Boris Pleskovic

Bio: Boris Pleskovic is an academic researcher from World Bank. The author has contributed to research in topic(s): International development & Capacity building. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 51 publication(s) receiving 1033 citation(s).

Equity and Development

Abstract: This year, the workshop examined the conceptual foundation of the workshop sessions by discussing the definition of equity itself. What do we mean by equity, and how does equity differ from equality? Whereas equity is commonly associated positively with impartiality and justice, economists understand equality as an idealistic and unattainable goal often linked to socialism and communism. The terminological twins equity/equality, however, can be conceptualized in highly diverging ways with different consequences for development strategy. The discussions throughout the workshop mirror the controversial positions of international discourse on the topic. Through the varying dimensions of these terms, discussions focused on the different responsibilities for political action such terms entail. For example, whereas equality in outcome implies an egalitarian perspective, economic studies on inequality in outcome mostly take into account the results of actions and conditions such as unequal incomes. Session I, on what is equity, and, what is the role for governments in the promotion of equity, further discussed how does this role differ between developed and developing countries. Nonetheless, it was suggested that before operationalizing and measuring inequity, the concept itself has to be clarified, and, further arguments indicated that one future challenge for development policy is precisely to combine growth-promoting policies with policies that assure that the poor can fully participate in the opportunities that growth offers. Session II, on equity-enhancing social transformation and historical evidence from European and Transition Countries, focus on policies that impact equity. Session III, on building efficient welfare states and lessons learnt, discussed the task of formulating policies that foster both efficiency and equitable social welfare, while Session IV, on international inequalities and what can be done to reduce them, focuses on the global level, contrary to Session III which concentrated on equity issues at the national level. Finally, Session V, on what will greater integration mean for inequalities between and within the richer and poorer countries of the New Europe, draws a very differentiated picture. Conclusions outlined key issues that need to be addressed, noting the importance of carefully analyzing different redistributive instruments with respect to their effects on growth and efficiency, and vice versa.

Development and the next generation

Abstract: This publication discusses development challenges and successes pertaining to the young generation, while considering how economic policies can help young people during the period of most fundamental changes in their life-the transition from youth to adult status- leaving school and becoming employed, keeping healthy, starting a family, and assuming a responsible role in society. Its main message: investing in the human capital of this generation is critical if developing counties are to make further progress in stimulating growth and reducing poverty. Moreover, it is particularly important to safeguard and develop this human capital during youth transition. The book is organized thus: Part I deals with youthful transitions in a changing world, providing an overview of demographic and other socioeconomic challenges and discusses broadly the implications of these challenges on the youth population; Part II provides thoughts on the transition from schooling; Part III focuses on the youth bulge in developing economies and whether or not it can be an advantage in the labor market; Part IV considers the topic of migration and the youth and examines issues that are particularly related to immigrants and their children; Part V examines the changes in behavior of the young regarding family formation and how these changes are likely to affect the welfare of the young both now and in the future; and Part VI focuses on the concern of how to direct young people's creative potential to promote productive transition to citizenship.

Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics 2008, Global: Private Sector and Development

Abstract: The Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) is a leading forum for advanced, forward-looking research on important development issues. Each year, the ABCDE brings policy makers and politicians together with researchers from academe, international organizations, and think tanks. The diverse perspectives of the international development community mingle and coalesce through in-depth debates on important themes on the development agenda. The 2008 ABCDE was devoted to the theme 'the private sector and development' and highlighted such issues as financial inclusion, key factors in the business climate, and the provision of public services by non-state actors.

Rethinking infrastructure for development

Abstract: ABCDE Tokyo 2007 presents selected papers from the ABCDE Meetings, held May 29-30, 2006, in Tokyo, Japan. Hosted by the World Bank and the Government of Japan, more than 500 experts from countries around the world met to deliberate the theme: Rethinking Infrastructure for Development. This volume presents papers on Infrastructure for Growth: Emerging Issues, Sustainable Development and Infrastructure: Climate change, Clean energy, and Energy Efficiency; Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Development; and Infastructure and Regional Cooperation.

Lessons of experience

Abstract: The Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) is one of the world's best known series of conferences for the presentation and discussion of new knowledge about development. First held at the World Bank in 1988, the ABCDE has become broader in scope as the world's economies have become more interconnected and challenges have become more complex. This year's volume, ABCDE 2005, presents selected papers from the 16th annual meetings, held in May 2004. It reviews the lessons of 60 years of development experience, addressing key topics such as infrastructure, behavioral economics, trade, poverty, and globalization. This volume is a critical reference guide for development research and will be of interest to practitioners and those studying international development and poverty reduction.

Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change

Abstract: The Review's executive summary states that "the Review first examines the evidence on the economic impacts of climate change itself, and explores the economics of stabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The second half of the Review considers the complex policy challenges involved in managing the transition to a low-carbon economy and in ensuring that societies can adapt to the consequences of climate change that can no longer be avoided". The report's main conclusion is that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change considerably outweigh the costs.

Inflation Crises and Long-Run Growth

Abstract: After excluding countries with high-inflation crises - periods when annual inflation is above 40 percent - the data reveal no evidence of a consistent relationship between growth and inflation, at any frequency. But growth does tend to fall sharply during discrete crises of high inflation and to recover surprisingly strongly after inflation falls. Perhaps inflation crises are purely cyclical, or perhaps in the long run they have a favorable purgative effect. Recent literature suggests that long-run averages of growth and inflation are only weakly correlated and that such correlation is not robust to the exclusion of observations of extreme inflation. Including time series panel data has improved matters, but an aggregate parametric approach remains inconclusive. Bruno and Easterly propose a nonparametric definition of high-inflation crises as periods when annual inflation is above 40 percent. Excluding countries with high-inflation crises, they find no evidence of a consistent relationship between growth and inflation, at any frequency. They do find that growth falls sharply during discrete crises of high inflation, then recovers surprisingly strongly after inflation falls. The fall in growth during a crisis and the recovery of growth after the crisis tend to average out to nearly zero (even slightly above zero); hence no robust cross-section correlation. Their findings could be consistent either with trend stationarity of output (in which inflation crises are purely cyclical phenomena) or with models in which crises have a favorable long-run purgative effect. Their findings do not support the view that reducing high inflation carries heavy output costs in the short to medium run. This paper - a joint product of the Office of the Vice President, Development Economics, and the Macroeconomics and Growth Division, Policy Research Department - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to examine the determinants of economic growth.

Making Services Work for Poor People

Abstract: The weak link between public spending in health and education, and health and education outcomes can be partially explained by the fact that the delivery of services that are critical to human development -- health, education, water and sanitation -- are widely failing poor people. The money is often spent on private goods or on the non-poor; it often fails to reach the frontline service provider; incentives for service delivery by providers are weak; and poor people sometimes fail to demand these services. This paper examines the experience with alternative mechanisms for service delivery -- contracting out to the private and NGO sectors, community participation, co-financing by service beneficiaries -- and shows that this, as well as the experience of more traditional public sector provision, can be interpreted by looking at three principal-agent relationships in the service-delivery chain: between policymakers and providers; between clients and providers; and between clients (as citizens) and policymakers. Weaknesses in one or more of these relationships can lead to service-delivery failure, while attempts to strengthen one may not always work because of deficiencies in other links in the chain. Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.