What our government clients think in fragile countries: A perspective from the Country Surveys

Thursday, May 11, 2017

What our government clients think in fragile countries: A perspective from the Country Surveys

The World Bank Spring Meetings have just come to a close with much emphasis placed on the fragile states. Sessions at the meetings focused on a range of relevant topics including “Financing for Peace” and “Supporting Private Enterprise in Conflict Affected Situations.” The challenge that the Bank faces in the fragile states is considerable, with donor expectations high for the institution post IDA 18 replenishment.

The World Bank’s Country Survey Program has been surveying key influencers, in nearly all of its client countries systematically, since 2012, in order to assess and track their views over time. These respondents come from a range of stakeholder groups including government, media, private sector, civil society and academia. The views of respondents from government (i.e., the offices of presidents/prime ministers/ministers/parliamentarians, employees of ministries, including PMUs, and other governmental bodies) are the focus of this blog (and how their views compare to those outside of government), because this group is one that Bank Group interacts with the most in ‘client’ mode. In a sense, the Country Surveys are really ‘client satisfaction’ surveys when it comes to the thousands of government respondents who participate.

How do these government ‘clients’ think the Bank Group is faring in fragile and conflict states? How do they perceive our engagement on the ground? How can the Bank do better? Where is the perceived Bank Group niche, according to those who own the projects and programs that the Bank supports?