THE WORLD BANK GROUP’S VISION AND STRATEGY
The global development community is at an auspicious turning point in history. Thanks to the success of the past few decades and favorable economic growth, developing countries now have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation. This is the vision of the World Bank Group (WBG): to eradicate extreme poverty by reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to 3 percent by 2030, and promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40 percent in every country.
The global development community is at an auspicious turning point in history. Thanks to the success of the past few decades and favorable economic growth, developing countries now have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation. This is the vision of the World Bank Group (WBG): to eradicate extreme poverty by reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to 3 percent by 2030, and promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40 percent in every country.
To achieve this vision, this year the WBG Board of Governors approved a strategy for the organization. This strategy leverages, for the first time, the combined strength of the WBG institutions and their unique ability to partner with the public and private sectors to deliver customized development solutions backed by finance, world class knowledge and convening services. The strategy has three components: (1) maximizing development impact by engaging country clients in identifying and tackling the most difficult development challenges; (2) promoting scaled-up partnerships that are strategically aligned with the goals; and (3) crowding in public and private resources, expertise and ideas.
The architecture underpinning the strategy and instrumental to its success is the establishment of fourteen Global Practices and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas that, in concert with the WBG Regions, will design solutions that address clients’ most pressing developmental challenges, and ultimately, enable the WBG to meet its twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.
The WBG seeks to recruit a dynamic professional as a Global Practice Senior Director, Trade and Competitiveness, to be based in Washington, DC, under a 4 year renewable term appointment.
THE ROLE OF THE WBG IN TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
The ongoing global recession has continued to limit the availability of investment finance to the private sector. At the same time, governments find themselves highly constrained as they confront lower tax revenues and increasing deficits. As a result, core investments in public goods are not being made, resulting in lower productivity. Longer term investments which affect competitiveness and innovation, such as educational and skills training, are being negatively affected by the lack of fiscal space. Countries also often focus on short-term initiatives in particular sectors with the hope of creating jobs, as opposed to addressing core impediments to growth and competitiveness.
The ongoing global recession has continued to limit the availability of investment finance to the private sector. At the same time, governments find themselves highly constrained as they confront lower tax revenues and increasing deficits. As a result, core investments in public goods are not being made, resulting in lower productivity. Longer term investments which affect competitiveness and innovation, such as educational and skills training, are being negatively affected by the lack of fiscal space. Countries also often focus on short-term initiatives in particular sectors with the hope of creating jobs, as opposed to addressing core impediments to growth and competitiveness.
Yet, private investment has become the dominant mode of capital transfer worldwide. Net private capital flows to developing countries are now on the order of $1 trillion per year, with an increasing share representing South-South investment. However, the gains from investment and trade are concentrated. Lower income and poor countries achieve relatively less private investment, and where it is substantial, investment and trade is often accompanied by spatial disparities or has excluded important sections of the population. Increasing connectivity and trade integration has also increased volatility and vulnerability to external shocks. Increasing private sector-led growth in conflict-affected countries is a particular challenge.
The WBG’s Trade and Competitiveness Practice will primarily identify and analyze impediments to the smooth functioning of domestic markets and their connections to global markets, and identify and analyze factors which enable entrepreneurship, innovation, trade, and the growth of firms. Furthermore, the Practice will provide policy advice and implementation support in the following four areas: (i) Competitiveness diagnostics, trade policy and integration, trade facilitation and logistics; (ii) industry-specific competitiveness and productivity, analytics and spatial growth solutions (such as growth poles and corridors); (iii) innovation policy support at national and sub-national levels, financial and technology support for innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives (particularly for women and youth); and (iv) business climate diagnostics and reform-minded advisory services to reduce regulatory impediments, promote public-private dialogue, and encourage competition.
As of October 2013 the Practice had about 45 World Bank projects under supervision with about $4 billion in commitments. New lending managed by the practice has been in the range of $500 million to $1 billion in the last 3 fiscal years.
The Global Practice Senior Director will collaborate across technical, geographic and institutional boundaries to help design and deliver development solutions to a diverse range of clients. The Trade and Competitiveness Practice will be fully integrated within the WBG, bringing together teams from several Departments of IFC and the World Bank. S/he will be supported by a management team and approximately 550 globally placed staff. The Global Practice Senior Director will report to the two Global Practice Vice Presidents.
Details for this vacancy are available in the World Bank Careers site:www.worldbank.org/careers, Vacancy Number 132498. All applications must be submitted through this website. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. Closing date is December 5, 2013.
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