58129 The Making of a Mandala -page 12 Thinking Small A Little Company with Big Ideas by David Dichter . ..... RaPe · m_ y any account, Y.K. Desai, the 49-year-old Managing Direc­ tor of Tiny tech Plants Ltd. lo­ cated in Rajkot, India, is a rernark­ able rnan. Gandhian visionary, ted hirnself to finding practical solu­ tions to engineering problerns which touched directly on the daily lives of the urban poor and peasant farmers. Although Mr. Desai realized it was successful practical businessrnan, in­ not really feasible to try to change the ventor with no real proprietary inter­ traditional village "oil ghani" crushing ITPs process, he nevertheless felt an irn­ est in the new technology he is creat­ ing, cornrnitted to building up the proved rnethod was possible. "More interests in his rnicro-sized local than anything else," he says, "what I subcontractors rather than central­ wanted to do was try and reverse the Departments izing production in his own fac­ trend away frorn large centralized in­ 10 Staff Assocl.Uon. Please Stop tory prernises-these are just sorne dustrial oil rnills and return the produc­ Writing, I Can't Hear Youl of the facets of this unusual Indian tion of vegetable oil back to the farrn." 14 On the Record. Attila Karaosmanoglu industrialist. on strengthening development An honors gradate of the College Oil yields cooperation in Asia for the 1990s. of Engineering in Ahrnedabad, Mr. 16 Around the Bank Since traditional rnethods of extract­ Desai started his professional career ing vegetable oil frorn locally grown 17 Staff Changes 20 AnswerLine as a lecturer at the Polytechnic Insti­ crops such as groundnut and cotton tute in Porbander, a srnall seaport seeds were often obsolete and poor in north of Bornbay, best known as the oil yields, his first initiative at his new birthplace of Mahatrna Gandhi. cornpany was to design and build an ef­ Cover Over the next 12 years, he served al­ ficient srnall oil rnill systern. His experi­ Rinchen Gelek and his completed sand ternately as executive engineer and ence rnanaging industrial-size oil rnills mandala. rnanaging director of various Photo by Anne Hawthorn in the region convinced hirn that srnall Gujarat State Governrnent industrial farrners' interests were not being concerns. It was during his last as­ served by such large plants and that signrnent, when he was advising a what was required was a totally differ­ bank on establishing oil rnilling and ent approach to the problern. He set out cotton ginning factories throughout to change cornrnon practices that vic­ a district, that he decided to launch timized the srnall producers, such as in­ his own cornpany. dustrial mills that operated only be­ tween August and October, setting Small and efficient machines prices to their own advantage and forc­ Inspired by the social principles ing farrners to repurchase processed Mahatrna Gandhi had set down in vegetable oil that, rnore often than not, The Bank's World is published monthly in Washing­ his book, Hind Swaraj, Mr. Desai was had been adulterated with cheaper cas­ ton, D.C., by the Information and Public Affairs Divi­ tor or rnustard seed oil. sion of the World Bank for all employees and retirees determined to rnanufacture a certain of the World Bank Group, 1818 H St., N.W., Room type of srnall and efficient rnachine With the developrnent of his T-8049, Washington, D.C. 20433. which would, in his words, "satisfy Tiny tech rnini oil plants, Mr. Desai of­ Thierry Sagnier, Editor and Publisher Jill Roessner, Associate Editor the prirnary and real needs of the fered local farmers a cornrnercially via­ Morallina Fanwar-George, Editorial Assistant people." Frorn the tirne he founded ble alternative. Farmers carne to learn Bill Fraser, Designer Tiny tech Plants in 1984, he cornrnit­ that his plants could be operated on a k"fllIm· the:tim.e-he fDunded lants, Mr. Desai i mmself to fiftdmg to engineering elred directly the.urban year-round basis, thereby ensuring the decided to purchase his mini-oil mills with all the worries of a big work force steady supply of a household commod­ and set themselves up in the oil-expel­ when I can easily get everything done ity which, next to cereals, is the second ling business, challenging the larger in­ for me by friends here in Rajkot?" most important agricultural product in dustrial units. Mr. Desai relies on eight such sub­ the country. In addition, production With something like 280 Tmytech contractors, each employing four or could be carried out either continu­ Plants in operation since 1984, Y.K. five workers on average and typically ously during peak harvest periods or Desai is already beginning to see the producing a single component of his organized on a batch or "custom-mill­ revolutionary effect of his work in rural oil-expeller system. And since he is ing" basis to suit the particular needs villages of Gujarat. And not only are keen on exercising strict quality con­ of individual fanning families. his mini oil mills increasingly patron­ trol, he regularly visits his subcontrac­ ized by local fanners, they are also seen tors to ensure his exacting needs are Cattle feed supplement as sound business investments, since met. Mr. Desai was particularly interested most of the mill owners have been able in maximizing crop use. He offered to repay their initial capital investment Expanding to other areas peasant families the opportunity to see (approximately $3,000) within a year from the beginning of operations. With his Tiny tech Oil Mills rapidly their own harvest processed into pure, gaining prominence not only in India unadulterated vegetable oil, while at Subcontracting but in a number of Sub-Saharan Afri­ the same time benefiting even more by can countries as well, Mr. Desai is now getting-free of cost-the oilcake resi­ Like so many other small industrial­ due which they could use as a nutri­ turning his attention to expanding his ists in his home town of Rajkot, Mr. tious cattle feed supplement. "What Desai believes in subcontracting for rural industrial approach to other areas. better incentive," he says, "can a most of the parts his machines need For example, he is currently working fanner have to increase production from a number of small workshops on a small-scale sugar plant and a mini when he sees for himself that he and scattered throughout the city. In fact, cotton ginning system, both of which his family are the immediate beneficiar­ the city of Rajkot has established a are meant to emphasize labor-intensive ies of their own labor?" unique reputation throughout India for and efficient on-fann production at the It did not take long before fanners in its reliance on hundreds of hole-in-the­ expense of wasteful, capital-intensive the Rajkot District came to know about wall mini plants producing a wide and highly centralized industrial units. the numerous advantages which Y.K. range of components, most notably the Small is beautiful, as everyone Desai's plants offered compared to the famous locally made Lister Diesel en­ knows. Mr. Desai has also proven that centralized industrial oil mills. Nor gines. "Why," asks Mr. Desai, "should I small can be quite profitable, as many were these commercial advantages lost tie up a lot of my own capital in trying fanners using his TIny tech Plants have on a number of the richer fanners who to maintain a large industrial plant discovered. • THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 3 Environmental Roundtable Report r lannen From left to right, Ronald Trosper, Jonathan Martin and Dexter Gill, head of the Navajo Department of Forestry, with a computer-generated map of the Navajo commercial forest. y tern f r • vaJo or t by Betsy Edison liTo become responsible for your own re­ mercial forest include burial grounds "We needed some kind of focusing sources and your own future and to take or areas where medicinal plants which that would allow us to plan," Dr. Ron­ care of what is yours...." Jonathan Martin, grow only in certain parts of the forest ald Trosper, Director of the Native Navajo Forestry Department are in demand for teas, dyes and cere­ American Forestry Program at North­ monial use. With these mountains and ern Arizona University's School of For­ n the Navajo commercial forest, the buttes and other such places scattered estry, told a World Bank audience at an rhythm of the environment, and not throughout the commercial forest, the Environmental Roundtable held at the its immediate explOitation, is the existence of the sacred sets a cultural Bank in April. Dr. Trosper, who holds a focus of a new trend in forestry man­ constraint on commercial landuse. A doctorate in economics from Harvard, agement that relies less on bureaucrats proposed harvest of the commercial explained: "We have the community in big cities and more on the indige­ forestland surrounding the Sonsella setting the goals for the forest rather nous people who live on the land. Buttes, for example, was prevented. than technicians. The role of the for­ Worldwide, a trend to return land­ ester is then to present the options, Sheep grazing, a traditional Navajo use management to local populations based on simulation models. One of the way of life, also often competes with has been implemented in various coun­ difficult problems is having credible de­ use of forestlands set aside for commer­ tries including Nepal, Thailand, Ghana, scriptions of how non-timber resources cial exploitation. will respond in terms of timber cut. and Rwanda. Since the end of th~ 19th century "The big question used to be: 'What On the big Navajo reservation in when the reservation was first set up is the annual cut going to be?' Now we northern Arizona, there are 25,000 and administered by the U.s. Govern­ ask, 'What will the forest legacy be?' square kilometers of land. Of that, 500,000 acres are commercial forest and ment Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Nav­ The end condition of the forest deter­ within its perimeters are sacred places, ajo population has grown from 15,000 mines immediate output~this is the such as volcanic Tsalie Mountain, or to 200,000, adding up to about five peo­ 'legacy forest' concept. Traditional lin­ falling Iron Cliff, or Sosella Buttes ple per square mile on the biggest In­ ear programming models don't work where seasonal ceremonies are held dian reservation in the U.s. Much of in determining forest use for a distant near a spring of water emerging from the reservation land is too barren even future versus immediate output. We the rocks. Sacred areas within the com­ for sheep herding. consider outputs of all forest resources, 4 THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 not just timber. And by using computer­ generated mapping, we can plan for "The big question used to be: 'What is the each decade in, say, a 4O-year scenario annual cut going to be?' Now we ask, 'What that dictates how the forestland will be used. We use multi-objective program­ will the forest legacy be?'" ming to achieve the legacy forest goals as well as output goals. This more adaptive management modeling is based, you might say, on how the forest responds. quite unusual for mapping multi­ "It is important for native people to ''This is the key idea in our planning resources. Their input is part of the have confidence in themselves-to system-the idea of the legacy forest. database which our Geographic Infor­ make a decision and know that you're Namely, what kind of forest is this gen­ mation System (GIS) utilizes for com­ doing it right. Some Navajo people live eration going to leave for the next? puter-generated maps that are scenar­ in the forest and they understand the Rather than focus on short-term prod­ ios of how the forest would look in land, but is that enough for them to ucts we can immediately exploit from given factors. At the Native American manage it? I think not. Education is the land, we focus on the condition we Forestry Program, we work on the de­ needed-to train Navajo foresters, want for the forest 40 years from now­ velopment of planning techniques, and teach them, give them the tools of the legacy forest. this has been met by the changing situa­ knowledge. The NAU School of For­ "If you think only in terms of three tion today where Native Americans liv­ estry is within the four sacred bound­ or four years from now, an economist ing on reservations are becoming more aries of the Navajo Tribe. The univer­ would ask: 'What are the capital goods self-deterministic, taking over manage­ ment of their lands from a previously sity is one of three factors in the the forest would have and what is the successful management of the Navajo value of those goods?' Economists try colonial situation. They are the people who live and work in the forest and commercial forest. These are the NAU to foresee crises and price changes but School of Forestry, the communication this kind of 'market vision' is too lim­ they tend to look at the forest as a multi-resource. This gives them an eco­ with the Navajo people as the land­ ited-you have to ask the community logically oriented view of manage­ users, and the NFD. what kind of forest it would like to have." ment, and what they want is a sustain­ "Commonly on the reservations, able structure for the long-term management has been conducted by No information productivity of the forest. The key for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but this is planning forest use is communication changing. The Navajo Forestry Depart­ "Twenty years ago when I first with the community tied to the GIS sys­ ment began 15 years ago, first as a fire started out in forestry, I found in inter­ tem." crew. Today the NFD has a staff of views that there was absolutely no in­ formation from the people who use the eight foresters; five are Navajos, and Take care of the Earth two of the Navajo foresters hold super­ land, live on it and have extensive knowledge about it... But this informa­ Jonathan Martin, a young Navajo for­ visory or management positions in the tion is the key to effective land manage­ ester working at the Navajo Forestry department. The NFD goes for aggres­ ment. Now, 20 years later, the data are Department (NFD) and also working sive forest management, and uses all there for computer modeling; we have on his masters thesis (development of a the technical tools for management mapping, and all the information we prediction model for the regeneration such as the GIS-all the data in that have obtained has been keyed into a of Ponderosa pine, using GIS data) database was collected by the NFD. database. Surveys have been taken agrees with Dr. Trosper. "The tradi­ Now that this structure is in place, over the years. Shall we have a forest tional Navajo view of the Earth would there is the opporn.mity to take it on primarily focused on timber, and if so make modern day environmentalists down the line-to develop projects and what kind of timber? What role for seem meek. As the Navajo nation be­ examples for other tribes to see how to grazing? What role for livestock? And comes more modem and less tradi­ develop and manage their own re­ what kind of livestock--cattle or tional, a lot of things change for the sources. sheep? What forest products are impor­ younger people, but what has not "As foresters we have a responsibil­ tant to the forest inhabitants and in de­ changed is the demand by the Navajos ity as managers-and there is a certain mand, such as medicinal herbs or pole­ for use of the land's resources. To en­ amount of trust we receive from the sized wood used to build hogans, sure continuation of resources on the shade arbors, ceremonial tepees and reservation, these should be monitored people," Mr. Martin said. "The Navajo corrals? What effect would construc­ by the Navajo people. Navajos believe Forestry Department is still young. As tion of roads for logging and transport that we are free to use the resources but time goes by more Navajo people will have on the quality of life? On employ­ we must take care of the Earth; the become involved. The good that comes ment? On sheep grazing? Earth is our Mother. The NFD has a re­ out of that management, or the bad, we "Native Americans like to think of forestation program, with two green­ are responsible for it." the forest in an ecological or holistic houses with the capacity to grow half a "Let's look at the end value first," manner," Dr. Trosper said. "The Nava­ million seedlings per year, and it could Dr. Trosper concluded, "and then move jos have been developing a database­ replant 600 acres per year. back and see how to get there." • . ' THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 1 5 .. Time, Technology, Impact Procurement and Asset Management Back to the utur by Sue Leland IJ ne day not too far in the future, you might requisition supplies by sending a hologram to a pur­ chasing satellite orbiting an off-planet field office. Hard to imagine? Not if you measure the technological leaps made between 1946 when the Bank first opened its doors and and the world of 1991, and then imagine com­ parable advancements between now and 45 years from today. Our current automated material management sys­ tem, with modular support for procure­ ment of our modern work stations, computers, laser printers, E-mail, fax machines and the like, would have seemed very much like science fiction to our counterparts of yesteryear. Fewer than 500 employees To sharpen this perspective, let's included carbon paper, mimeograph posal, and in FY92 is scheduled to take take a trip to the late forties when the ink, stencils, books, maps, furniture, on the accounts payable function. In World Bank was a fledgling organiza­ partitions, stationery, and dining room FY90, operating in support of over tion with fewer than 500 employees. If supplies. The total annual value of pro­ 7,000 Bank Group employees, GSDMM you were working here then, you prob­ curement actions in the late forties aver­ staff executed 7,700 purchasing actions ably rode to work on a trolley, used a aged around $300,000. and awarded more than 300 contracts. manual typewriter, had an operator GSDMM's Receiving Unit handled place your calls, and considered the ad­ Expanded and evolved 7,300 shipments and the Supply Unit's vent of central air-conditioning nothing Over the past 45 years, this compara­ stockroom staff responded to over short of miraculous. Salaries ranged tively small outfit has expanded and 30,000 requisitions. The combined from an entry wage of $2,200 to the evolved into a workplace where the ef­ value of purchases and contracts very top level of $14,000 per year. Most fects of time, organizational change awarded was $145 million, not includ­ staff knew each other by name. Every­ and technology have been, to say the ing certain service contracts such as one went to the same Christmas party. least, transformative. Known today as that of Marriott food service--operat­ At the annual picnic in Rock Creek the Material Management Division ing at a rate of $7 million in transac­ Park, the Bank President played soft­ (GSDMM), this full-fledged, multi-func­ tions per year~r the American Ex­ ball with the staff. tional operation. is staffed by 41 em­ press travel services contract averaging Then, a handful of personnel took ployees who make up its Contracts approximately $75 million per year. care of the Bank's purchasing needs. A Management, Purchasing, Control and typical day in the Procurement and Time and technology Material Services sections. Charged Supply Section involved the processing with cradle-to-grave responsibility for The size of the employee population of eight to 10 hand-delivered requisi­ all the Bank Group's tangible assets, and the volume of goods and services tions. Those valued at $300 or more GSDMM now covers not only purchas­ procured are not the only changes time were referred to the Director of Admin­ ing but receiving, warehousing, stock and technology have wrought. istration who decided if bids should be room operations, inventory control, Through GSDMM's recently developed obtained. Commonly purchased items contracts management and asset dis­ Automated Material Management Sys­ 6 THE BANK·S WORLD' JULY 1991 A meeting of the Procurement Review Committee, which oversees all proposed purchases costing more than $200,000. Photo by Michele lannacci tem (AMMS), staff throughout the Since the earliest days, the Bank has Bank's Legal, Central Operations, Au­ Bank will soon be able to review on always insisted that, when procuring diting, and Planning and Budgeting De­ their computer screens a catalog of goods or services for operations sup­ partments, a Regional operating depart­ some 3,500 office supply and technol­ ported by its loans and credits, custo­ ment, and the Chief, GSDMM. ogy items. Tenninals, desktop PCs, mo­ mer countries conduct themselves ac­ dems, disk drives, LAN components, cording to strict ethics and best Informal affair ' printers, scanners, and a myriad of soft­ business practices. The Bank did not al­ One last way to measure the differ­ ware selections will be among a few of ways observe such stringency for its ences between 1991 and the late forties, the products listed. Today, if a require­ own requirements and, some years when Bank purchasing was an infor­ ment for goods is valued at $2,500 or ago, decided it should apply the same mal affair handled by a few staff who less, staff may also eliminate the step of rigor to its own procurements as it in­ knew where to get the best local bar­ submitting a requisition to GSDMM sists on for its borrowers. This was a gains, is to look at the current geo­ and activate another electronic feature timely and necessary shift for a num­ graphic scope of procurement activity. known as the Vser Generated Purchase ber of reasons. First, competitive pro­ Whether it be acquisition of building Order (VGPO). This mechanism en­ curement is the best way for any size­ materials in Delhi, automobiles in Tan­ ables requisitioning officers to commit able organization to meet its material zania, computer systems in Saudi Ara­ Bank funds by issuing a purchase and service needs. Second, the Bank is bia or satellite links in Chile, today's order directly to an outside vendor. An­ judged by its actions. The procure­ procurement officer must possess a other automation milestone is that, ments related to loans and credits car­ range of skills and a level of sophistica­ since July I, 1991, use of paper requisi­ ried out by client countries are scat­ tion scarcely envisioned 45 years ago. tions (Fonn 1984, "Request for Procure­ tered about the world to remote A look back at earlier decades might ment Services") has been discontinued locations and, beyond advertisements cause those of us tired of our hectic, and all users now send electronic requi­ in newspapers, are not very visible ei­ congested era's environment to engage sitions. Moreover, staff are now also ther to the Bank's major shareholders in nostalgic daydreaming. Picnics and able to order from the stockroom or to the public in those countries. But baseball games on the banks of an un­ through a fully automated, paperless the procurements the Bank ~onducts polluted stream in Rock Creek Park process. In support of the central inven­ for itself are carried out largely in the seem mighty tempting. Yet, others may tory function, which should be fully op­ Washington area and are quite visible thank their lucky stars not to have to erational during FY92, GSDMM's Con­ to the shareholders and the local pub­ endure an age without automated con­ trol Section has developed a feature lic, vendors and diplomatic missions. veniences. Whatever your bent, you which will allow designated staff to up­ might reflect that 45 years hence, in the date their division's inventory electroni­ Procurement Review Committee year 2036, younger staff may be won­ cally. Eventually, barcoding will re­ To ensure ethical, cost conscious and dering what it was like in good old place the old metal property number businesslike standards and practices, 1991, when we didn't have video­ tags. The division is also developing a steps have been taken to develop strict phones, voice-activated computers, ex­ rule-based system, expected to be oper­ policies and procedures governing not traplanetary field offices, and a three­ ational in FY92, to automate various only procurement but all aspects of ma­ day work week. stages of contract preparation. terial management standards and prac­ Some of us may be around to tell tices. One particularly visible policy re­ them. • Policies and regulations quires that all proposed procurement Another important difference in actions valued at over a particular dol­ today's material management environ­ lar value (currently $200,(00) be re­ Editor's note: Sue Leland, GSD Policy An­ ment is the existence of finner and viewed and agreed upon by the Pro­ alyst, has assisted the Material Manage­ more clearly defined policies and regu­ curement Review Committee, which is ment Division with the development of its lations governing procurement. composed of representatives from the policy and procedural changes. THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 7 ... · ~. Protecting Your Personal Security Brea ing the Cycle of Vio ence by Gillian Ross o woman asks to get raped," 1979 to a low of 145 in 1988, and then vulnerability. Pay attention to how you says Laura Goodin. "I'd like to rose over 81 percent in the last two stand, walk, and interact with people. stress this strongly. I'd like it in years to reach the current figure. These Boost your self-confidence by taking a bold, boldface." numbers will be particularly disturbing class that gives you a new skill. Spend Ms. Goodin is a consultant and tech­ to the 4,197 active female staff mem­ time with people who care for you and nical editor in ITF. She writes technical bers of the World Bank/IFC Group. are supportive. manuals, researches new and develop­ Why the steady fall and subsequent Then be aware of your surroundings. ing systems and provides user support dramatic rise? According to Officer Keep your eyes up as you walk and for existing ones. She also teaches self­ Derek Gray of the Metropolitan Police don't listen to headphones when on the defense and rape-prevention tech­ Department, there is no dear explana­ street. Pay attention to passing cars and niques. tion. One thing that can be said with to comers and alleys where attackers "No woman asks for it. I don't care certainty is that increased awareness may lie in wait, and wear sensible shoes what she's wearing, where she's going, and concern have led to a sharp rise in in case you need to run. Use your "sixth what time it is. I don't care if she's the reporting of rapes, though whether sense," your intuition. Many women drunk. I don't care if she's stoned. I in fact commissions of the crime have have reported after an attack that they don't care if she's crying. I don't care if increased is less clear. felt that "something was wrong" or she's stark naked in the middle of K Do the police support Ms. Goodin in "something funny was going on" just be­ Street. No woman asks to get raped!" her work? fore the attack took place. Ms. Goodin holds strong, and at "It's a mixed bag," she notes. " Some times controversial, views on all forms individual officers have helped." On Avoidance of violence against women. She trans­ the other hand, the D.C. Metropolitan The third line of defense is avoid­ lates these views into action. She's been Police Department advocates that ance. When you see you're in a poten­ teaching at D.C. Impact for two years women submit when assaulted. They tially dangerous situation, do your best and at the D.C. Self Defense Karate As­ claim that it's safer not to fight back, to get out of it. Cross the street, enter a sociation for more than three years. that fighting only makes the assailant store, drop what you're carrying if it Both are run by Carol Middleton, a more violent. hampers escape, or call the police or a well-known D.C.-based self-defense In fact, statistics show that this may friend; do what you need to do to get teacher. not be the case. Women resisting from away. Your life and your safety are far the start risk far less injuries, than those more important than wherever you're Teaching who submit. Frequently, the worst going or whatever you're carrying. "I started training in Karate. I'm a physical harm occurs after the rape, The fourth step is assertiveness. Be first-Kup brown belt; just under a when women are often severely beaten. willing to take a stand for your safety. black belt. I got into it because of the If the assailant merely wants a wallet If you can't avoid a situation that tradition; the beauty of the move­ or purse, Ms. Goodin advocates not makes you uneasy or scared, you may ments, the sheer power of it. But living fighting back. However, when it's a need to deal with the attacker head-on. in D.C., I began to realize that I was liv­ case of a woman's personal safety, she Women can often deter an attack with ing my life in fear. So karate led natu­ argues for meeting aggression with ag­ verbal defense. A firm "Leave me rally to self-defense and rape preven­ gression and there are steps in the self­ alone!" "Back off or I'll call the man­ tion training, and from there, to defense arsenal that she recommends ager!" or, '1' m going to yell for the teaching." in order to avoid violence. These are cops!" can cause an attacker to have The recent rape statistics in D.C are the five'As': Attitude, Awareness, second thoughts. But you must be pre­ staggering. There were 263 reported Avoidance, Assertiveness, and, finally, pared to follow through. rapes in 1990, an increase of 62 percent w hen all else has failed, Action. Finally, action. You must choose, and over the previous year's figure of 162. "Your first line of defense is your atti­ quickly, whether you want to engage in Last year there were 40 attempted tude," says Ms. Goodin. "Cultivate an a physical struggle. Your aim should be rapes and 24 in 1989; an increase of 67 attitude of confidence." Studies show at all times to keep yourself safe, and percent. Over the last decade the fig­ attackers usually choose their victims it's your decision whether fighting will ures fell from 402 reported rapes in for their appearance of weakness and help or hurt your chances in any given 8 THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 More Information on Self-Protection for Women Sponsor Telephone Course Details D.C. Impact (301) 589-1349 Full-contact self-defense for women Five 6-hour sessions Cost: $65O-call for special rates Women's Self-Defense (202) 232-0789 Practical street-defense techniques Tuesdays and Thursdays Month-long course, Cost: sliding scale-call for details D.C. Self-Defense (30t) 589-1349 Traditional Karate and practical street-defense Association Adult beginners: Tuesdays 6-7:30 p.m., Saturdays 2-3:30 p.m. Child beginners: Saturdays 9-10:30 a.m. Pre-Karate (ages 4-6): Saturdays 12:45-2 p.m. Call for introductory package Rape Crisis Center (202) 333-RAPE Emergency situation. If you do decide to fight, This is the thinking Ms. Goodin, attack, she'll recognize the feeling of fight whole-heartedly and with every through her training, tries to change. the rise in adrenaline, know that it is ounce of power you have. "We need to break the cycle of vio­ natural, and use it to her advantage. "We women must realize that we lence," says Ms. Goodin. Many rapists *** have power, power we were born with come from abusive childhoods and per­ petuate this violence through inflicting At the D.C. Self Defense Karate Asso­ and that we have been trained not to ciation, where Ms. Goodin also teaches use. We've been programmed to take it on women. By the time a rapist is caught, on average, he has raped 17 women's self-defense classes in con­ care of other people, to see that the junction with the D.C. Rape Crisis Cen­ other person doesn't get hurt. We fight women. ''We have to stop this violence. By learning to be more assertive and ter, instruction focuses on practical for other people. We don't fight for our­ street-defense techniques-how to be self-protective through training, we selves. Also, we're used to the idea of aware of one's surroundings, how to women can help ourselves." being protected; by a big brother, a fa­ avoid potentially dangerous situations, D.C. Impact offers a full contact, self- ther, a boyfriend and then a husband." defense course. Male - . how to be verbally assertive; all weap­ and female instructors ons in the self-defense arsenal. work to teach techniques The D.C. Self-Defense Karate Associ­ for use in the event of at­ ation offers beginners' classes for tempted rape. The male adults and children in traditional ka­ instructors are heavily rate and practical street-defense. ''We padded. This is essential teach children as young as 4," says Ms. if the students are to re­ Goodin. What's your phone number? ally fight back as they What's your address? Who can you go would in a real life situa­ to for help? Who does your body be­ tion. long to? These are some of the ques­ Situations as close as tions children learn to answer. The pro­ possible to real life are gram is designed not to instill fear, but enacted, one on one, the to build awareness in the child of self­ student as the defender, worth and a knowledge that, no matter the male instructor play­ how small one is, one can defend one­ ing the role of the would­ self. The older children learn to assess a be rapist. The idea is to situation and to choose the appropriate get the adrenaline pump­ defense to cope with it." ing. In this way, if the Of the over 150 students Ms. Goodin Laura Goodin in action. Photo by Michele lannacci student ever faces a real has taught in the past three years, one stands out in particular. She took the THE BANK'S WORLD { JULY 1991 9 Co • · ~. Impact course before leaving for Guate­ mala on an assignment with Peace Bri­ gades International, an organization working with human rights and con­ Please Stop flict resolution. Her job was to work as an unarmed observer, escorting human­ rights workers, students, rural organiz­ Writing, I Can't ers and labor unionists whose lives had been threatened because of their political views. ear You! The pain of a knife One night she was returning to her by Chris Parel home with two friends. They were less than a block away when a figure emerged from the dusk shadows, a sil­ houette against the bright light beyond. I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to Her path was blocked. As he moved to­ make it short. -Blaise Pascal (1623-1657) ward her, she instinctively brought her arms together to protect herself. She felt the pain of a knife as it plunged into her arm. Terrified and blinded by the light, she blocked the next thrust very institution has its own cul­ writing skills-shorthand for Bank­ with her shoulder bag, throwing her as­ sailant off balance. She ran screaming "ayudame, help me." As she ran into the E ture and a driving part of that culture-both cause and effect­ is how it communicates with itself. The ese-as a desirable if not essential skill. Has Bankese ouHived its usefulness? Does writing become an end in itself? pool of light from the street lamp she Is it time to break with tradition and past two surveys have documented saw the blood, her blood, and fell, los­ begin communicating differently with ing her bag. She rose swiftly, and, fear­ that the Bank does not communicate very well with itself. ourselves? ing further attack, realized there were in fact two attackers and that they were The Staff Association and the Bank Radical? Well perhaps just a bit. But chasing her friends. have spent a lot of time looking at inter­ not so radical when one compares the "It could have been a lot worse," nal communications problems: lack of Bank to the private sector we try so says Ms. Goodin. "After a night in the candor, poor upward and downward hard to emulate. Any company that hospitaJ, my former student returned communication, lack of accountability. communicates with itself as the Bank to the States for further medical treat­ The SA has put forward recommenda­ does would soon go bankrupt. But the ment." Her friends were treated that tions and there are more to come. But private sector knows better. The pri­ night and released. as we perform triage on our in-boxes vate sector has a bottom line. She wrote to D.C. Impact telling every day and struggle to wade Is it useful to compare the Bank and them her story and stressing how the through acres of reports and docu­ private sector communication styles? self-defense course had saved her, not ments, we have the distinct impression We think so. In theory they're sup­ only during the attack, but later, as that something important is being over­ posed to be about the same. The Bank well. She had no nightmares, no looked, namely communication style. teaches"expository business English," changes in eating patterns, no major be­ the "pyramid" approach in writing, havioral disturbances, all common in Overwrite presentation skills, and meeting skills. post-traumatic syndrome. The letter But somehow the Bank sends out differ­ continues, "I had become so used to What follows is an editorial about the Bank's communication style. Our ent signals. And the result is often over­ being attacked in the class that when it write that obstructs good communica­ actually happened, it didn't completely thesis is that the Bank relies too much on written, ponderous communications tions. throw me for a loop." "So the rewards are tremendous," and that this, too, undermines good communications. Bankese says Ms. Goodin. In several cultures there is the say­ The fact is we are drowning in writ­ There are really two aspects of this ing, "He who does not beat, does not ten documents. Some of it is unneces­ culture phenomenon we are calling love." It is this thinking that must be sary. Much of it is unnecessarily overwrite. The first is that we rely much changed in order to break the cycle of lengthy, and detailed, inefficient and in­ too much on a ponderous Bank style­ violence. • effective. Overwrite. We even have a Bankese. It is almost as if we are name for it when it meets certain stan­ ashamed to say what we mean in di­ Editor's note: Gillian Ross is Office Man­ dards of syntactic elegance: it is called rect, simple language. The real life ex­ ager in the Infrastructure and Urban De­ "Bankese." And it is highly valued. The ample below (we all doubtless have velopment Department. VIS announcements almost always list our favorites) is lifted from a Bank doc­ 10 THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 ument and typifies how Bankese can in­ an environment it often seems like doc­ this and yet continue to write and write terfere with communications. uments have displaced projects as the and write to satisfy Bank norms? central focus. Surely long-standing custom is one Bankese A second reason for overwrite is reason. The Bank rewards Bankese and "Such a transition is not one which doubtless plain insecurity. We've all there are formidable disincentives for can be achieved overnight, nor can it been offenders so it won't need much anyone who would do things differ­ be done by administrative fiat. It re­ explanation. It goes something like this. ently. And whether the reason is frag­ quires a change in attitudes and per­ "The Bank only respects (thick, mented accountability, insecurity or spective of staff and managers, and, weighty, highly detailed, technical) custom or something else, we are going most importantly, requires the total pieces and I need to justify to my (su­ to need a culture breakthrough to ad­ spectrum of policies, processes, infor­ pervisor, manager, senior manager, dress the problem. It is unlikely that we mation and support services." Board) that I (am capable, work hard, are going to see changes until someone have command of the subject, justified with authority takes the lead, breaks Plain English my trip /budget, manage well, deserve with tradition, and sets and enforces "This will of course take time." recognition) because the result will in­ new standards. It will have to be a top fluence my (PPR, merit increase, pro­ down process. The second aspect of ovenvrite is that motion prospects)." we commit too much to writing. There If these are indeed the signals that Some ideas are a lot of ways of communicating like are being sent then it's no wonder we So what can be done about ovenvrite? talking, lap documents, slide presenta­ are indulging in ovenvrite. Some ideas: tions, outlines-that we seldom use. We are really behind in our reliance on • Restrict the length of Presidential written documents. And then we com­ The VIS memoranda as well as those sent to se­ nior managers a la Proctor & Gamble. pound the problem by circulating ev­ erything we write resulting in an in­ announcements almost This alone sends a strong message. credible reading overload. This • Decide the maximum allowable phenomenon has recently been exacer­ always list writing length of official documents and stick to it. (Note that the length of the Initial bated by the explosion in All-In-l use. ITF is studying the impact on our com­ skills-shorthand for Executive Project Summary (IEPS) and Executive Project Summary (EPS) were munications style at this very moment. Bankese-as a fixed at an economical 1/2 and 2 pages But one thing is surely true: what is im­ portant often simply gets lost. desirable if not respectively in 1985. They can now run anywhere from 3 to 10 pages). Deep introspection essential skill. • Don't write when you can talk. Train staff to use appropriate communi­ Fact: The Bank will consume nearly cation techniques in appropriate cir­ 200,000,000 sheets of Xerox copy in FY91. cumstances. A written document is un­ That's about 3,333.3 sheets for every regu­ A third reason for ovenvrite is that most staff and managers have spent likely to be a useful communications lar staff member. vehicle in all of the different phases Why does the Bank indulge in over­ years learning how to write Bank docu­ that Bank work must pass through. write? The answer to that question may ments in traditional Bank ways. There are probably few among us who know • Define the VIS requirements for require some deep institutional intro­ "good writing skills" to mean "...writes spection. other communications models or little, gets to the point quickly!" One reason may be that ovenvrite is would risk doing things differently. • Establish, as a PPR criterion, that often the product of a lack of clear ac­ The private sector presents its results managers will be rewarded according countability. Neither individuals nor in carefully crafted formats that effi­ to their ability to produce required doc­ units nor projects have clear bottom ciently organize and present informa­ uments in plain English. line accountability similar to what we tion. They write and they also use lap • Implement a special communica­ would encounter in the private sector. documents and slide presentations. tions course for managers as part of the Without accountability and without Their success depends as much on con­ Executive Development Program so "profits" to measure performance and tent as their ability to present. We see that they can begin helping subordi­ justify actions we end up producing a this. We teach all of these skills at the nates to communicate more effectively. lot more written justifications. Bank. But we persist in communicating In the end, recognition should be Accountability is further fragmented the "Bank way." given for communicating, not writing. by an elaborate drafting and reviewing Why is it that the President of Proc­ And, to paraphrase Pascal, the Bank ritual. Everything needs to be carefully tor & Gamble insisted that any memo­ should "take the time to make it studied, documented, caveated. Every­ II randa to him must be no longer than short." body wants a piece of the action. The result can often be endless, unneces­ one page? And why was this cited in sary and costly drafting and redrafting "In Search of Excellence" as a example Author's note: Ironically, this is among the of all types of documents. Project intrin­ of good corporate communications? longest Staff Association articles ever pub­ sics are dressed up in Bankese. In such And why do we all see the virtue in lished in The Bank's World. THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 11 C" .,. .' Journey From the Land of Snows: A Tibetan Mo Visits Virginia by Clare Fleming s the morning sun streams yas with his family through the window, the sweet, and hundreds of peo­ milky aroma of Indian tea min­ ple from their village gles with the perfumed waft of burning to the border of Nepal. incense. In the distance, I hear the bass There, they lived in a rumble of a Tibetan monk chanting his tent for a year and morning prayers. Rinsing teacups in simply waited. Two the kitchen, I feel at peace. of his brothers died. The author in 1981, when she taught English at the Nechung This moment of simple serenity is a Finally, they were Monastery. daily memory from my months of liv­ given permission to ing in northern India in the village of enter India and McLeod Gang, a Tibetan settlement a moved to McLeod steep walk up the mountain from Gang, along with Dharamsala, nestled 6,000 feet into the thousands of other Ti­ foothills of the Himalayas. For almost betans. He became a six months in 1985, on something of an monk at the age of 17. educational odyssey to the Tibetan The N echung monas­ Their belief that all life on tery, which he chose exile community, I lived at the Tibetan CuI tural Library and taught preschool to enter, is the home earth is essentially only a children English, songs and games of the Tibetan State Oracle. This particu­ small part of the larger ("Little cabin in the woods, little man by the window stood..."). Every morn­ lar monastery plays a picture of reality, a gift to be ing, boiling my tea and choosing my unique role in Tibetan daily vegetables from the vegetable culture, since the Ora­ used as a vehicle toward seller's basket at my front door, I cle performs the ex­ would absorb the sounds and aromas traordinary service of enlightenment, carries them providing visionary drifting up the hill from the Nechung Monastery below, where my friend the guidance through successfully through life. Venerable Rinchen Gelek and his fel­ trance to the govern­ low monks undertook their daily ritu­ ment and people. als. Eventually, I taught the monks En­ The Tibetan com­ glish and came to know life in this munity is steeped in monastery. Buddhism. Every day, the men and women A monk at the age of 17 can be seen circum­ ambulating aroupd cult living situation, are among the hap­ Much to my delight, this memory be­ the holy places, reciting their mantras came reality again a few weeks ago in piest and most active group of people I on their prayer beads. The Dalai Lama, my apartment in Alexandria. Rinchen have encountered. They feel we are their religious and governmental Gelek came to visit from India, having here to grow beyond the human illu­ leader, is considered the reincarnation traveled to the Nechung's brother mon­ of Chenrezig, the deity of compassion. sion that this life is of ultimate impor­ astery in Hawaii to teach. They believe not that the Dalai Lama tance, to reach an awareness that we Rinchen has travelled a long way to feels compassion, but that he is compas­ are taking part in a cycle of existence, reach suburban Alexandria. In 1965, at sion. The Tibetans, in spite of their diffi­ through many incarnations, an aware­ 5 years old, he walked over the Himala­ ness which they believe can lead to ulti- 12 THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 Rinchen Gelek Explains the Sand Mandala The tradition of making a mandala is part of the practice of Tantric Bud­ For three days, I went during lunch­ dhism. The mandala can be made with paint or sand. The sand mandala is time and watched the development of created for special ceremonies and occasions. The Tibetan word for mandala the piece from a series of drawn white is kilkhor, which means the abode of the meditation deity. This has a deep lines to a multi-colored work of art. By spiritual significance. After creating the mandala, the practitioner generates the end of the three days, he had cre­ her or himself as the form of the deity, takes initiation, does consecration cer­ ated a brilliant, fully detailed represen­ emonies, and so forth. With the external substances, internal concentration, tation of Chenrezig, using the letters of and mantras, the practitioner gains full potential to develop and· celebrate the Tibetan alphabet. Although inner realization. Rinchen's belief was that it should be The Mandala of Avalokiteshvara [Chenrezig], the Buddha of Compassion, ritually destroyed after its purpose was expresses Om Mani Padme Hung, the essential Tibetan Buddhist mantra. It served, in recognition of the imperma­ is recited by all Tibetans in their daily lives and celebrates their love and nence of all things, the Sumner Mu­ compassion for all beings. It is understood as follows: Om symboHzes the seum decided to keep the mandala on purified body, speech and mind; Mani means jewel, and this represents the display until the end of May, because of its beauty. practices of the Bodhisattvas, who reincarnate for the sole purpose of help­ In the midst of all this activity, ing other beings achieve happiness. Just as the jewel fulfills our wishes, the Rinchen came to my parents' house practices of the Bodhisattvas, such as generosity, ethics, patience, effort, con­ and had his first experience of an centration, and wisdom built on love and compassion, fulfills other beings' American-Irish Catholic Easter celebra­ wishes. Padme means lotus, and this represents the practice of wisdom. tion. A bit bemused and touched, he Through the practice of wisdom, one can realize the final reality of all phe­ hunted for his Easter basket, the chil­ nomena. Hung represents the union of both method and wisdom. II dren excitedly guiding him on ('you're hot, getting colder, getting hotter....') until he uncovered the chocolate-filled treat. Sitting down to the feast, Rinchen mate enlightenment. Their belief that Mandala means magic circle. The in his robes on my left, my aunt, who is all life on earth is essentially only a mandala used by Tibetan Buddhists is a former Catholic nun, across from me, small part of the larger picture of real­ a circular depiction of one of their dei­ I was moved by the strange juxtaposi­ ity, a gift to be used as a vehicle for ties or an aspect of Buddhist teachings. tion of cultures at the table. On the way moving toward enlightenment, carries The sand mandala is exactly what it home that evening, Rinchen held up them successfully through life. sounds like, a depiction of one of their his basket of candy and laughed. deities or a Buddhist precept designed "Look at this, Clare!" he exclaimed. "A Fully committed in colored sand. Tibetan Buddhist monk, carrying his As a Buddhist monk, Rinchen came The sacred art of sand mandala­ first Easter basket!" to the West with a heart open to the making requires years of training, be­ pleasures of a more leisurely and com­ cause the mandala must be made in an Two aims in life fortable lifestyle than he has at the mon­ exact configuration, for each step of -­ The night before Rinchen left to go astery, but fully committed to his belief which a prayer is offered. Rinchen that all of it, ultimately, is only part of a back to India, we sat quietly in my liv­ trained many years in the art and now ing room and shared our thoughts. He larger reality and that the greatest plea­ does them as part of his practice in sure comes from helping others move told me he has only two aims in life: India. one is to become a hermit and spend toward happiness. His devotion to this belief was clear in his actions through­ his years alone in a state of continual Deity of compassion out his entire trip. At every port of spiritual practice or, if he cannot do call-Hawaii, San Francisco, Los Ange­ In honor of the Year of Tibet and the that (and he most Hkely cannot, since les, San Diego, New York City, and arrival of the Dalai Lama, Rinchen his intelligence, sophistication and Washington, D.C.-he performed some chose to make a sand mandala depict­ knowledge of English make him an in­ act of service, either through transla­ ing the deity of compassion. He valuable translator and teacher), he tion, teaching or simply helping out. brought with him from Hawaii the would like to spend his life helping Here in D.C., since his visit happened tools of his trade-sand which he had people around the world and sharing to coincide with celebrations being pre­ painstakingly dyed himself, in little his knowledge with them. His state­ pared for the Year of Tibet, highlighted plastic bags, and a compass and other ment was simple, and heartfelt. by a gala event and a visit to Washing­ measuring devices. He set up a round I don't know when I'll see Rinchen, "1 ton by the Dalai Lama, he decided to wooden table in the rotunda of the or visit Dharamsala, again. But I do devote his time and energy to the pro­ Sumner Museum on 17th and M know that the images created from my duction of a sand mandala, an extraor­ Streets, N.W., where the Year of Tibet experience with him, then and now, dinary expression of sacred art which I celebration was to take place, and will continue to enrich me for a long watched develop over several weeks. began to layout his sand sculpture. time. II THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 13 Strengthening Development Cooperation in Asia for the 19905 AttHa Karaosmanoglu Attila Karaosmanoglu, Vice President, Asia Region, recently ad­ been concerned about the adverse long-term consequences dressed the Japan Center for International Finance in Tokyo. Here of excessive emphasis on balance-of-payments support. are excerpts from his speech: Japan's approach to development has been widely emu­ lated in Asia. The emphasis the Japanese approach puts on partnership rather than on an adversarial relationship is a F or many years, Japan and the World Bank have been working together to improve the quality and levels of foreign assistance to developing countries, particularly particularly important one. I am convinced that we can build an even more productive those in Asia. Now that Japan is seen more clearly as a key collaboration between the World Bank and Japan for Asia's devel­ actor in the world economy and has assumed the position opment in the 1990s. There is a need for philosophy and de­ of the number one bilateral aid donor, it is appropriate to velopment experience. Let me utilize this occasion to indi­ ask if that collaboration between the Bank and Japan could cate some areas where enhanced cooperation would be be further enhanced and more effectively focused on emerg­ appropriate right away. Among these areas are: universal ing development issues. Conditions are favorable for an ex­ primary education, environmental protection, trade and pri­ pansion of that partnership. vate sector development and strengthening investment In recent years, the World Bank's overall view of Asia's preparation capacity. prospects has been strongly optimistic and hopeful. How­ One of the most striking lessons of modern economic his­ ever, this year we see some disturbing developments. In tory over the last two centuries is that the leader in school­ several countries, questions are being raised as to whether ing invariably is the leader in development. Education has the momentum of structural reforms is slowing down. In been found to be crucial, not only for growth of productiv­ many there are growing political tensions with increasingly ity but also for promoting equity among social groups and ominous interactions among poverty, population growth between genders. and environment. These concerns temper our usual opti­ mism. Conscious and concerted efforts are needed to sus­ tain and expand the growth process; and Japan, in collabo­ ration with other development partners, can playa lead D espite its obviously important role, primary education has not always received the attention it deserves either from governments or from donors. The number of school role in these efforts. age Asian children not attending school remains large If Asia is to resume its impressive performance of growth today-about 70 million, representing nearly half the with equity, it needs to launch a second wave of reforms, worldwide total of 145 million out-of-school children. make more determined efforts for poverty reduction and While education is more than a mere matter of money, lack population control, and initiate a concerted program for en­ of resources has been a serious problem. The donors have vironment-friendly development strategy. During this pe­ also neglected the primary education sector. Asia received riod, ideas will be just as important as finance for promot­ about 15 percent of global aid disbursements to primary ed­ ing development, and Japan's development experience ucation for a school population of some 300 million chil­ must be more carefully tapped. dren. The Japanese approach to aid and development has al­ The World Bank will expand its lending for primary edu­ ways been firmly embedded in mutuality of interests and cation in Asia as part of the "Education for All" initiative support for a self-sustaining partnership for growth based launched last year. But that will not be enough. The major on private sector transactions and sound public invest­ bilateral donors, in particular Japan, can and should join in ments. Moreover, Japan's foreign assistance has been nota­ an international effort to erase illiteracy from Asia within a ble for its consistency of approach over time, a useful char­ generation. acteristic for its partner countries. Japan has also The combination of rapid economic growth, population traditionally given priority to aid for investment and has density, and poverty is placing severe stress on Asia's physi­ 14 THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 cal environment. The magnitude of the problem of land deed should change more rapidly. It is noteworthy that the degradation, water and air pollution, deforestation and loss Japanese shares in imports, exports, and foreign private in­ of biodiversity is becoming ominously clear. vestment in South Asia are low but increasing while those of Today, Asia produces 20 percent of the world's green­ East Asia are declining. South Asian countries are undergo­ house gases. Left unchecked, the Asia Region's contribu­ ing major rethinking on their policies, and enhanced collab­ tion of global S02 will grow from 28 million tons to 76 mil­ oration with Japan could expedite the pace of reform and lion tons in 2110. Asia consequently presents the greatest also increase the effectiveness of reforms through provision single threat to the world's environmental balance in atmo­ of funds. With policy changes, there may open up signifi­ spheric pollution. cant opportunities for twinning arrangements between Degradation of forests, land, and water is also a serious business houses in Japan and in South Asian countries. threat. Water quality is deteriorating, while competition for Japan for its part could relax tariff and non-tariff restric­ water is growing. Waste water severely pollutes 70 percent tions on imports from other Asian countries, open its finan­ of China's monitored rivers, and nearly all major cities rely­ cial markets to fund raising by creditworthy Asian neigh­ ing on groundwater draw on contaminated supplies. bors, encourage foreign private investment, and raise aDA The industrialized world is learning how to control commitments. some forms of pollution. Effective methods to control soil Lastly, I come to the issue of building capacity for prepa­ erosion and ensure water quality are also available at a ration and implementation of development programs. It is price. Technology and policies for managing tropical forests generally agreed that in several low-income countries, par­ on a sustainable basis are not as well-developed, but re­ ticularly the least-developed countries, investment rates are search is continuing. However, in developing countries the unacceptably low. In many of these cases the problems application of the appropriate policies, incentives and regu­ arise due to inadequate capacity for project preparation and lations, and technology for environmental protection is rela­ project implementation. Unless this capacity is improved, tively new. Probably the most important issue is cost. Most additional aid money is likely to end up in consumption developing countries are reluctant to use scarce investment and/or policy distortions. It is, therefore, urgent that an ef­ resources for pollution control while their industrial, en­ fort is made to improve the capacity for project preparation ergy and infrastructure bases remain underdeveloped. and project implementation. The amount of money in­ Japan has emerged as an intemationalleader in emission volved may not be large but special innovative efforts will control technology and would be a major supplier of equip­ be needed in view of our limited progress in this respect in ment and technology in this area if there is a worldwide ef­ the past. Japan could use trust fund programs with the fort to mobilize funds for projects to reduce gas emissions World Bank more actively to assist in this area. in Asian countries. Before concluding, let me restate my major themes: The Japanese Council of Foreign Economic Cooperation • The development performance of Asia during the has recommended Japan take a lead in expanding and 1980s has been impressive. However, for a number of coun­ strengthening assistance in the environmental field in order tries in Asia, there remain some serious macroeconomic to achieve "sustainable development on a global scale." We problems. in the Asia Region of the World Bank are strongly commit­ • During the 1990s a second wave of structural reforms ted to promoting environmentally sound development in is needed in Asia, drawing more fully on the Japanese expe­ Asia and would like to explore all avenues for partnership rience and putting an increased focus on dynamic trade with Japan in this important task. and technology relations, private sector development and environmental protection while continuing the emphasis n the past, the United States and Europe were the main on family planning and poverty reduction. I destinations of Japanese exports. In recent years, Asia's share in Japanese exports has been increasing and it is now • The long history of partnership between the World Bank and Japan needs to take new dimensions. larger than that of the United States or Europe. During the • While the partnership would cover many areas of de­ 1990s and beyond, Japan may have to be prepared for a fur­ velopment, special efforts are called for during the 1990s in ther decline in the share of their exports to the U.S. and Eu­ the areas of primary education, environment, trade and pri­ rope. vate sector investment, and strengthening of public sector Our calculations suggest Japan can maintain its rate of capacities for designing and implementing development growth of exports of the 1980s without any increased pene­ programs. tration of the U.S. and European markets provided Japan • The modalities of such a partnership need to be devel­ can maintain the same rate of growth of exports to Asian oped, but they would include not only joint financing but neighbors that it attained during the second half of the also joint research programs, joint feasibility studies, and 1980s (about 15 percent per year). joint country missions. In this context it is appropriate to highlight the impor­ I believe we are at the beginning of a new era of Asian tance of South Asia as a potential growth point for in­ development. Forecasting is, of course, always a dangerous creased trade and capital flows between Japan and Asia. business. However, there is a high probability that in the The present shares of Japan in exports from and in imports emerging new world order Japan will playa lead role in to the countries of South Asia are low. aid and economic matters. If the World Bank and Japan can There are, of course, historical, political, and policy rea­ develop effective modalities for expanded collaboration, sons for this situation. However, there are a number of indi­ this would serve well the cause of development in general cations that this imbalance within Asia is changing and in­ and Asia in particular. • THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 15 Around the Bank Distinguished Service Award J.W. Saxe Memorial Fund Atlas Wins Design Award for Shiv Raj Singh The J.W. Saxe Memorial Fund in 1991 Three judges of the Design and Effec­ Kansas State University has awarded awarded five prizes of $750 each to stu­ tiveness Competition sponsored by the Shiv Raj Singh its 1991 Distinguished dents so they might gain experience in Washington Book Publishers cited the Service Award "in recognition of out­ public service work by taking volun­ World Bank Atlas for excellence in the standing international service" in the teer or low-paying jobs or internships. category "interiors-3 or more colors." field of entomology and tropical agri­ The Fund, established in 1982 after the More than 135 books from 41 local pub­ culture. death of Bank staffer Jo W. Saxe, has lishers vied for awards in five catego­ Mr. Singh, prior to joining the Bank's since its inception awarded 32 prizes to ries. Western Africa Department, Agricul­ students interested in public service ca­ The judges felt the interior design of ture Operations Division, was director reers. This year, applications were re­ the Atlas showed that complex statis­ of the Grain Legume Improvement Pro­ ceived from 80 individuals in 35 col­ tics could be presented in an interest­ gram at the International Institute of leges and universities. ing and understandable form through Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria. The fund is incorporated under Dis­ careful graphic design. The basic de­ While there, he pursued the develop­ trict of Columbia laws and contribu­ sign, created several years ago by Ger ment, production, use and promotion tions are tax-deductible. Additional in­ Quinn, has been modified each year by of cowpeas. formation is available from: J.W. Saxe Walton Rosenquist, design coordinator The award was conferred during the Memorial Fund, 1524 31st Street, N.W., for the Publications Department. university's commencement exercises Washington, D.C., 20007. II The book display and awards cere­ held May 18 in Manhattan, Kansas. II mony was held June 18 in the H audito­ rium. II Letters to the Editor To the editor: I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank the World Bank for providing Emergency / Counseling Ser­ vices, which I unfortunately found nec­ essary to use as a result of a suicide in my family and the feelings that go hand-in-hand with such an event. Many of you will know the difficul­ ties that arise when your family is many thousands of miles away, but when faced with a crisis, the Bank has done much to alleviate some of the bur­ den. Without the Bank's help and that of my manager, colleagues and friends, I am certain it would have been far more difficult to deal with these circum­ Peace Corps Reunion stances. Peace Corps veterans of the World Bank celebrated the Corps' 30th Anniversary on June 10. More than 200 current Bank employees have served as Peace Corps Volunteers. Among the cele­ Alana Sowman brants were Bank President Barber Conable, current Peace Corps Director Paul D. Coverdell PADCT (left), Sargent Shriver, the Corps' first Director, and Barbara Zartman, Deputy Chief of Staff. 16 THE BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 Senior Staff Appointments Kabir Ahmed Mohamed T. El-Ashry John A. Hayward American American British Project Officer, Country Director, Environment Adviser, Water Resources Department II, Asia Region, Department, effective Management, Technical effective July 1. June 1. Department, EMENA Region, effective June 15. Jonathan C. Brown American Chief, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Division, Country Department V, EMENA Region, effective July 1. Masood Ahmed Prem C. Garg Pakistani Indian Chief, Debt and Chief, Agriculture Division, Chaim Helman International Finance Technical Department, Israeli Division, International EMENA Region, effective Chief, Agriculture Economics Department, September 1. Operations Division, effective July 15. Southern Africa Department, effective June 1. Noel Carrere French Resident Representative, Bank's Resident Mission, Chad, effective July 1. Michael A. Gould RidwanAli American Trinidadian Ishrat Husain Chief, Agriculture, Industry Chief, Agriculture and Finance Division, Pakistani Operations Division, Country Department V, Chief Economist, Africa Country Department I, Region, effective July 1. EMENA Region, effective EMENA Region, effective June 1. July 1. THE !BANK'S WORLD I JULY 1991 17 .. ,. John Innes Khalid Siraj British Pakistani Resident Representative, F. Stephen O'Brien Chief, Industry, Trade and Bank's Resident Mission, American Finance Division, Technical Zambia, effective May 8. Chief, Bank's Regional Department, Asia Region, Mission, Nairobi, Kenya, effective June 17. effective July 1. George Psacharopoulos Greek Senior Adviser, Human Resources, Technical Department, LAC Region, effective July 1. Millard F. Long American Senior Adviser, Financial William T. Smith Systems, Technical American Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Water Resources Adviser, Department, EMENA Nigerian Region, effective July 1. Technical Department, Asia Chief, Agriculture Region, effective July 1. Operations Division, Country Department III, EMENA Region, effective October 21. Anand K. Seth Indian Chief, Environment Division, Technical Department, EMENA Region, effective July 1. Alastair J. McKechnie New Zealander Chief, Infrastructure Inder Sud Division, Country Indian Michel J.L. Pommier Senior Operations Adviser, Department III, EMENA French Region, effective August 1. Asia Region, effective July 1. Operations Adviser, Operations Policy Unit, Central Operations Department, effective July 1. 18 THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 Vinod Thomas OktayYenal Tae-Hee Yoon Stephen J. Weissman Indian Turkish Korean American Chief Economist, Asia Chief, Bank's Resident Chief, Agriculture Chief, Infrastructure Regional Office, effective Mission, New Delhi, India, Operations Division, Division, Eastern Africa September 1. effective August. Country Department I, Asia Department, Africa Region, Region, effective June 1. effective July 1. New Staff Members Veronique Allain Naomi J. Caiden A. Noel Jones MakhaNdao France United States Ireland Senegal B/L Secretary /PAD/6/3 Public Sectr. Mgmt. Mgmt. Consultant/PBO/6/17 Education Planner/AF5/6/3 Newman Artcher Spec./EDI/6/10 Masaaki Kaizuka Patience Okon Ghana Luis F. Constantino Japan Nigeria Secretary/FOO/5/20 Portugal ED's Asst./EDS/6/3 B/L Secretary/LA3/ 6 /17 Maria-Amparo Ballivian Forestry Econ./LAT /6/17 Osamu Kawaguchi T. Schillhom Van Veen Bolivia Ronald L. Corwin Japan Netherlands Young Professional/YPP /5/28 United States Policy Ofcr./MIGA/6/3 Livestock Spec./EMT /6/3 Guy W. Beatson Projects Asst./[FC/6/10 Douglas S. Lister Helmut Schreiber New Zealand Marie-Laure F. Cossa United States Germany ED's Asst./EDS/6/3 France [nvestment Ofcr./IFC/6/10 Environ. Econ./EM4/6/3 Tyler Biggs B/L Secretary/PAD/6/24 Francisco Mardones Carol Somasundaram United States Shantayanan Devarajan Chile India Sr. Economist/AFT/6/17 United States Health Spec./LAT /6/3 Secretary/SEC/5/28 Sandra Bloemenkamp Principal Econ./CEC/6/3 John R. Mitchell Kenneth S. Watson Netherlands Maria Paz Felix United Kingdom _ Canada ED's Asst./EDS/6/3 Philippines Public Info. Ofcr./EXT /6/3 Mgmt. Consuitant/ORG/6/17 Maritza Bojorge Secretary/PHR/6/3 Joyce Mould-Owosu Liliane A. Yomekpe Nicaragua Merlinda D. Ingco Ghana Ghana Secretary/IEC/6/3 Philippines Secretary/SSB/5/20 B/L Secretary/PAD/6/17 Economist/IEC/6/3 Andrea E. Nash Jennifer J ohnson-Calari United States United States Librarian/SEC/ 6/17 Investment Ofcr./INV /6/10 @~C}(?(3EJCB® i ~ AAHI·H~, WkEN '100 CAN 'REJ.A)c, e.ot>y ANDTA'f:.E?~ IN "DE:SS'C~ R:l1C! 1H E s: 'RETIRl:.I"IiiNf- 'T"l-IE ~l.i), S'PaIb11HE.WrTH ""TI4E SIH?L..E.~INGS ~F"&STOF LIFE. <:cot> ~r~ ANt:> Fo4I1IL..'r', ARoUNi:> '!OJ ­ THE BANK'S WORLD / JULY 1991 19 (­ ~ - ..' . I•• The purpose of this column is to answer on a more efficient way of using the All­ the new Statement of Expenses fonn questions ofbroad interest concerning the in-l system and your time for distribut­ that requires codes of hotels, dally World Bank Group's policies and proce­ ing the kinds of memoranda you refer rates, etc. Instead of expenses by ~ dures. Please include your name and room to. Nicholas Carter, Head, Policy and Strat­ now expenses by hotel are Jequired. number so we can send you the answer to egy Staff, ITF Many of us who work in Agriculture your question even if it is not selected to I travel to places that have no "hotels." appear in the magazine. Your confidential­ Question: Is the World Bank now It seems to me that whoever dreamed ity will be protected and your name will entering into the business of desk-to­ up this form has no idea of the costs not be submitted to the manager from desk advertising? A few days ago, I re­ (in time) involved in providing unnec­ ceived through internal Bank mail an essary codes of hotels and explana­ whom an answer is sought. An anonymous advertisement for a book published tions for phone calls. Please, could we question can only be answered if it is ofsuf­ by Basil Blackwell. The mailing ap­ ficiently broad interest to be included in the get back to the old forms that most of peared to use official Bank disbibu­ us have been happy with and which magazine. Send your questions to: Answer­ tion lists and mailing facilities. W"lll have served the test of time? Line, The Bank's World, Rm. T-8044. we now be deluged with individual .. .. * Answer: The Bank Group spends announcements for every book pub­ over $100 million each year on opera­ Note: Questions about the rehabilitation of lished by Bank staff and consultants? tional travel. In order to manage this the Main Complex should be sent to (Or only those published by Basil function more effectively, irs necessary AnswerLine as well. Blackwell?) While the book is no to start collecting better information on .. * .. doubt of interest to a wide range of travel patterns and hotel rates by the Bank staff, I normally would have use of city and hotel codes. This deci­ Question: With all the money, time found the announcement in the sion was reached in meetings between and effort expended by the Bank in Weekly Bulletin of a book's availab il­ GSUfR and a user group that was es­ putting into operation the electronic ity in the Bank's bookstore suffi­ tablished to define the travel-related in­ mail system, why is it not being uti­ ciently informative. If the practice of formation requirements. The require­ lized properly by everyone? I am desk-to-desk advertising is to become ments were then conveyed to ACfAS asked to make copies of short memo­ widespread, perhaps we will be given which incorporated them into the exist­ randa, then to distribute them, some­ the opportunity to have our names re­ ing automated travel request systems times to more than 50 people, all of moved from the distribution lists, as as well as the new automated State­ whom are subscribers to AII-in-l. I is possible with private direct mail ad­ ment of Expenses system introduced waste my time locating a copier which vertising to our homes. last year. We have been reviewing these is in proper working order, looking Answer: There was and is no intent requirements with GSDTR and, in light up room numbers of the addressees, to support desk-to-desk advertising not of experience to date, have agreed to addressing interoffice envelopes, etc. cleared by proper authorities. In the case in question, the printing and distri­ limit the codes to major cities/hotels So my questions are: does the Bank only. We are also considing other sim­ have a specific policy as to when elec­ bution was accepted when the re­ questor provided a signed Form 14 plifications in information require­ tronic mail should be used; and, why ments consistent with financial control let all the electronic wizardry go to (Printing Request> and claimed that he was authorized to have the flyers requirements and will modify our sys­ waste and force people to do unneces­ printed and distributed. The Print Shop tem requirements to reflect these deci­ sarywork? printed the job on the assumption that sions. Answer: Electronic mail is a new communications medium for the Bank. the request had been cleared by the Incidentally, it appears the ques­ There has been a deliberate policy of requestor's Division Chief. Later dis­ tioner may be unaware of one particu­ encouraging staff to get accustomed to cussions with the appropriate Director, lar utility now available that reduces using the new system without impos­ who has been provided the details of the work involved in preparing SOEs. ing rules and regulations. In that way, this incident, indicated that the request­ This is the computer generated "draft we can understand what works best for ing individual hac;l no such authority. SOE" that automatically copies over people, as well as for the Bank as a The flyers, however, had already been the itinerary as entered in the Travel Re­ whole. We are currently assessing the distributed. John A. Montefusco, Chief, quest, with the traveler having to mark system with a view to issuing a policy GSDPG it up for modifications only. framework and guidelines for use. We Any further questions or suggestions would very much welcome your sug­ Question: In the name of cutting may be sent to Mark Rendeley, Ext. gestions. In the case you bring up, per­ costs, the Bank has introduced more 76830. Tauheed Ahmed, Acting Chief, Ac­ haps you and your manager can agree bureaucratic hassles. One example is counting Systems Division