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This Regional Partnership Framework (RPF) outlines the World Bank Group (WBG) strategic program for nine Pacific island countries (PIC9): Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Independent State of Samoa, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Seven of these countries are IDA-eligible and have seen a substantial increase in WBG presence and engagement in recent years. The RPF builds upon the deepening engagement with Samoa, Tonga, and Kiribati, and the ability to channel significantly more resources to FSM, RMI, Vanuatu and Tuvalu following their recent reclassification as IDA eligible. The RPF also outlines options for engagement with Nauru and Palau, which are IBRD countries. In summary, this RPF will guide a WBG engagement in the Pacific which will build on what has been achieved so far but also seek to achieve further impacts in three main ways. First, increased IDA18 allocations will provide opportunities to finance projects that are larger in size and scope. Second, building on the results of the SCD and other recent analytical work, the WBG program will be highly selective and focused on helping the PICs make the most of a few key opportunities and effectively mitigate the main risks to incomes and livelihoods which they are facing. Third, the WBG program will put special emphasis on addressing the drivers of fragility in the Pacific (issues related to institutional capacity, growth in youth population and urbanization, climate change and natural disasters, as well as gender) to enhance the sustainability of the activities being carried out and of the progress being achieved.

Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness --- Economic Development --- Economic Growth --- Employment --- Governance --- International Governmental Organizations --- Knowledge Gaps --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth

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Solomon Islands is a small, remote archipelago in the South Pacific that faces a fairly unique set of development challenges. Solomon Islands is now at a critical juncture in its development trajectory. Neither the economic geography nor the present political economy of Solomon Islands is particularly conducive to the establishment of state institutions capable of managing upcoming socioeconomic change. Because of the weaknesses of state institutions, and consistent with Solom on Islands' historical experience, a variety of non-state and international actors will need to play important roles in managing upcoming and potentially risky socioeconomic change. This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) for Solomon Islands identifies key challenges and opportunities for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth, to accelerate progress toward the World Bank Group's twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.

Access of Poor to Social Services --- Agriculture --- Conflict and Development --- Economic Geography --- Health --- Inequality --- Knowledge Gaps --- Labor Mobility --- Political Economy --- Post Conflict Reconstruction --- Poverty Reduction --- Resilience

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Liberia's status as a fragile state is deeply rooted in the political and economic exclusion practiced by the country's founders. Although they constituted just 5 percent of the population, freed American slaves and their descendants dominated the country's intellectual and ruling class from 1847 to 1990. While Liberia's sixteen indigenous ethnic groups4 comprise over 90 percent of the population, the country's political system was created to protect the small minority of settlers rather than to promote inclusive development or advance the public interest. Property rights were extremely limited, and administrative power was both centralized in Monrovia and concentrated in the executive branch. Political accountability was minimal, the country's resources were exclusively controlled by its political and economic elite, and infrastructure and basic social services were largely unavailable outside of a few major cities. This unbalanced development pattern gave rise to vast disparities in power and wealth between rural and urban areas. Wealth inequality exacerbated ethnic and class rivalries, leading to a coup d'etat in 1980 followed by two devastating civil wars. These conflicts claimed over 300,000 lives and caused the complete collapse of both the state and the economy, derailing Liberia's development and compounding its already severe institutional and governance challenges.In 2012, the government of Liberia published its national strategic vision, Liberia Rising 2030. This plan is designed to enable Liberia to achieve middle-income country (MIC) status1 by 2030 through peaceful and inclusive politics, stable institutions, economic diversification, and accelerated human capital formation. The Agenda for Transformation, a medium-term development plan for 2013-17, attempted to advance the government's vision by focusing on Liberia's primary development challenges of consolidating peace and security, developing the manufacturing and service sectors, investing in human capital, improving the quality of governance, and strengthening public institutions. In line with the government's objectives, this Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) explores the various challenges facing Liberia as it strives to achieve MIC status by 2030.

Business Environment --- Climate Change --- Climate Change and Environment --- Conflict and Development --- Demographics --- Development Patterns and Poverty --- Environment --- Governance --- Inequality --- Investment Climate --- Knowledge Gaps --- National Governance --- Poverty Reduction --- Private Sector Development

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The objective of this Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) is to describe the current development challenges facing Sierra Leone and offer a set of priority areas of intervention to further the twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The SCD is designed to be an evidence driven exercise that draws together diverse findings into a comprehensive country diagnostic. The SCD argues that, without taking into account the two main foundational constraints governance and fiscal space, it is unlikely that the proposed technical solutions will make a substantial impact on the twin goals. Many of the technical solutions that are in this document have been tried in multiple variations over the last 60 years by government, donor partners, and other stakeholders, but the results have been meager. Despite favorable geography and abundant resources, and after hundreds of millions of dollars in soft loans and grants, smart consultants, sound technical approaches, Sierra Leone continues to have development outcomes that rate among the worst in the world. This SCD argues that unless governance constraints are understood and mitigated this situation is unlikely to change very much. It further takes into account severe fiscal constraints in proposing ways to alleviate this while also avoiding reforms that require substantial financial outlays. If the two foundational issues are appropriately addressed, the priority technical interventions proposed here have the potential to unlock growth, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of the Sierra Leonean population.

Agricultural Productivity --- Agricultural Sector Economics --- Agriculture --- Conflict --- Conflict and Development --- Economic Growth --- Environment --- Governance --- Job Creation --- Knowledge Gaps --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Natural Resources --- Natural Resources Management --- Politics and Government --- Poverty Monitoring and Analysis --- Poverty Reduction

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Financial capability, as defined by the World Bank and in this report, is the capacity to act in one's best financial interest, given socioeconomic and environmental conditions. It encompasses knowledge (literacy), attitudes, skills and behavior of consumers with respect to understanding, selecting, and using financial services, and the ability to access financial services that fit their needs (World Bank 2013d). Financial capability has become a policy priority for policy makers seeking to promote beneficial financial inclusion and to ensure financial stability and functioning financial markets. Today people are required to take increasing responsibility for managing a variety of risks over the life cycle. People who make sound financial decisions and who effectively interact with financial service providers are more likely to achieve their financial goals, hedge against financial and economic risks, improve their household's welfare, and support economic growth. Boosting financial capability has therefore emerged as a policy objective that complements governments' financial inclusion and consumer protection agendas. To this end, policy makers are increasingly using surveys as diagnostic tools to identify financial capability areas that need improvement and vulnerable segments of the population which could be targeted with specific interventions. The key findings and recommendations presented in this report cover three main areas: financial inclusion, financial capability, and financial consumer protection. The remaining chapters are structured as follows. Chapter one explores the financial inclusion landscape in Senegal. Chapter two gives an overview of Senegalese levels of financial capability, in particular about their financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Chapter three explores the relationship between financial inclusion and financial capability. The last chapter investigates if the products which financially included individuals use are effectively meeting their needs.

Access to Finance --- Affordable Housing --- Bank Accounts --- Best Practices --- Bonds --- Cash Transfers --- Commercial Banks --- Consumer Protection --- Consumers --- Curriculum --- Debt --- Economic Development --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Crisis --- Financial Institutions --- Financial Literacy --- Financial Regulation & Supervision --- Financial Sector --- Financial Services --- Financial Stability --- Household Income --- Inflation --- Insurance --- Interest Rates --- Knowledge --- Knowledge Gaps --- Life Insurance --- Literacy --- Loans --- Marketing --- Mass Media --- Monetary Policy --- Mortgages --- Savings --- Securities --- Unemployment