The Bank should strengthen its use of international comparisons and trend analysis rather than increasing its use of target setting; the use of demographic and health surveys should be the rule, not the exception, in Bank population and health projects; and more attention should be given to program- level than to project- level performance.

While the concept of sustainability has been widely embraced, it has been only vaguely defined and is exceedingly difficult to measure. Sustainability indicators are critical to making the broad concept of sustainability operational by providing specific measures by which decision makers and the public can judge progress. Sustainability Indicators defines the present state of the art in indicator development. It presents a comprehensive assessment of the science behind various indicators, while placing special emphasis on their use as communications tools. The contributors draw on their experience as academics and practitioners to describe the conceptual challenges to measuring something as complex as sustainability at local, regional, national, and global scales. The book also reviews existing indicators to assess how they could be better employed, considering which indicators are overused and which have been underutilized. Sustainability Indicators will help planners and policy makers find indicators that are ready for application and relevant to their needs, and will help researchers identify the unresolved issues where progress is most urgently needed. All readers will find advice as to the most effective ways to use indicators to support decision making.

Evaluating Transnational Programs in Government and Business is a collection of papers presented at a symposium entitled ""Evaluating Transnational Programs,"" conducted at Case Western Reserve University during the 1977-1978 academic year. The symposium was organized to address the various issues and controversies surrounding adequate methods for effective policy evaluation and assessment at the transnational level. The book explores the conceptual, methodological, bureaucratic, political, and organizational factors that hinder sound evaluation of government and private programs with transnational implications. This monograph consists of 11 chapters and opens with an introduction to methodological issues in the transnational field. It then reviews the development of various world modeling activities and compares them from the standpoints of characteristics, structure, methodological underpinnings, applications, and criticisms. The World Integrated Model is used to assess United States policy options regarding agricultural exports and oil imports by placing them in a broader transnational context. The following chapters focus on various problems in the evaluation of U.S. foreign economic policies, including foreign trade and investment policies. The criteria used by development banks in the processing of loan requests are also considered, along with non-economic objectives in economic development assistance programs; the role of multinational corporations as agents of technology transfer and their effects on changing U.S. policies regarding foreign investment. The final chapter deals with the growing need for transnational appraisal of the impacts of institutions on basic human values. This book will be of interest to business and government officials as well as social and political scientists.

This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the World Bank Group in helping its member countries improve their investment climates, within the context of the World Bank Group's overall mission of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, NGOs, civil society, international organizations and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This Handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a OC Readiness AssessmentOCO and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The Handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way."