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IDA at Work
Social Development: Putting People First
S ocial development adopts an approach that focuses on the need
to “put people first” in development processes. Overcoming
poverty is not just a matter of getting economic policies right—it is
also about promoting social development which empowers people
by creating more inclusive, cohesive, and accountable institutions
and societies. An approach that integrates these principles is critical
to addressing some of the International Development Association’s
(IDA) most challenging issues such as reconstructing post-conflict
and fragile states, proactively adapting to climate change, promot-
ing good governance and accountability, and reaching out to the
poorest countries.
Challenge
Sustainable development requires balancing the needs of present
and future generations and has become a rapidly growing global
concern. Three critical factors—economic, ecological, and social/
political—take a central place in discussions of growth and poverty
reduction. Social sustainability is a critical aspect of achieving long-
term development that significantly improves the lives of the world’s
poorest people.
There are several changes affecting the IDA countries: increased
volatility in key markets affecting the poor and leading to the food,
fuel and financial ‘crisis’ events of 2008-10; the increasing global
consciousness of the challenge of climate action and its social dimen-
sions; an increasing focus on the problems of ‘fragility’—of countries,
states and societies, and the implications for poor people; changes
in the geo-political balance of aid, with the rising importance of large
middle-income countries (particularly India and China) as regional
and global development actors beyond their national boundaries;
and increasing urbanization and its impact quality social analysis is essential to fulfill-
on developing societies. IDA has supported ing the World Bank’s mandate for effective
adapting to the changing environment poverty reduction. At the global level, social
through applied research and the develop- analysis underpins the Bank’s understanding
ment of tools and methods for understanding of processes of social and political change
the social dimensions of global change. At the that cross borders, including migration,
same time, there is a need to strengthen our conflict, and the social impacts of climate
understanding of the ways in which develop- change. At the national level, this analysis is
ment action can build social resilience in the necessary to understand and identify the key
face of the negative impacts of change. sociopolitical barriers to sustainable poverty
reduction. At the local level, it is necessary
Approach to ensure that poor people benefit as much as
possible from Bank projects and policies. Fur-
To meet these challenges, IDA is making a ther, social development approaches focus on
substantial contribution through: providing an understanding of the social and
political risks that can obstruct the progress
▪▪risk
Undertaking better social and political of development programs and that impede
analysis, including poverty and social investment. They also focus on identifying
impact analyses; adverse impacts during the preparation and
▪▪ Building a greater understanding of the implementation of projects.
social implications of climate change;
▪▪ Building links between citizens and their Another of IDA’s goals is to ensure that
government representatives and promoting projects deliver sustainable outcomes for
more responsive and responsible govern- poor people in contexts where IDA projects
ment structures; have the potential to cause disruption to
▪▪ Enhancing the capacity of communities for their lives and livelihoods. Project design,
poverty reduction through the community- appraisal and implementation processes
driven development (CDD) approach; support careful identification and address-
▪▪ Designing inclusive activities that increase ing of risks, mitigating adverse impacts and
societies’ resilience to violent conflict; promoting positive impacts and develop-
▪▪ Ensuring that programs have robust social ment opportunities. The Bank’s performance
safeguards and that vulnerable groups, such ratings on addressing social development
as indigenous peoples and involuntarily dis- issues, including safeguards, during project
placed persons, are not only protected but preparation and appraisal has improved from
also significantly benefit from the project 67 percent Moderately Satisfactory or higher
and the development process. in an Assessment in 1998 to 94 percent in an
Assessment in 2009, both by the Bank’s Quality
Results Assurance Group. With respect to the social
safeguard policies, in the 2009 Assessment
One of IDA’s main contributions in recent the Involuntary Resettlement Policy scored
years is bringing attention to the important a moderately satisfactory or better rating
role that social analysis plays in promot- of 83 percent, Indigenous Peoples Policy 82
ing socially sustainable development. High percent and the Cultural Property Policy 81
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percent. Nevertheless, the 2009 assessment ity of communities to engage in collective
also noted that satisfactory attention to decision-making processes has increased to
social development issues at design was not the extent that they are able to reach agree-
matched by attention during supervision. ment on contribution rates for operation and
Moreover, for projects with significant social maintenance of completed projects.
safeguard issues there is considerable scope
for addressing social opportunities, impacts Nigeria Second National Fadama Develop-
and risks beyond the narrow purview of the ment Project (US$125.4 million) is another
safeguard policies. CDD project that boosted the income of 2.3
million farm families in 12 Nigerian states.
According to an internal World Bank evalu- Real incomes of households participating in
ation, projects that addressed at least one agricultural project activities rose by 45 per-
social development dimension (such as com- cent between 2005 and 2007 as compared to
munity driven development, conflict, culture, income gains of non-beneficiary households
gender, indigenous people, non-governmental with the poorest participants experiencing
organizations (NGOs)/civil society, participa- the largest increase of group-owned produc-
tion, resettlement and social funds, etc.) tive assets.
were rated three to four percent higher on
outcome, sustainability, and institutional Poverty and Social Impact Analysis to
development impact than the overall aver- support pro-poor water reform in Yemen
age of Bank projects over a 30-year period. (US$60,000): In Yemen, a Poverty and Social
Projects that addressed multiple social Impact Analysis (PSIA) was carried out in 2007
development dimensions had an even higher to analyze the impact and implementation
success rate. constraints of the government’s 2005 water
sector reform strategy in the groundwater,
The following examples demonstrate some irrigation and rural water supply and sanita-
of the results achieved by select projects tion sub-sectors. This study addressed the
funded by IDA: equity and political economy constraints
of the National Water Sector Strategy and
Azerbaijan Rural Investment Project Investment Program (NWSSIP) by analyzing
(AzRIP) (US$30 million) is a community-driven the program’s reforms in (i) water resources
development operation that combines focus and irrigated agriculture, and (ii) rural water
on economics and engineering with atten- supply and sanitation. The PSIA took a multi-
tion to social dynamics and environmental sectoral and spatial perspective, and used
sustainability. Where AzRIP has rehabilitated a participatory and incremental approach.
rural roads, the travel time to school and The study made use of survey information,
markets has reduced by 47 percent and 26 key informant interviews, focus group discus-
percent respectively. The value of agricul- sion, and political economy analysis. Findings
tural production has increased by more than suggested a need for institutional reforms in
US$1 million in areas where irrigation systems water resource management and irrigated
were rehabilitated and primary school enroll- agriculture, promoting water productivity
ment has increased by 25 percent following particularly for poorer farmers, and correct-
rehabilitation of school buildings. The capac- ing the sequence of reforms. The PSIA also
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Chart 1. IDA Commitments with Social Development Themes (FY05-10)
1,000
900
800
700
US$ million
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10
Source: World Bank Business Warehouse.
discovered a need to mobilize all stakehold- for half of the new commitments (Chart 2).
ers, strengthen ownership of NWSSIP, and Conflict prevention and gender were the next
improve productivity to restore incomes, largest areas of new lending.
particularly for the poor. Government, donors
and stakeholders agreed to revise the reform
strategy and implement priority PSIA recom- Chart 2. IDA Commitments with Social
mendations through a multi-donor Water Development Themes (FY05-10)
Sector Support Program.
Other social
Social development
IDA Contribution analysis/ 9%
monitoring
1%
New IDA lending commitments for social devel- Indigenous
opment themes have averaged some US$700 peoples
3%
million annually over the past six years (Chart
1). Over the past three fiscal years (FY), the
amounts have declined in part due to several Gender Participation/
countries with large investments graduating 15% civic engagement
from IDA to IBRD. 51%
Between fiscal years 2005 and 2010, the com- Conflict
prevention
position of IDA’s social development portfolio 21%
has continued to focus heavily on participa-
tion and civic engagement (which includes
community driven development), accounting
Source: World Bank Business Warehouse.
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Partners climate finance (such as payment for carbon
sequestered in biomass through the United
IDA is well positioned to use its convening Nations Collaborative Programme on Reduc-
power and wide range of partnerships to ing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
contribute to advance the social agenda. IDA Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+)
has worked with several ministries including and other developing initiatives) is likely to
finance, social affairs, internal/home affairs, continue to increase demand for expertise in
planning, public works, natural resource designing socially sustainable operations—as
management, agriculture, and national many of these operations will require great
coordinating bodies for poverty reduction. sensitivity to changes in the livelihoods of
For its analytical work, it has partnered with forest-dependent peoples in order to be
academic and research networks globally and effective.
in-country. Work on fragility and conflict,
gender, and climate change have involved Beneficiaries
partnerships with multilateral organizations
such as the United Nations (UN) and the Women Starting a New
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Life in Bangladesh
Development (OECD) as well as bilateral
development agency counterparts (U.K., Bangladesh is successful, in part, because of
U.S., Australia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Fin- programs reaching out to women, especially
land). Global development NGOs, including rural women. One such program is the “Notun
environmental groups, indigenous people’s Jibon—New Life” administered by the coun-
organizations, and humanitarian aid organi- try’s Social Development Foundation with the
zations, are also important partners in social assistance of the World Bank. So far, over 1,000
development work villages across the country have benefited
from this community-driven program, which
Moving Forward has provided critical village infrastructure in
rural areas - such as improved schools, roads
It is important to note the changing framing and bridges, and clean drinking water. Under
of priorities related to IDA lending. The IDA16 this program, elected committee members in
Replenishment will be guided by three strate- villages decide on and oversee what needs to
gic priorities, all of which are of compelling be done in their communities. Women hold
relevance for the Bank’s forward strategy in an astonishing 80 percent of all the program’s
Social Development: gender equity, country decision-making positions. Beauty Ara, from
fragility, and climate change. The develop- Mohodipur in Gaibandha district, is a commu-
ment of a window for ‘crisis’ lending in nity member benefiting from this program.
IDA is also a significant development as it Ara says she has seen a dramatic change in
recognizes that lending priorities need to the role of women in the country. As a small
take account of crisis and vulnerability, as girl growing up in Bangladesh, her family did
well as the concerns with strong policy and not even allow her to go to school. Now she
institutional frameworks which have driven is part of her village’s decision-making pro-
IDA allocation criteria for the past decade. cess, and says she’s working to ensure that
The development of new instruments for the entire community, both men and women,
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have a fair chance at receiving an education cocoa- and coffee-farming cooperative in
and applying for jobs. Morsheda Akhter Mili Kono. “Instead, we had to rent a small store
is from the Ajhupipar village that has ben- in Koidu which restrained us from buying
efited from the program. She says her village produce in large quantity, thus depriving
is steadily making progress. “The roads which us from doing business beyond the level of
are being constructed will be beautified by breaking even to make a profit.” According
us through green plants. We want to earn to Fatorma, the storage facility being built
money by cultivating fish in the leased ponds with support from the IDA-funded Rural and
of our village. Through our organization, we Private Sector Development Project of Sierra
want to establish a grocery complex from Leone will allow the farmers in his coopera-
where each of us can buy our required items. tive to buy more produce and increase sales.
This is our dream.” The project also provides equipment and
knowledge for farmers seeking to improve
Moving Out of Conflict: Sierra business. “Our organization was also provided
Leone Rural and Private Sector a moisture tester to test the moisture level
Development Project of cocoa to know whether the seeds attain
the moisture level that add more value to
This project in Sierra Leone’s diamond-rich the produce,” said Hawa Sesay, another Kono
Kono district is helping the area’s farmers district farmer. “This has helped us in many
move from small-scale farming to larger-scale ways, including sensitizing cocoa farmers
production and international export. The about good post-harvest management strate-
project aims to remove constraints to agricul- gies for cocoa and determining the quality
tural productivity and promote the marketing of the cocoa produce we buy so that we can
of agricultural produce domestically and strengthen our bargaining position when re-
internationally. “Before we applied for the selling to exporters.”
project, we never had a storage facility as
an association because we had no money to Last updated September 2010.
embark on such a project,” said Sahr Fatorma, http://www.worldbank.org/ida
head of the Wolor Kumba Enterprise, a local
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