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105-486: The World Development Report ( WDR ) is an annual report published since 1978 by the World Bank . Each WDR provides in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of economic development . Past reports have considered such topics as agriculture, youth, equity, public services delivery, the role of the state, transition economies , labour, infrastructure, health , the environment, risk management, and poverty. The reports are

210-399: A 'typology of nationalizing, developmental, and neoliberal migration management regimes' across developing countries. Following independence and decolonization in the 20th century, most developing countries had dire need of new infrastructure , industry and economic stimulation. Many relied on foreign investment. This funding focused on improving infrastructure and industry, but led to

315-545: A Country Assistance Strategy is produced in cooperation with the local government and any interested stakeholders and may rely on analytical work performed by the bank or other parties. The World Bank's negative pledge clause prohibits its debtor countries from using public assets to repay other creditors before they repay the World Bank. The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries . It

420-640: A balanced budget and give priority of debt repayment to the World Bank over other governments. World Bank staff closely monitored the use of the funds to ensure that the French government met the conditions. In addition, before the loan was approved, the United States Department of State told the French government that its members associated with the Communist Party would first have to be removed. The French government complied and removed

525-498: A clear definition, sustainability expert Mathis Wackernagel and founder of Global Footprint Network , emphasizes that the binary labeling of countries is "neither descriptive nor explanatory". Wackernagel identifies these binary terms of "developing" vs. "developed" countries, or "North" vs. "South", as "a thoughtless and destructive endorsement of GDP fetish." Wackernagel and Rosling both argue that in reality, there are not two types of countries, but over 200 countries, all faced with

630-538: A development perspective. It argued that managing risks such as job loss, crime, disease, disaster, social unrest, and financial and macroeconomic turbulence responsibly can save lives, avert damages, prevent development setbacks, and unleash opportunities. The report proposed a conceptual framework for thinking about risk and resilience, identified obstacles to better risk management, and recommended numerous avenues for better risk management that can be pursued by individuals, families, communities, enterprises, governments, and

735-446: A different message: economic growth is seldom balanced, and efforts to spread it out prematurely will jeopardize progress. The WDR 2008 addressed "Agriculture for Development", calling for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries. The report warned that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized. While 75 percent of

840-462: A high climate vulnerability or low climate resilience . Developing countries often have lower median ages than developed countries. Population aging is a global phenomenon, but population age has risen more slowly in developing countries. Development aid or development cooperation is financial aid given by foreign governments and other agencies to support developing countries' economic, environmental, social, and political development . If

945-537: A host of past and present situations, the report identified promising national and regional initiatives as well as directions for change in international responses, and discuss how lessons can be applied in situations of vulnerability to violent conflict. The World Development Report is published by the World Bank. The WDR 2010 , on the theme of "Development and Climate Change," explored how public policy can change to better help people cope with new or worsened risks, how land and water management must adapt to better protect

1050-524: A large informal economy , high crime rates ( extortion , robbery , burglary , murder , homicide , arms trafficking , sex trafficking , drug trafficking , kidnapping , rape ), low education levels, economic inequality , school desertion , inadequate access to family planning services, teenage pregnancy , many informal settlements and slums , corruption at all government levels, and political instability. Unlike developed countries, developing countries lack rule of law . Access to healthcare

1155-486: A medium to low standard of living . There is an association between low income and high population growth. The development of a country is measured with statistical indices such as income per capita (per person), gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy , the rate of literacy, freedom index and others. The UN has developed the Human Development Index (HDI), a compound indicator of some of

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1260-943: A method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics . According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly comprises Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean , Asia (excluding Israel , Japan , and South Korea ), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand ). Most of the Global South's countries are commonly identified as lacking in their standard of living , which includes having lower incomes , high levels of poverty , high population growth rates , inadequate housing, limited educational opportunities, and deficient health systems , among other issues. Additionally, these countries' cities are characterized by their poor infrastructure . Opposite to

1365-691: A non-partner (not including sexual harassment ) at some point in their lives. Evidence shows women who have had experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence report higher rates of depression, having an abortion and acquiring HIV , compared to women who have not had experienced any physical or sexual violence. Data from the Middle East and North Africa shows that men who witnessed their fathers against their mothers, and men who experienced some form of violence as children, more likely have reported perpetrating intimate partner violence in their adult relationships. The status of healthcare that

1470-519: A particular focus on low- and middle-income countries . Developing country A developing country is a sovereign state with a less developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreement on which countries fit this category. The terms low and middle-income country ( LMIC ) and newly emerging economy ( NEE ) are often used interchangeably but refers only to

1575-564: A preferential treatment at the WTO , countries such as Brunei , Hong Kong , Kuwait , Macao , Qatar , Singapore , and the United Arab Emirates have been cited and criticized for this self-declared status. Development can be measured by economic or human factors. Developing countries are, in general, countries that have not achieved a significant degree of industrialization relative to their populations, and have, in most cases,

1680-621: A result, reducing inequality, in this definition, had become an integral part of the World Bank’s objectives and effectively “broadened its mandate”. The World Bank has been criticized for not embracing the reduction of inequality (be it economic inequality within a country, or international inequality between countries) as a goal. Instead, the bank has taken an instrumental approach to the issue, in which inequality policies were seen as useful as long as they contributed to reducing (extreme) poverty or promoting average economic growth. As part of

1785-402: A series of annual publications in the year 1978 with its first report titled "Prospects for Growth and Alleviation of Poverty." Since then, it has focused each year on a particular theme that is central to development and the reports present a detailed study of the relevant sectors, applications and toolkits developed. The reports and their titles are as follows: World Bank As of 2022 ,

1890-818: A system of systemic exploitation. They exported raw materials, such as rubber , for a bargain. Companies based in the Western world have often used the cheaper labor in developing countries for production. The West benefited significantly from this system, but left developing countries undeveloped. This arrangement is sometimes called neocolonialism , meaning a system in which less-developed countries are taken advantage of by developed countries. It does not necessarily mean that former colonies are still controlled by their former colonizer; it refers to colonial-like exploitation. Developing countries are often helping further develop rich countries, rather than being developed themselves. Several institutions have been established with

1995-461: A threatened natural environment while feeding an expanding and more prosperous population, and how energy systems will need to be transformed. The report was seen as a call for action, both for developing countries who are striving to ensure policies are adapted to the realities and dangers of a hotter planet, and for high-income countries who need to undertake ambitious mitigation while supporting developing countries' efforts. The WDR 2009 focused on

2100-494: Is about four times more effective in raising incomes of extremely poor people than GDP growth originating outside the sector. "A dynamic 'agriculture for development' agenda can benefit the estimated 900 million rural people in the Developing world who live on less than $ 1 a day, most of whom are engaged in agriculture", said Robert B. Zoellick , World Bank Group President. "We need to give agriculture more prominence across

2205-625: Is another form of violence against women which is still occurring in many developing countries. It is found mostly in Africa, and to a lesser extent in the Middle East and some other parts of Asia. Developing countries with the highest rate of women who have been cut are Somalia (with 98% of women affected), Guinea (96%), Djibouti (93%), Egypt (91%), Eritrea (89%), Mali (89%), Sierra Leone (88%), Sudan (88%), Gambia (76%), Burkina Faso (76%), and Ethiopia (74%). Due to globalization and immigration, FGM

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2310-651: Is based on economic size in addition to the International Development Association contributions. The following table shows the subscriptions of the top 20 member countries of the World Bank by voting power in the following World Bank institutions as of December 2014 or March 2015: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC),

2415-436: Is criticism for using the term "developing country". The term could imply inferiority of this kind of country compared with a developed country . It could assume a desire to develop along the traditional Western model of economic development which a few countries, such as Cuba and Bhutan , choose not to follow. Alternative measurements such as gross national happiness have been suggested as important indicators. One of

2520-452: Is defined by sociologist Patrick Heller as: "closing [the] gap between formal legal rights in the civil and political arena, and the actual capability to meaningfully practice those rights". Beyond citizenship, the study of the politics of cross-border mobility in developing countries has also shed valuable light in migration debates, seen as a corrective to the traditional focus on developed countries. Some political scientists identify

2625-769: Is listed in the Registry of Research Data Repositories re3data.org. The World Bank also endorses the Principles for Digital Development . Together with the World Health Organization , the World Bank administers the International Health Partnership (IHP+). IHP+ is a group of partners committed to improving the health of citizens in developing countries. Partners work together to put international principles for aid effectiveness and development cooperation into practice in

2730-461: Is not without controversy. Slum-dwellers now number a billion, but the rush to cities continues. Globalization is believed to benefit many, but not the billion people living in lagging areas of developing nations . High poverty and mortality persist among the world's "bottom billion", while others grow wealthier and live longer lives. Concern for these three billion often comes with the prescription that growth must be made spatially balanced. The WDR has

2835-474: Is often low. People in developing countries usually have lower life expectancies than people in developed countries, reflecting both lower income levels and poorer public health. The burden of infectious diseases, maternal mortality , child mortality and infant mortality are typically substantially higher in those countries. The effects of climate change are expected to impact developing countries more than high-income countries, as most of them have

2940-848: Is often used interchangeably with "developing country" but refers only to the economy of the countries. Least developed countries , landlocked developing countries and small island developing states are all sub-groupings of developing countries. Countries on the other end of the spectrum are usually referred to as high-income countries or developed countries . The term " Global South " began to be used more widely since about 2004. It can also include poorer "southern" regions of wealthy "northern" countries. The Global South refers to these countries' "interconnected histories of colonialism , neo-imperialism , and differential economic and social change through which large inequalities in living standards, life expectancy, and access to resources are maintained". Global North and Global South are terms that denote

3045-408: Is one with GNI per capita between 1,046 and 4,095 in current US$ ; an upper middle-income country is one with GNI per capita between 4,096 and 12,695 in current US$ , and a high income country is one with GNI per capita of more than 12,696 in current US$ . Historical thresholds are documented. The use of the term "market" instead of "country" usually indicates a specific focus on the characteristics of

3150-466: Is primarily voluntary. Based on an agreement between the United Nations and the World Bank in 1981, Development Business became the official source for World Bank Procurement Notices, Contract Awards, and Project Approvals. In 1998, the agreement was renegotiated, and included in this agreement was a joint venture to create an online version of the publication. Today, Development Business

3255-542: Is spreading beyond the borders of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and to countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, the U.S., and UK. The Istanbul Convention prohibits female genital mutilation (Article 38). As of 2016, FGM has been legally banned in many African countries. According to UN Women facts and figures on ending violence against women , it is estimated that 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and sexual violence by intimate partners or sexual violence by

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3360-406: Is the cause for more than 200 million children under five years of age in developing countries not reaching their developmental potential. About 165 million children were estimated to have stunted growth from malnutrition in 2013. In some developing countries, overnutrition in the form of obesity is beginning to present within the same communities as undernutrition. The following list shows

3465-669: Is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group . The bank is headquartered in Washington, D.C. , in the United States . It provided around $ 98.83 billion in loans and assistance to "developing" and transition countries in the 2021 fiscal year. The bank's stated mission is to achieve the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and building shared prosperity. Total lending as of 2015 for

3570-489: Is the primary publication for all major multilateral development banks, U.N. agencies, and several national governments, many of which have made the publication of their tenders and contracts in Development Business a mandatory requirement. The World Bank collects and processes large amounts of data and generates them on the basis of economic models. These data and models have gradually been made available to

3675-432: Is the sectoral changes that have occurred since the stage of development of the country. On an average, countries with a 50% contribution from the secondary sector ( manufacturing ) have grown substantially. Similarly, countries with a tertiary sector stronghold also see a greater rate of economic development . The term "developing countries" has many research theories associated with it (in chronological order): There

3780-426: The 2030 Agenda , Sustainable Development Goal 10 aims at reducing inequalities within countries and among countries. World Bank officials participated in the negotiations for SDG 10 in the years prior to 2015. They advocated for the adoption of the bank's own preferred benchmarks. This ensured that other organizations would evaluate their success based on the bank’s own definition of inequality. Some have argued that

3885-484: The Communist coalition government —the so-called tripartite . Within hours, the loan to France was approved. From 1974 to 1980, the bank concentrated on meeting the basic needs of people in the developing world . The size and number of loans to borrowers greatly increased, as loan targets expanded from infrastructure into social services and other sectors. These changes can be attributed to Robert McNamara , who

3990-730: The International Development Association (IDA), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Member countries are allocated votes at the time of membership and subsequently for additional subscriptions to capital (one vote for each share of capital stock held by the member). The World Bank plays a significant role in global economic governance due to its broad mandate, its vast resource base, its frequent and regular interactions with governments as clients, and its myriad publications and databases. In 2020,

4095-571: The Sustainable Development Goals which were set up by the United Nations for the year 2030 are achieved, they would overcome many of these problems. There are several terms used to classify countries into rough levels of development. Classification of any given country differs across sources, and sometimes, these classifications or the specific terminology used is considered disparaging. The World Bank classifies

4200-522: The health sector . IHP+ mobilizes national governments, development agencies, civil society, and others to support a single, country-led national health strategy in a well-coordinated way. In September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , the World Bank announced a $ 12 billion plan to supply "low and middle income countries" with a vaccine once it was approved. In June 2022, the bank reported that $ 10.1 billion had been allocated to supply 78 countries with

4305-653: The role of humans in climate change ". In 2023, a new president was appointed: Ajay Banga . His term began on 2 June 2023. He was supported by the American president Joe Biden partly because he supports climate action . He is also expected to help low-income countries deal with debts. He is the first Indian American to lead the bank. The vice presidents of the bank are its principal managers, in charge of regions, sectors, networks and functions. There are two executive vice presidents, three senior vice presidents, and 24 vice presidents. The boards of directors consist of

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4410-515: The Bank's best-known contribution to thinking about development. World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives explores the tremendous potential of the changing data landscape to improve the lives of poor people, while also acknowledging its potential to open back doors that can harm individuals, businesses, and societies. It studies the various uses of data as a public good as well as harnessed by private players to enhance productivity. It explores

4515-693: The Global South is the Global North, which the UNCTAD describes as broadly comprising Northern America and Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. As such, the two terms do not refer to the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere , as many of the Global South's countries are geographically located in the former and, similarly, a number of the Global North's countries are geographically located in

4620-696: The IMF are both based in Washington, D.C., and work closely with each other. Although many countries were represented at the Bretton Woods Conference, the United States and United Kingdom were the most powerful in attendance and dominated the negotiations. The intention behind the founding of the World Bank was to provide temporary loans to low-income countries that could not obtain loans commercially. The bank may also make loans and demand policy reforms from recipients. In its early years,

4725-517: The UN institutions); the former Soviet Union (USSR) countries in Central Asia ( Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan and Turkmenistan ); and Mongolia . By 2009, the IMF's World Economic Outlook classified countries as advanced, emerging, or developing, depending on "(1) per capita income level, (2) export diversification—so oil exporters that have high per capita GDP would not make

4830-588: The United States (15.85%), Japan (6.84%), China (4.42%), Germany (4.00%), the United Kingdom (3.75%), France (3.75%), India (2.91%), Russia (2.77%), Saudi Arabia (2.77%) and Italy (2.64%). Under the changes, known as 'Voice Reform – Phase 2', countries other than China that saw significant gains included South Korea , Turkey, Mexico , Singapore, Greece , Czech Republic , Hungary , Brazil, India , and Spain. Most developed countries' voting power

4935-481: The World Bank Group president and 25 executive directors. The president is the presiding officer, and ordinarily has no vote except to break a tie. The executive directors as individuals cannot exercise any power or commit or represent the bank unless the boards specifically authorized them to do so. With the term beginning 1 November 2010, the number of executive directors increased by one, to 25. In 2020,

5040-549: The World Bank had 12,300 full-time staff, and it operated in 145 countries. Some notable politicians who worked for the World Bank include: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has 189 member countries, while the International Development Association (IDA) has 174. Each member state of IBRD should also be a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and only members of IBRD are allowed to join other institutions within

5145-525: The World Bank is run by a president and 25 executive directors, as well as 29 various vice presidents. IBRD and IDA have 189 and 174 member countries, respectively. The U.S., Japan, China, Germany and the U.K. have the most voting power. The bank aims loans at developing countries to help reduce poverty. The bank is engaged in several global partnerships and initiatives, and takes a role in working toward addressing climate change . The World Bank hosts an Open Knowledge Repository for its publications. In 2020,

5250-457: The World Bank reduced the transformative potential of SDG 10 during the agenda-setting stage. The bank has stated its ambition to help catalyze the SDGs through “thought leadership, global convening, and country-level uptake”. In general, the World Bank strategically uses the power of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its favor to reinforce its own policies or interests while minimizing

5355-703: The World Bank's 2012 annual meeting in Tokyo, a review of these safeguards was initiated, which was welcomed by several civil society organisations. As a result, the World Bank developed a new Environmental and Social Framework, which has been in implementation since 1 October 2018. The World Bank or the World Bank Group is also a sitting observer in the United Nations Sustainable Development Group . Beginning in 1989, in response to harsh criticism from many groups,

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5460-404: The World Bank’s total commitments amounted to USD 77.1 billion and it operated in 145 countries. World Bank projects cover a range of areas from building schools to fighting disease, providing water and electricity, and environmental protection , and as such, they are linked to most of the Sustainable Development Goals . As a guideline to the World Bank's operations in any particular country,

5565-490: The World Bank’s total commitments amounted to USD 77.1 billion, it had 12,300 full-time staff, and it operated in 145 countries. World Bank projects cover a range of areas from building schools to fighting disease, providing water and electricity, and environmental protection , and as such, they are linked to most of the Sustainable Development Goals . The World Bank has been criticized as promoting inflation and harming economic development . There has also been criticism of

5670-680: The above statistics, to gauge the level of human development for countries where data is available. The UN had set Millennium Development Goals from a blueprint developed by all of the world's countries and leading development institutions, in order to evaluate growth. These goals ended in 2015, to be superseded by the Sustainable Development Goals . The concept of the developing nation is found, under one term or another, in numerous theoretical systems having diverse orientations – for example, theories of decolonization , liberation theology , Marxism , anti-imperialism , modernization , social change and political economy . Another important indicator

5775-504: The advanced classification because around 70% of its exports are oil, and (3) degree of integration into the global financial system". Developing countries can also be categorized by geography: In general, the WTO accepts any country's claim of itself being "developing." Certain countries that have become "developed" in the last 20 years by almost all economic metrics, still insist to be classified as "developing country," as it entitles them to

5880-489: The bank (such as IDA). The five United Nations member states that are not members of the World Bank are Andorra, Cuba, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and North Korea. Kosovo is not a member of the UN, but is a member of the IMF and the World Bank Group, including the IBRD and IDA. In 2010, voting powers at the World Bank were revised to increase the voice of developing countries, notably China. The countries with most voting power are now

5985-578: The bank began including environmental groups and NGOs in its loans to mitigate the past effects of its development policies that had prompted the criticism. It also formed an implementing agency, in accordance with the Montreal Protocols, to stop ozone-depletion damage to the Earth's atmosphere by phasing out the use of 95% of ozone-depleting chemicals, with a target date of 2015. Since then, in accordance with its so-called "Six Strategic Themes",

6090-563: The bank has put various additional policies into effect to preserve the environment while promoting development. For example, in 1991, the bank announced that to protect against deforestation , especially in the Amazon , it would not finance any commercial logging or infrastructure projects that harm the environment. For the poorest developing countries in the world, the bank's assistance plans are based on poverty reduction strategies ; by combining an analysis of local groups with an analysis of

6195-526: The bank made a slow start for two reasons: it was underfunded, and there were leadership struggles between the US executive director and the president of the organization. When the Marshall Plan went into effect in 1947, many European countries began receiving aid from other sources. Faced with this competition, the World Bank shifted its focus to non-European allies. Until 1968, its loans were earmarked for

6300-449: The bank's Chief Economist, Hollis B. Chenery , with Anne Krueger was an example of this new focus. Krueger was known for her criticism of development funding and for describing developing countries' governments as " rent-seeking states". During the 1980s, the bank emphasized lending to service debt of developing countries, and structural adjustment policies designed to streamline the economies of developing nations. UNICEF reported in

6405-408: The bank's governance and response to the COVID-19 pandemic . The current president (starting in 2023) is Ajay Banga who is known to support climate action , unlike his predecessor David Malpass . The World Bank was created at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference , along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The president of the World Bank is traditionally an American . The World Bank and

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6510-410: The bank. Traditionally, based on a tacit understanding between the United States and Europe, the president of the World Bank has been selected from candidates nominated by the United States, the largest shareholder in the bank. This is significant because the World Bank tends to lend more readily to countries that are friendly with the United States, not because of direct U.S. influence but because of

6615-525: The board. At the global level, countries must deliver on vital reforms such as cutting distorting subsidies and opening markets, while civil society groups, especially farmer organizations, need more say in setting the agricultural agenda". According to the report, agriculture can offer pathways out of poverty if efforts are made to increase productivity in the staple foods sector; connect smallholders to rapidly expanding high-value horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, as well as dairy markets; and generate jobs in

6720-400: The chance of being itself reshaped or transformed by these goals. Scholars found that the World Bank used the growing momentum of the (SDGs) to further its strategic objectives without being influenced by the SDGs in turn. Also, the bank engaged with the SDGs selectively; efforts to integrate the goals into organizational practices remained limited; and their inclusion in country-level processes

6825-437: The construction of infrastructure works, such as seaports, highway systems, and power plants, that would generate enough income to enable a borrower country to repay the loan. In 1960, the International Development Association was formed (as opposed to a UN fund named SUNFED), providing soft loans to developing countries . Before 1974, the reconstruction and development loans the World Bank made were relatively small. Its staff

6930-469: The countries' capital markets as opposed to the overall economy. Under other criteria, some countries are at an intermediate stage of development, or, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put it, following the fall of the Soviet Union , "countries in transition": all those of Central and Eastern Europe (including Central European countries that still belonged to the "Eastern Europe Group" in

7035-574: The country's financial and economic situation the World Bank develops a plan pertaining to the country in question. The government then identifies the country's priorities and targets for the reduction of poverty, and the World Bank instigates its aid efforts correspondingly. Forty-five countries pledged US$ 25.1 billion in "aid for the world's poorest countries", aid that goes to the World Bank International Development Association (IDA), which distributes

7140-468: The creation of slums. In some cities, especially in countries in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, slums are not just marginalized neighborhoods holding a small population; slums are widespread, and are home to a large part of urban population. These are sometimes called "slum cities". Several forms of violence against women are more prevalent in developing countries than in other parts of

7245-410: The current divide between the developed and developing world is largely a phenomenon of the 20th century. The late global health expert Hans Rosling has argued against the terms, calling the concept "outdated" since the terms are used under the prerequisite that the world is divided in rich and poor countries, while the fact is that the vast majority of countries are middle-income. Given the lack of

7350-411: The early criticisms that questioned the use of the terms "developing" and "underdeveloped" countries was voiced in 1973 by prominent historian and academic Walter Rodney who compared the economic, social, and political parameters between the United States and countries in Africa and Asia. There is "no established convention" for defining "developing country". According to economist Jeffrey Sachs ,

7455-500: The economy of the countries. The World Bank classifies the world's economies into four groups, based on gross national income per capita: high, upper-middle, lower-middle, and low income countries. Least developed countries , landlocked developing countries and small island developing states are all sub-groupings of developing countries. Countries on the other end of the spectrum are usually referred to as high-income countries or developed countries . There are controversies over

7560-406: The employees of the World Bank. In 2012, for the first time, two non-US citizens were nominated. The nominee is subject to confirmation by the board of executive directors to serve a five-year, renewable term. While most World Bank presidents have had banking experience, some have not. On 23 March 2012, U.S. president Barack Obama announced that the United States would nominate Jim Yong Kim as

7665-676: The further significant environmentally-related causes or conditions, as well as certain diseases with a strong environmental component: Access to water, sanitation and hygiene ( WASH ) services is at very low levels in many developing countries. In 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that "1 in 3 people, or 2.4 billion, are still without sanitation facilities" while 663 million people still lack access to safe and clean drinking water. The estimate in 2017 by JMP states that 4.5 billion people currently do not have safely managed sanitation. The majority of these people live in developing countries. About 892 million people or 12 percent of

7770-551: The general public can access is substantially different between developing countries and developed countries. People in developing countries usually have a lower life expectancy than people in developed countries, reflecting both lower income levels and poorer public health. The burden of infectious diseases, maternal mortality , child mortality and infant mortality are typically substantially higher in those countries. Developing countries also have less access to medical health services generally, and are less likely to have

7875-429: The global population, and is criticized for its imprecision. Historical and empirical evidence, like the varied infant mortality rates across these nations, underscores the flaws in a uniform classification. Alternatives such as regional or income-based categories (low-income to high-income) are advocated for, as they align better with the specific contexts of countries, supporting more effective policy formulation. Since

7980-540: The goal of putting an end to this system. One of these institutions is the New International Economic Order . They have a 'no-strings-attached' policy that promotes developing countries remaining or becoming self-sufficient. More specifically, they advocate sovereignty over natural resources and industrialization. Coalitions of developing nations, like the NIEO, frequently lobby for parity in

8085-468: The international community. The World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development looked at conflict as a challenge to economic development. It analyzed the nature, causes and development consequences of modern violence and highlight lessons learned from efforts to prevent or recover from violence. The goal of this WDR was considered to promote new ways of preventing or addressing violent conflict. By drawing on insight and experiences from

8190-730: The last 10 years through Development Policy Financing was approximately $ 117 billion. Its five organizations are: The first two are sometimes collectively referred to as the World Bank. To ensure that World Bank-financed operations do not compromise these goals but instead add to their realisation, the following environmental, social, and legal safeguards were defined: Environmental Assessment, Indigenous Peoples, Involuntary Resettlement, Physical Cultural Resources, Forests, Natural Habitats, Pest Management, Safety of Dams, Projects in Disputed Areas, Projects on International Waterways, and Performance Standards for Private Sector Activities. At

8295-463: The late 1980s that the structural adjustment programs of the World Bank had been responsible for "reduced health, nutritional and educational levels for tens of millions of children in Asia , Latin America , and Africa ". The president of the bank is the president of the entire World Bank Group . The president is responsible for chairing meetings of the boards of directors and for overall management of

8400-421: The late 1990s, countries identified by the UN as developing countries tended to demonstrate higher growth rates than those in the developed countries category. To moderate the euphemistic aspect of the word "developing", international organizations have started to use the term less economically developed country for the poorest nations – which can, in no sense, be regarded as developing. This highlights that

8505-689: The latter. Many developing countries have only attained full self-determination and democracy after the second half of the 20th century. Many were governed by an imperial European power until decolonization . Political systems in developing countries are diverse, but most states had established some form of democratic governments by the early 21st century, with varying degrees of success and political liberty . The inhabitants of developing countries were introduced to democratic systems later and more abruptly than their Northern counterparts and were sometimes targeted by governmental and non-governmental efforts to encourage participation. 'Effective citizenship '

8610-731: The loans to eighty poorer countries. Wealthier nations sometimes fund their own aid projects, including those for diseases. Robert B. Zoellick, the former president of the World Bank, said when the loans were announced on 15 December 2007, that IDA money "is the core funding that the poorest developing countries rely on". World Bank organizes the Development Marketplace Awards , a grant program that surfaces and funds development projects with potential for development impact that are scalable and/or replicable. The grant beneficiaries are social enterprises with projects that aim to deliver social and public services to groups with

8715-466: The lowest incomes. In 2013 the bank adopted the concept of Shared Prosperity as one of the World Bank’s “Twin Goals” for that year, with the other one focusing on poverty reduction, aiming to reduce the share of people in extreme poverty to 3 percent of the global population by 2030. The bank defined Shared Prosperity as increasing the income of the bottom 40 percent of the population in each country. As

8820-658: The main arguments and data is provided in the Journal of International Affairs . Fears that robots will take away jobs from people have dominated the discussion over the future of work, but the World Development Report 2019 finds that on balance this appears to be unfounded. Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. Firms adopt new ways of production, markets expand, and societies evolve. The World Development Report 2014 Risk and Opportunity: Managing Risk for Development looked at risk management from

8925-404: The mechanism that could be put in place for ensuring the gainful and sustainable use of data . The World Development Report 2019 studies the impact of technology on the nature of work. It is the most-downloaded World Development Report, with more than 2.5 million downloads, a third of which before its official publication. The study was led by Simeon Djankov and Federica Saliola. A summary of

9030-405: The next president of the bank. Jim Yong Kim was elected on 27 April 2012 and reelected to a second five-year term in 2017. He announced that he would resign effective 1 February 2019. He was replaced on an interim basis by now-former World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva , then by David Malpass on 9 April 2019. David Malpass faced criticism in 2023 as he had "sparked outcry by appearing to question

9135-530: The presentation of its data, considering the two-category distinction outdated. Accordingly, World Bank is phasing out use of that descriptor. Instead, the reports by Worldbank (such as the WDI and the Global Monitoring Report ) now include data aggregations for the whole world, for regions, and for income groups – but not for the "developing world". The term low and middle-income country (LMIC)

9240-545: The public in a way that encourages reuse, whereas the recent publications describing them are available as open access under a Creative Commons Attribution License , for which the bank received the SPARC Innovator 2012 award. The World Bank hosts the Open Knowledge Repository as an official open access repository for its research outputs and knowledge products. The World Bank's repository

9345-465: The resources to purchase, produce and administer vaccines , even though vaccine equity worldwide is important to combatting pandemics , such as the COVID-19 pandemic . Undernutrition is more common in developing countries. Certain groups have higher rates of undernutrition, including women – in particular while pregnant or breastfeeding – children under five years of age, and the elderly. Malnutrition in children and stunted growth of children

9450-677: The rural nonfarm economy. The WDR 2002 analyzes how to build effective institutions. In understanding what drives institutional change, the report emphasizes the importance of history, highlighting the need to ensure effective institutions through a design that complements existing institutions, human capabilities, and available technologies. The study was guided by Joseph Stiglitz and Roumeen Islam with principal authors Simeon Dyankov and Aart Kraay. Several background papers, including by Nobel Prize winners Robert Shiller , Amartya Sen and Gabriel García Márquez , were published in academic journals or books. The World Development Report began as

9555-429: The same laws of nature, yet each with unique features. The term "developing" refers to a current situation and not a changing dynamic or expected direction of development. Additionally, the term "developing world" is increasingly seen as outdated, suggesting a hierarchy and not accurately reflecting the diverse realities of the encompassed countries. This term includes 135 low- or middle-income countries, covering 84% of

9660-478: The standard of living across the entire developing world varies greatly. In 2015, the World Bank declared that the "developing / developed world categorization" had become less relevant, due to worldwide improvements in indices such as child mortality rates, fertility rates and extreme poverty rates. In the 2016 edition of its World Development Indicators (WDI), the World Bank made a decision to no longer distinguish between "developed" and "developing" countries in

9765-1226: The term's use, as some feel that it perpetuates an outdated concept of "us" and "them" . In 2015, the World Bank declared that the "developing/developed world categorization" had become less relevant and that they will phase out the use of that descriptor. Instead, their reports will present data aggregations for regions and income groups. The term " Global South " is used by some as an alternative term to developing countries. Developing countries tend to have some characteristics in common often due to their histories or geographies. For example, they commonly have: lower levels of access to safe drinking water , sanitation and hygiene , energy poverty , higher levels of pollution (e.g. air pollution , littering , water pollution , open defecation ), higher proportions of people with tropical and infectious diseases ( neglected tropical diseases ), more road traffic accidents , and generally poorer quality infrastructure . In addition, there are also often high unemployment rates, widespread poverty , widespread hunger , extreme poverty , child labour , malnutrition , homelessness , substance abuse , prostitution , overpopulation , civil disorder , human capital flight ,

9870-716: The theme "Reshaping Economic Geography". Rising densities of human settlements, migration and transport to reduce distances to market, and specialization and trade facilitated by fewer international divisions are central to economic development . The transformations along these three dimensions—density, distance, and division—are most noticeable in North America, Western Europe , and Japan, but countries in Asia and Eastern Europe are changing in ways similar in scope and speed. The report concludes that these spatial transformations are essential, and should be encouraged. The conclusion

9975-533: The urban population in the developing world in 2012, or about 863 million people, lived in slums . In 2012, the proportion of urban population living in slums was highest in Sub-Saharan Africa (62%), followed by South Asia (35%), Southeast Asia (31%) and East Asia (28%). The UN-Habitat reports that 43% of urban population in developing countries and 78% of those in the least developed countries live in slums. Slums form and grow in different parts of

10080-542: The vaccine The US Treasury has committed $ 667 million for the World Bank's global Pandemic Fund, a third of the $ 2 billion the fund hopes to raise. The Pandemic Fund, established in September 2022, is a collaborative initiative among countries, implementing partners, philanthropies, and civil society organizations. It aims to fund investments that address critical gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities at national, regional, and global levels, with

10185-402: The world for many reasons. Causes include rapid rural-to-urban migration , economic stagnation and depression, high unemployment , poverty, informal economy , forced or manipulated ghettoization , poor planning, politics, natural disasters and social conflicts . For example, as populations expand in poorer countries, rural people move to cities in extensive urban migration that results in

10290-495: The world stage. The rise of China might imply the rise of the BRIC countries . The global issues most often discussed by developing countries include globalisation , global health governance, health, and prevention needs. This is contrasted by issues developed nations tend to address, such as innovations in science and technology. Most developing countries have these criteria in common: According to UN-Habitat , around 33% of

10395-479: The world's economies into four groups, based on gross national income per capita calculated using the Atlas method , re-set each year on 1 July: The three groups that are not "high income" are together referred to as "low and middle income countries" (LMICs). For example, for the 2022 fiscal year, a low income country is defined as one with a GNI per capita less than 1,045 in current US$ ; a lower middle-income country

10500-424: The world's poor live in rural areas in developing countries, a mere 4 percent of official development assistance goes to agriculture. In Sub-Saharan Africa , a region heavily reliant on agriculture for overall growth, public spending for farming is also only 4 percent of total government spending and the sector is still taxed at relatively high levels. For the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture

10605-607: The world. Acid throwing is associated with Southeast Asia, including Cambodia. Honor killing is associated with the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Marriage by abduction is found in Ethiopia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Abuse related to payment of bride price (such as violence, trafficking and forced marriage) is linked to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Female genital mutilation (FGM)

10710-549: Was appointed to the presidency in 1968 by Lyndon B. Johnson . McNamara implored bank treasurer Eugene Rotberg to seek out new sources of capital outside of the northern banks that had been the primary sources of funding. Rotberg used the global bond market to increase the capital available to the bank. One consequence of the period of poverty alleviation lending was the rapid rise of debt of developing countries . From 1976 to 1980, developing world debt rose at an average annual rate of 20%. The World Bank Administrative Tribunal

10815-443: Was aware of the need to instill confidence in the bank. Fiscal conservatism ruled, and loan applications had to meet strict criteria. The first country to receive a World Bank loan was France in 1947. The bank's president at the time, John McCloy , chose France over two other applicants, Poland and Chile. The loan was for US$ 250 million, half the amount requested, and came with strict conditions. France had to agree to produce

10920-421: Was established in 1980, to decide on disputes between the World Bank Group and its staff where allegation of non-observance of contracts of employment or terms of appointment had not been honored. McNamara was succeeded by U.S. President Jimmy Carter 's nominee, Alden W. Clausen , in 1980. Clausen replaced many members of McNamara's staff and crafted a different mission emphasis. His 1982 decision to replace

11025-454: Was reduced, along with a few developing countries such as Nigeria . The voting powers of the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia were unchanged. The changes were brought about with the goal of making voting more universal in regards to standards, rule-based objective indicators, and transparency among other things. Now, developing countries have an increased voice in the "Pool Model", backed especially by Europe. Additionally, voting power

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