World Bank Group Cooperation : Evidence and Lessons from IEG Evaluations

This brief is intended to bring together in one place, for the attention of management and the Board, the evaluation evidence on World Bank Group (WBG) cooperation. It uses the evidence developed in past Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluations to examine WBG cooperation and the difference it makes to WBG effectiveness, a theme of increasing importance in the context of the one Bank initiative. It looks at two aspects of cooperation coordination in the programming and sequencing of WBG- supported activities and collaboration in supporting the implementation of specific interventions. WBG President Robert Zoellick has launched the One World Bank initiative, designed to draw on the full range of WBG products, services, intellectual capital, and synergies in pursuing its mission. As possible input into the implementation of this initiative, this brief considers examples, insights, and lessons from IEG evaluations, focusing on WBG cooperation and its contributions and scope for improvements. The brief itself is not an evaluation but uses evidence from past IEG evaluations to examine such cooperation and value added for WBG effectiveness a theme of increasing importance.