results and ideas. A 78-color
virtues as well, which may explain why slide show on Vetiver technology is avail
the use of Vetiver grass is spreading, able. rI
New York Life Claims a Record rector of the Claims Office, also received
Claims specialists in the New York an award for coordinating claims ser
Life office at the World Bank processed vices with four other New York Life of
an all-time record $3.2 million in Medi fices during this peak period.
cal Insurance Plan (MIP) claims pay Richard Eddy, Manager of the Bank's
ments during March. For their efforts, Insurance Office in Personnel, said at
the company presented them with "Be the ceremony honoring the specialists,
the Best" awards. "The Claims Office is the backbone of
Those named are Liz Henderson, the Medical Insurance Plan."
Saley Mathew, Elizabeth (Lisa) Welch, The previous record for processing of
Mathew Alexander, Annette Messmore, claims was $2.4 million in October
and Kellie Gagnon. Barbara Braboy, Di 1988. E Noriko Lao Photo by Michele lannacci
~ WIo+A.T"DIDYaJ FIND CJt;: ~ EM
98.lo 'Yo
OUlWHeJ YOU COM PL.ETcI:> "'fHE .JUST AS I I"T'S ,/ME I b
S'TUt>\EO OO~ LAST AP?L\CA\10t-J ~T-
6RoJP OF AWU<:ANTS'? <:ORRE~L""<:
) \
18 THE BANK'SWORLD/JUNE 1989
rent salary and range of possible in
creases under the new compensation
system. Also, she makes certain that
after managers make their decisions, the
pay increase information is put into the
payroll system and each staff member
gets his or her Personnel Action Form.
The form denotes the salary increase in
dollars.
A self-effacing person, Mrs. Lao says
she is "just doing basic systems work,"
but without the many hours of overtime
she has put in in the past few months,
staff would not be able to receive in
creases·in their paychecks as scheduled
on July 3l.
"This year, the system has been partic
ularly complex," she admits, "because
things kept changing. I've had some very
tight deadlines. The deadlines are abso
lute; they cannot slip."
Mrs. Lao says that the initial reports
she has gotten out to managers built on
similar reports prepared in the past. 'We
have an infrastructure of sorts," she says,
"and we've built on that."
She came to the Bank more than 20
years ago as a clerk-typist in the old Ad
ministration and Personnel Department.
Today, she is a senior technical staff who
spends her non-working time doing vol
unteer work with the homeless and hun
gry. She also likes gardening and music,
and "I used to climb mountains in Japan,
but there are not many mountains Photo by Vose! Hadar
around here"-except for mountains of Dancing for Dollars
computer printout that affect each and A DiscolHa'ppy Hour culminated the Christmas in May Canned Food Drive to benefit the homeless.
every one of us. II More than 500 items of canned, bottled and boxed food were collected, as well as $600 in cash.
©[3BCJ'l? BfiJl:J (!) <!>
.. ~--------.
...
.. ~\ . ~,s"".,,:
~
"PEoPLE l.v "~E "'"PRQl'\CI'11!.b.
NEWS:· • CH2OL~ CAL"u)~E .~~~'L • 't)'N""L.~
• (;OlOO .sret~eRG • L\SA, ~\~
.~ ~IUMP
THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989 19
Around the Bank continued
Meeting of Minds
Mr. Conable and senior managers met with Mrs.
Gro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister of
Norway, during her May visit to Washington.
They discussed global environment and
development issues as well as specific Bank
environmental initiatives, many of which are
being supported by special trust funds from the
Government of Norway.
Photo by Michele lannacci
Hari C. Aggarwal
Christopher Bam
Michael Barth Luciano Borin
British national ... Appointed
South African national. .. Ap
Dutch national. .. Appointed Italian national. .. Appointed
the Bank's Resident Represen
pointed IFC's Special Repre
Head of the new International the Bank's Resident Represen
tative in Colombo, Sri Lanka,
sentative in Europe, based in
Securities Group within Capital tative in Somalia, effective
effective May 1.
London, effective July 1.
Markets, IFC, effective May 15. July 1.
1976: Joined the Bank as a Sys 1977: Joined the Bank through 1982: Joined the Corporation, 1980: Joined the Bank as a
tems Analyst, Office of the Di the Young Professionals Pro Capital Markets Dept., as an In Chemical Engineer, Industrial
rector, Economic Analysis and gram and was Operations Offi vestment Officer...l984: pro Projects Dept.. .. 1987: Sr. In
Projections Dept.. .. 1980: trans cer, South Asia Projects Dept. ... moted to Sr. Investment Offi dustrial Specialist, Industry and
ferred as Programming Officer 1982: Special Assistant to the cer... 1986: promoted to Energy Div., Technical Dept.,
to Operations Programming Sr. Vice President, Finance ... Manager, Div. 2, same depart EMENA... 1988: promoted to
Div., Programming and Budget 1984: joined IFC's Dept. of In ment. Principal Industrial Specialist,
ing Dept.. .. 1984: Loan Officer, vestments, Asia ... 1988: pr~ same department.
Div. 1B, Country Programs moted to Principal Investment
Dept. I, West Africa... 1986: Officer, same department.
Loan Officer, Div. A, Country
Programs Dept., South Asia Re
gion ... 1987: Country Officer,
Country Operations Div., Coun
try Dept. I, Asia Region ... 1988:
promoted to Sr. Country Offi
cer' same department.
20 THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989
- -- - -~ " -. -
.. ........,
L ettersto the Editor
I 1 ~~ •
• _~-'=' ____ ~.~_~~ - 1
To the editor: ment banks, and not by IDA. On the originates-is its affinity with the tire
I am surprised at your decision to pub author's arrival, Lesotho owned a single some talk from some expatriate con
lish the article, "Lesotho: The View jet aircraft purchased in mid-1977 and in stantly bemoaning life in this decent, if
Through a 12-year-old's Eyes." Even working condition to boot. The inclu certainly poor, country that has given
making allowance for the fact that this is sion of the Sabi Sabi game reserve is cu them a relatively comfortable life and
a young person's memoir, the article is rious as no such reserve exists in challenging job, and recreational oppor
in my view seriously deficient on a num Lesotho. While acknowledging that this tunities, far greater than those available
ber of dimensions, namely factual error, is a young person's story, I do not think to most of the country's citizens.
inappropriate language and tone and it acceptable to let stand some unfortu That is my view based on four enjoy
lack of balance. The article has next to nate expression~ used, i.e., references to able, if not entirely trouble free, years in
nothing positive to say about the coun tiny and cheap shops in the capital, to a Lesotho. Furthermore, my wife, who is a
try and does not give readers any idea of native African tracker and to a nice, Mosotho national, was appalled at read
what Lesotho is really like. sweet, fat lady. I take particular excep ing this article.
Regarding factual errors, please note tion to the use of the word slum in the
that Moshoeshoe II International Airport article. Stephen Brushett
was financed mostly by the African Devel Broadly speaking, what irks me about AF5CO
opment Bank and various Arab develop this sort of writing-from whomever it
Amar Bhattacharya Cesare Calari Gerald F. Flood
T. James Goering
Indian national. .. Promoted to Italian national. .. Promoted to U.S. national... Appointed
U.S. national. .. Appointed the
Chief, Country Operations Divi Manager, Division 2, IFC Capi Chief, Country Operations Divi
Bank's Resident Representa
sion, Country Department V, tal Markets Department, effec sion II (Caribbean Division),
tive in Ethiopia, effective
Asia Region, effective April 3. tive May 15. Country Department III, Latin
July 1.
Joined the Bank in 1979
1981: Joined the Bank through America and the Caribbean Re
gion, effective May 15. Joined the Bank in 1974 as a Sr.
through the Young Profession
the Young Professionals Pro Agricultural Economist, Eco
als Program ... 1980: Econo
gram ... 1982: Investment Offi 1969: Joined the Bank as a nomics and Policy Div., Agricul
mist, Egypt Div., Country Pro
cer, IFC's Capital Markets Loan Officer, Western Hemi ture and Rural Development
grams Dept. I, EMENA
Dept.. .. 1987: promoted to Sr. sphere Dept.. .. 1972: promoted Dept....1981: transferred to Irri
Region ... 1984: transferred to
Investment Officer. .. 1988: Sr. to Division Chief, South Amer gation Div., East Asia and Pa
Office of the Vice President,
Financial Operations Officer, Fi ica Dept.. .. 1973: Chief, Central cific Projects Dept...1985: ap
East Asia and Pacific Region ...
nance and Budgeting Dept., the American Div.... 1980: Chief, pointed Sr. Operations Officer,
1985: promoted to Sr. Econo
Corporation. Korea Div.... 1984: Chief, Indus Resident Mission in China.
mist, same office... 1986: Sr.
trial Development and Finance
Economist, Indonesia Div.,
Div. I, Projects Dept., Latin
Country Programs Dept., East
America and the Caribbean Re
Asia and Pacific Region ... 1987:
gion ... 1987: Projects Adviser,
Principal Economist, Country
Office of the Director, Country
Operations Div., Country
Dept. III, LAC Region. t •
,
Dept. V, Asia Region.
THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989 21
Senior Staff Appointments continued
1970: Joined IFC as an Invest
ment Officer. .. Until 1976: held
assignments in Dept. of Invest
Emmanuel O. A. Asibey Raymond Noronha
ments, Asia; Investment Promo Ghana India
tion and Special Projects Dept.; Sr. EcologistiAFi/4/17 Sr. Environmental Spec.IENV/S/l
and Dept. of Investments, Af Jacob H. Bregman Deborah H. Qualls
rica ... 1976: promoted to Sr. In Netherlands United States
vestment Officer... 1977: ap Education Spec.IEM2/4/17 Secretary/AFRl41l7
pointed IFC Resident Songsu Choi M. Rangarajan
Representative for West Africa Korea India
in Cote d'Ivoire ... 1980: Man Urban Planner/AST/4/24 Secretary/AST/S/l
ager, Caribbean Project Develop Enrique Crousillat Stephen O. Sebastian
ment Facility ... 1984: Manager, Peru India
Energy Econ.IIEN/41l 0 Systems AnalystlCTRl41l7
Div. 2, Dept. of Investments,
Maria Estrella Andrew Sheng
Pho Ba Quan LAC I. Philippines Malaysia
Vietnamese national. •. Pro Secretary/SPRIS/8 Sr. Financial Spec./CEC/S/l
moted to Director, IFC Depart Mary Lou Gomez Laura L. Sifuentes
ment of Investments, Asia I, Philippines Mexico
effectNe July 1. SecretaryIIFC/4/17 Secretary/LA11411 7
Elaine Halleck Peter L. Smith
Joined the Bank in 1966 and United States Canada
Compositor/GSD/4/24 Telecommunications SpecJAST/4/28
IFC in 1970... 1970: Held as
signments in the Asia Region, Gideon Hashimshony Trevor P. Somasundaram
Israel Sri Lanka
both at Headquarters and in Ma Sr. Urban Trans. PlannerILAT/4/28 Cash ClerklCSHlSIl
nila ... 1979: Divisional Man Ronald R. Hemphill Emma G. Tablante
ager in Europe and Middle East United States Philippines
Dept., promoted to Director, Asst. AdminstratorlEDII41l Secretary/AF 1/411 7
Latin America and Caribbean I Chong-Woon Hong Yasuo Tanabe
Dept. 1985: Director, Corporate Korea Japan
Promotions and Syndications ... Agric. Extension Spec'/AF4/Sf3 Guarantee Ofcr'/MIG/4/24
1987: IFC's Special Representa Andras Inotai Vipul Tandon
tive in Europe, based in London. Hungary India
EconomistiCEC/S/l Budget AnalystlPBD/S/8
Georgette B. Johnson Peter A. Urban
Giovanni Vacchelli Liberia Canada
Secretary/AF6/S/8 Sr. EngineerlIFC/41l7
Italian national. .. Appointed
Sanjiv Kapur Mary Van Oordt-Parodi
IFC's Special Representative in India Peru
Europe, based in Paris, effec Investment Ofcr./IFC/4/24 Secretary/LEG/S/l
tNe July 1. Roy A. Karaoglan Margareta Verbeeck
Lebanon Belgium
Joined the Bank in 1975 as a Sr. Banking Sector Spec'/AFi/S/l Secretary/AFT/41l7
Loan Officer/Economist, Sheilah E. King-Watson Rachel Weaving
EMENA Country Programs Barbados United Kingdom
Dept. 11...1979: promoted to Sr. SecretarylIEC/SIlS Information Ofcr./OED/SIIS
Loan Officer...1980: Assistant to Sonja Koniczek C. Westholm-Schroder
the Vice President, External Re Austria Sweden
SecretaryllFC/41l7 Guarantee Ofcr./MIG/SII
lations... 1981: promoted to Pro
gram Coordinator, same Vice Caroline M. Milad Bemerdine Williams
Sudan United States
Presidency...1984: appointed Secretary/AF2/41l2 Secretary/I FC/SII
Chief, Venezuela and the Carib
John Mcintire Donald Winkler
bean Div., Country Programs United States United States
Dept. II, LAC...1987: Chief, Agric. EconlLA2/4128 Sr. Education Spec.ILAC/41l7
Country Operations Div. 2, Mara P. Nava Anne-Marie Worden
same department. Peru France
Secretary/LON4I17 Secretary/PAD/S/l
Spiros T. Voyadzis
Greek national ••.Appointed
Peter N. Ngomba Lilian Zamorano
Cameroon Bolivia
Chief, Country Operations Divi
Educ. PlannerlEcon./AFT/SII SecretarylIFC/4I10
sion, Country Department III,
Renee Njiki
Europe, Middle East and North
Cameroon
Mrica Region, effective May 15.
Secretary/AFlISIlS
22 THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989
The Observer in London
by Frank Yogi
~ arber Conable arrived in London
B
_:lJ and was greeted by typical Apri I
showers, a nation consumed with cele
schedule was changing constantly; a tele
vision crew was arriving to interview
him; press releases had to be
all. Drinks were served in the crypt. One
descended the ancient steps to be hailed
in full voice by a lordly toastmaster ("My
brations of 10 years of Thatcherism, and messengered around town; fax messages Lords, Ladies, the President of the World
a set of monthly trade figures to bring a on compensation issues had to be dashed Bank... ") Grace was said and food
broad smile to the cheery face of Nigel to Mr. Conable and replies urgently faxed served. I would have loved to overhear
Lawson, the longest serving Chancellor back to Mr. Stern; Bank staffers were call some of the conversations. What advice
of the Exchequer this century. Only one ing to have their hotel and flight book on the media business did Rupert
other member of the Thatcher cabinet ings reconfirmed; and so on. All moved Murdoch at table four have for Yuri
has had such sustained influence on forward without a hitch. Levchenko, the head of the Soviet
Downing Street this last decade, and For all the seeming chaos, I confess to Union's Tass agency?
that is Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe, a sense of envy of my London colleagues. Sir Christopher Hogg, the dapper non
who also smiled upon Mr. Conable (I Our office there sits on top of New Zea executive Chairman of Reuters and head
know he smiled because both he and the land House at the foot of the Haymarket, of the Courtaulds Group, then toasted
President radiated across the English and its windows provide one with an un the Queen and lavished praise on the
family's cornflakes on the BBC's break rivaled vista of London. I would take guest speaker. Mr. Conable reminded the
fast news). Janet's perch any time. She peers down audience that our business is sustainable
The schedule was hectic. It was one on Trafalgar Square, glances across to development. He stressed the impor
thing for Mr. Conable to dash from one St. Paul's and the Thames and then over tance of adjustment and warned those
ministerial encounter to another and the lawns of Buckingham Palace. With a who think we are a soft touch that he
range with authority from IDA-9 to debt keen eye, one can even squint into the will be in no mood to take the debt liabil
strategies to the prospects for the envi back gardens of Nigel Lawson and Mrs. T ities of the banks from the shoulders of
ronment-the key topic on the British herself. .. Well, almost. the bankers. He ended the event with a
official mind so far as we are concerned. quote from British historian Arnold
A grand bash
And it was another thing, all the while, Toynbee: "Our age will be well remem
to place the final touches to a major Afew weeks ago, Gorbachev spoke at bered not for its horrifying crimes nor
speech to be delivered to the tycoons of the Guildhall; now it was Mr. Conable's its astonishing inventions, but because it
international publishing and the high turn. The event was the annuallun is the first generation since the dawn of
priests of British banking. But to do all cheon of Reuters, a once humble news time in which mankind dared to believe
this, and, at the same time, keep the clos agency that sent news by pigeon, then it practical to make the benefits of civili
est of tabs on every move back in Wash mail, then telegraph, and now by all zation available to the whole human
ington as the compensation drama manner of high tech devices, to clients race."
reached its climax, was quite an achieve around the globe. Reuters, no longer
ment. humble, once a year has a grand bash at Strange things on offer
The President scored goals on all the Guildhall. The season of private school fund-rais
fronts. U.K. officialdom greeted him And there we were in the midst of it ing auctions has just ended in Washing
warmly. There is, in particular, a warmth ton. It's stunning what prices are paid,
to the relationship between Mr. Conable especially when one sees some of the
and Britain's aid minister, Christopher strange things on offer. At one such re
Patten, that yields productive results. What advice on the cent event, bids were sought in the silent
Patten has given aid a higher place on auction for "an hour of dress consulta
the political agenda at Westminster, and
his constant support for the Bank's initia
media business did tion with a psychiatrist." When few bids
were received, the organizers must have
tives, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa Rupert Murdoch at concluded there had been a mistake in
and on the IDA replenishment front, is the listing and it was changed to "an
welcome indeed. table four have for hour of stress management with a psy
chiatrist." Soon after, however, the psy
Without a hitch YuriLevchenko,the chiatrist must have arrived, discovered
I found myself in awe of Janet Hick head of the Soviet the error at hand and convinced some
man and her colleagues who run the one that you need to have your head ex
London office. Here is the model of the Union's Tass agency? amined before you go shopping. The t ·
unruffled, cool-as-a-cucumber adminis item was listed one last time: "One hour
trator and her team. The President's of professional clothes consultation." III
THE BANK'S WORLD I JUNE 1989 23
- -
ine
AnswerL1
The purpose ofthis column is to answer was established in 1982 to honor the cured loan to finance an automobile
· 1
questions ofbroad interest concerning since the interest rate is lower (cur
former president of the World Bank. It
the World BanklIFC's policies and proce awards about 10 fellowships each year rently 10.75% A.P.R.). If a member
dures. Please include your name and for scholars to conduct research out wishes to finance an automobile with a
room number so we can send you the side their home countries that will pro signature loan, its current interest rate
answer to your question, even ifit is not is 13.75% A.P.R. Richard Osius, Manag
mote imaginative and innovative ap
selected to appear in the magazine. Your
confidentiality will be protected and
proaches to economic development. ing Director, Bank-Fund Staff Federal
your name will not be submitted to the The program is funded through a con Credit Union
manager from whom an answer is tribution from the Bank as well as
Question: What is the Bank's policy
sought. An anonymous question can from Bangladesh, China, India, Ku
regarding Bank staff working on the
only be answered if it is ofsufficiently wait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and Yu
country of their national citizenship?
broad interest to be included in the mag goslavia. Information on either of
Further, in those instances where
azine. Send your questions to: Answer these programs is available by writing
line, The Bank's World, Rm. £-8044. staff are assigned to work on the
to the program care of EDI. Lesley
country of their nationality, is there
* * * Roberts, Public Affairs Division, Exter
Note: Questions about the rehabilita any prohibition against working on
nal Affairs
tion ofthe Main Complex should be sent projects with the same government
to Answerline as well. Question: What is the cutoff age for agency in which they were previously
considering a car for a car loan~r, employed? Has the Bank's policy on
Question: Does the World Bank offer up to how many years old is a car con this matter been revised since the
scholarships for education to people sidered for a car loan? Also, how does reorganization?
in the community as other large the Credit Union loan department de Answer: There is no general prohibi
corporations and organizations do? If termine which cars will be financed tion against a staff member being as
the Bank does give away scholarships, by a car loan and which will be fi signed to work on projects which in
where can one obtain an application nanced under a signature loan? volve his/her country of citizenship.
and information? Answer: As long as the Credit Union However, provisions in the Staff Princi
Answer: No, the Bank does not offer can determine the value for an auto ples and Rules on conflicts of interest
scholarships for individuals in the mobile as listed in the National Auto which apply to all staff would, of
local community as do many American mobile Dealers Association's (NADA) course, be applicable in such situa
corporations. However, two scholar Used Car Guide, we would be able to fi tions. Specifically, there is the general
ship programs are administered by the nance the purchase. The NADA guides obligation to avoid situations that
Economic Development Institute of list the value for used automobiles by might lead to real or apparent conflicts
the World Bank which, reflecting the year, make and model, and are avail of interest. For this reason, we nor
Bank's multilateral focus, are open for able for review in the Lending Services mally do not post staff to field offices
competition to individuals from each Department of the Credit Union. The in their country of citizenship. Assign
of the Bank's 151 member countries. oldest date presently listed is 1971, so ments at headquarters are considered
Most, however, are awarded to stu it is unlikely that we would finance an on a case-by-case basis, but normally
dents from developing countries. automobile manufactured over 18 will not involve country department as
The World Bank Graduate Scholar years ago. We also have available a signments to the staff member's coun
ship Program (WBGSP) is funded by guide which lists prices for antique or try of citizenship. Regarding the issue
the Government of Japan. Established classic vintage automobiles. of former employers, paragraph 4.02 of
in 1987, WBGSP awards scholarships The decision rests with the bor Staff Rule 3.01 provides instructions
for graduate studies leading to an M.A. rower on whether to finance the car on Dealings with Former Employers.
or Ph.D. degree in an economic devel with an automobile (secured) loan or a These policies have not been revised
opment-related social science. signature (unsecured) loan. Usually, since the reorganization. Ian Hume,
The Robert S. McNamara Fellowship Credi t Union members prefer a se Director, Personnel Policy Department