The document discusses the evolving focus on knowledge at the World Bank over time. It notes that in the 1990s, the Bank began articulating its role as a "Knowledge Bank" and publishing reports on how development knowledge can improve living standards. Since then, the Bank has increasingly incorporated knowledge products into its work and launched open data initiatives. The Bank's vision is to be a better facilitator of development knowledge by connecting, customizing, and producing knowledge. It is working to strengthen knowledge management, use open knowledge approaches, and launch knowledge platforms on issues like urbanization and jobs.

1. Knowledge for Development
2011
Mahmoud Mohieldin
University of Malaya
December 2, 2011

2. • 1996 - President James Wolfensohn articulates the concept of the
Knowledge Bank and knowledge networks.
• 1998-99 - World Development Report: Knowledge for Development is
published, concluding that access to financial, technical, and medical
knowledge is crucial to improving the health and living standards of
the poor.
• 2000 - The World Bank‘s Development Committee report, Poverty
Reduction and Global Public Goods: Issues for the World Bank in
Supporting Global Collective Action, cites sharing development
knowledge as one of five focus areas.
• 2003 - The Bank‘s management information systems begin
incorporating knowledge products.
• 2003-07 - The Quality Assurance Group reviews economic and sector
work and technical assistance in 53 countries.
INTRODUCTION
2
AN EVOLVING FOCUS ON KNOWLEDGE AT THE WORLD BANK

3. INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
3
AN EVOLVING FOCUS ON KNOWLEDGE AT THE WORLD BANK
• 2008 - The Independent Evaluation Group publishes a report on
―Using Knowledge to Improve Development Effectiveness: an
Evaluation of World Bank Economic and Sector Work and Technical
Assistance, 2000–2006. It also finds that the results tracking system for
knowledge work in the Bank has some serious weaknesses and that
more follow-up with clients after delivering products would strengthen
impact.
• 2010 - President Robert Zoellick launches Open Data, Open Knowledge,
Open Solutions, and related policies on Access to Information, resulting
in many databases becoming publicly available free of charge.
• 2010 - The Knowledge Strategy ―Transforming the Bank‘s Knowledge
Agenda: a Framework for Action is adopted. The Knowledge and
Learning Council is established to manage knowledge initiatives.
• 2011 - The first Knowledge Report is published.

4. 1. How is the knowledge ecosystem evolving?
2. What is the World Bank’s vision for
participating in this ecosystem?
3. How is the World Bank responding?
4. How does this connect to Malaysia?
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
4

5. 1. HOW IS THE ECOSYSTEM OF DEVELOPMENT
KNOWLEDGE EVOLVING?
• New centers of learning
• Enabling technology
KNOWledge Network Brazil,
Apple University, Janaagraha,
International Green Fund
5
Social media, search, blogs,
wikis, mobile technology
Multi polar knowledge in a multi polar world.

6. 1. HOW IS THE ECOSYSTEM OF DEVELOPMENT
KNOWLEDGE EVOLVING? (CONT.)
• Partnerships
• Learning from global
experience Special emphasis on South-
South learning
6
GFDRR, Cities Alliance, Global
Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria, CGIAR, Partnerships
for Child Development

7. Knowledge is fundamental to the Bank’s mission
• Knowledge informs all of our development activities.
• Our clients value our knowledge even more than our financing.
• Money alone cannot solve the problems of development.
• Knowledge combined with capital, has made the most
difference in dealing with challenges of growth and poverty.
We want to be a better “Knowledge Bank”
• One that responds to evolving development needs and a
changing environment.
• One that mobilizes both the best and the best-fitting
knowledge from all sources and all parts of the globe.
2. WHAT IS THE WORLD BANK’S VISION FOR
PARTICIPATING IN THIS ECOSYSTEM?
7

8. • Manage knowledge more effectively within the Bank.
• Emphasize three roles: producer, customizer, and
connector . Build on:
– Cross-country and cross-sector learning from implementation
in more than 120 countries.
– In-house capacity to combine data, research, practice and
policy analysis
• Foster openness.
• Focus on results.
2. WHAT IS THE WORLD BANK’S VISION FOR
PARTICIPATING IN THIS ECOSYSTEM? (CONT.)
8

9. 3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING?
Three initiatives to manage the “Knowledge Bank”:
• Consistent standards for governance and measurement of
results.
• Strengthening connectivity across knowledge products: moving
toward a portfolio approach.
• Integrating ‘open knowledge’ into everything we do.
9

10. 3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)
Lending metrics are relatively easy - measuring results
is much harder.
•A big challenge in any knowledge institution is how do you know
whether you are creating value (given that World Bank spent
about $606 million directly on knowledge products per year)?
•As part of the Knowledge Report, we have invested in various
diagnostics.
•We will do more by undertaking seeking client surveys so that
we can work on creating and sharing knowledge with links to
client demand, accessing and connecting available knowledge,
and working on our internal incentives to make sure that we
deliver on the knowledge agenda.
10

11. 3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)
THE BANK AS AN “OPEN KNOWLEDGE” INSTITUTION
11
A. Open Data
B. Access to Information
C. Knowledge Platforms
D. Program for South-South Practitioner Exchanges

12. A. OPEN DATA
Bank’s most visited website with over 5 million unique visitors since
April 2010
7000
indicators
1200 indicators in Chinese,
Spanish, French, and Arabic
107 entries from 36
countries across 6
continents
Mapping exercise complete for
all IDA countries + China + Philippines
Open Financial Data
•Data covers portions of the Bank's investments, assets it manages on
behalf of global funds, and the Bank's own financial statements
•Mobile apps for iPhone and iPad
More and
better data
Improved
data features
New or
improved tools
Open data in
client countries
Outreach
PLANS
for
2012-13 •IEG historical ratings
•more poverty data,
micro-data, sub-national
data, geospatial data
• Open data manual
• scalable, searchable
data catalog
• Social data features
•Link ADePT to
datasets on Open Data
•Open source tools
•Mobile apps
•Learning from Kenya
Open data pilot
•Open data grants TF
•New partnerships
•Conference around
Spring meetings
•Another competition
•Expand coverage on
Google
Climate Change Open Data
•To provide climate change data as a part
of the Bank’s Open Data initiative
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3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)

13. Continued strong momentum since its launch in July 2010
28,000
documents
disclosed on
ext web
• Over 4 million pages viewed through
web access.
•ISRs & PIDs automatically disclosed by
projects portal
25 external researchers visited the Archives
and reviewed 1076 folders of records
From the Bank Information Center (BIC)
“The World Bank’s Access to Information
Policy is the gold standard for financial
institutions”
700+ requests for
assistance in locating
information
Support from
CSOs
110 documents
released through
simultaneous
disclosure
The Bank was rated as “best performer” for aid transparency and
ranked #1 out of 58 donors by Publish What You Fund
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B. ACCESS TO INFORMATION
3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)

14. C. KNOWLEDGE
PLATFORMS
Six
Knowledge
Platforms
Seek co-generation of knowledge on transformational issues for the future
The Hive: Fragility, Conflict and
Violence
Food Security and
Nutrition
Jobs
Urbanization
Green
Growth
ICT for
Open Development
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3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)

15. 15
URL: www.urbanknowledge.org

16. 16
Mission: To harness urban growth for better development
outcomes, by providing the network and knowledge necessary
to accomplish economic and sustainable urban growth; social
inclusion and mobility; and accountable systems for local
governance
How will it work?
•Convene an action network of city officials, academics, and
practitioners that will take specific actions around the
urbanization agenda;
•Foster the formulation, circulation and implementation of new
urban policies, strategies, solutions and plans in cities to support
the aforementioned mission;
•Aggregate new urban knowledge to fill existing knowledge
gaps.

17. 17
URL: www.opendta.org

18. 18
Mission: To enhance accountability and improve the delivery
and quality of public services through technology-enabled
citizen engagement
How will it work?
•ODTA partners provide expertise, such as fast-cycle
evaluations and technical assistance, and produce original
reports on technology for open development
•ODTA expert networks provide linkages to leading
technologists to consult and consider pressing development
challenges.
•ODTA partners facilitate the co-creation of ICT tools, from
ideation to incubation, and share them for use in the field.

19. 19URL: www.greengrowthknowledge.org

20. 20
Mission: To operationalize sustainable development by setting an ambitious
applied research agenda, fostering innovative and experimental approaches to
green growth, advising client countries on green growth planning and strategy,
and cultivating a broad community of practice inside the Bank and beyond to
ensure a proper focus on the field’s most pressing needs.
How will it work?
•Convene leading scholars, development practitioners, and policy makers to
identify and remediate major knowledge gaps in the theory and practice of
greening development
•Foster innovative and experimental approaches to green growth research,
policy and practice
•Cultivate a dynamic global network of stakeholders to share best practices
and shape the green growth agenda at the global, national, and local levels
•Advise Bank Staff and their client country counterparts on incorporating
green development principles into country strategies and investment
programs

21. 21

22. 22
Mission: To be a catalyst to bring together a wide variety of
experts and policy makers from around the world to develop a
multisectoral approach to the jobs agenda.
How will it work?
•Synthesize knowledge into actionable products that inform
policy
•Identify knowledge gaps, readjust incentives for research, and
broker knowledge
•Ensure impact of knowledge grounded in political economy
realities and distill lessons learned from the private sector
•Activities and products include: South-South partnerships,
Wiki on Jobs, consultations and operationalization of Jobs
WDR, and web-based debates and webinars

23. 23

24. 24
Summary:
While we know in large part what to do to solve critical pieces of the food
security and nutrition puzzle -- for example, new, sustainable technologies to
increase crop production or to improve the micronutrient content of food for
vulnerable people -- more efforts are needed to link improvements in food
security with improved nutrition outcomes,
especially for pregnant women and children under two.
How will it work?
•The Food Security and Nutrition Knowledge Platform will connect multiple
sectors and stakeholders - both within the Bank and with external partners
to redress knowledge gaps
•Enable easy access to new information as it becomes available
•Encourage the development of networks between institutions, governments
and individuals
•Activities and products will include: Pilot testing of innovative approaches to
improved nutrition outcomes through projects in agriculture and food
security, learning, and sharing results.

25. 25

26. 26
Summary:
The Hive will provide a synergetic inter connection between different
knowledge circuits- between different disciplines, types and communities of
knowledge; between producers of scientific knowledge and frontline
practitioners; and among Southern practitioners - to produce grounded,
adaptable and replicable solutions.
How will it work?
•The Hive annual events - TED - like conferences will highlight innovative
practices/knowledge and users who have demonstrated commitment to share
knowledge across the Hive
•Hive occasionals - Face to face meetings, seminars, training sessions and BBLs on
particular themes or countries of interest to the community co-sponsored with internal
and external partners
•The ideas map - A mapping of knowledge in an intuitive database with visual/spatial
interface
•The social network- An online community of people working on conflict, fragility and
violence will link face -to -face activities to virtual platforms
•The Buzz homepage - Available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, the homepage
will highlight: innovative research and practice, new members and partners, hot topics,
recent “Asks” and “surge” chats, upcoming and recent events, and much more!

27. D. SOUTH-SOUTH PRACTITIONER EXCHANGES
to catalyze the sharing of country
experiences
between practitioners
• A demand-driven multi-donor Trust Fund to
finance South-South experience exchange
• Executed by the World Bank, leveraging Bank
expertise, resources, and infrastructure
• A global partnership that includes emerging
donors
• Seventy-three grants funded as of end of June
2011 at an average size of US$100,000
• Grant-financed exchanges are influencing the
design and direction of almost US$2 billion in
World Bank project financing
• Over half of all completed exchanges have led to
the development or implementation of
development strategies and policies across sectors
27
3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)

28. D. SOUTH-SOUTH PRACTITIONER EXCHANGES
•Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong shared their
experiences in establishing medical profession licensing
systems with Vietnam.
•Brazil and Korea shared their experiences with Haiti in
the garment industry to strengthen Haiti’s economic
opportunities.
•Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria shared their
experiences in small-scale private irrigation.
•Moldova shared its experience in afforestation and
carbon trading with the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
•Benin and Ethiopia shared their knowledge about
alternative options for social safety net/protection with
Djibouti
KEY RESULTS
28
3. HOW IS THE WORLD BANK RESPONDING? (CONT.)

29. 4. HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO MALAYSIA?
Malaysia’s Priorities:
• Vision 2020: a high income economy by 2020.
• A high income economy is a knowledge-intensive economy
• Malaysia Economic Monitor: Smart Cities
• Malaysia’s high income agenda requires innovative cities that
produce, attract and retain talent
• Key role for universities and other knowledge-generating
institutions
29

30. 4. HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO MALAYSIA? (CONT.)
World Bank Group Engagement in Malaysia
• Partnership centered on supporting Vision 2020
• Knowledge services central to the partnership
• Technical Assistance
• Analytical work
• Fee-based knowledge services serve as a model for engagement
with non-borrowing middle-income countries
30

31. 4. HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO MALAYSIA? (CONT.)
World Bank Group Engagement in Malaysia
• Examples include…
• Public Expenditure Review
• Malaysia Economic Monitor series
• SME master plan
• Introducing a minimum-wage
• Moving up the value chain in the solar and medical devices
industries
31

32. • Malaysia’s approach to knowledge also fits with the
ecosystem approach.
• Important node in the global network.
• Has much experience to share, and generates knowledge.
• Emphasis on connectivity within Malaysia and outside
• Exciting work agenda that will keep all of us, especially the
students, the drivers of the knowledge economy, very busy for
years to come.
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4. HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO MALAYSIA? (CONT.)

33. Thank you
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