## **Polcy, Research, and External Affairs**

## **Education and Employment**

WPS 583

- This paper a product of the Education and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources - Department is part of a larger effort in PRE to build education research and assessment capacity in developing countries. Copies are available free from the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433. Please contact Cynthia Cristobal, room S6-214, extension 3364() (91 pages). Research on education is useful for policy * Of the 436 planned studies, only 184 (42 change, helps build national research capabilipcrccnt) were completed, 84 were available ties, and yields information on intervenLions of through Regional Information Centers, and only use to others - borrowers and donors.

* Of the 436 planned studies, only 184 (42 pcrccnt) were completed, 84 were available through Regional Information Centers, and only 5.6 percent had anything to do with assessing educational outcomes.

But many Bank-financed educational research components are not completed, or if completed are not widely available, and few measure educational outcomes.

* Anecdotal evidence suggests that research components have often been included as a fom of "slush fund" to provide a financial buffer for other areas, drawing down resources available for study activities. Similarly, studies are included for political reasons, to develop incountry discussions on divisive issues or to resolve policy negotiationI deadlock. Few studies enhance domestic research capacity.

In taking stock of research components in education projects, J.P. Tan (1982) found that 122 Bank projects in education (1972-82) contained 272 studies. Tan noted that these studies were seldom available to audiences beyond their original sponsors and were often not available even to them, and that many planned studies were never initiated or completed. Mlany of those studies were longitudinal in design so some thought the attempt to identify completed research may have been premature.

# Lockheed and Rodd conclude that:

* vore attention should be paid to the design and implementation of research components in educatiotn projects, %Aidi svecific emphasii on institutional weaknesses.

Lockheed and Rodd reviewed education studies (1982-89) and traced the completion status of studies that were incomplete before 1982. They found that:

* Freestanding educational resezarch projects should be considered wherever possiblc (usually in large countries).

* Of 146 Bank education projects initiated since 1982, 116 included research components with 436 identifiable, planned studies. These 116 projects were supported with loans and credits of about $4.5 billion, of which about $98 million (or 2.2 percent) was allocated to research,

Research as a percentage of total loan commitment declined sharply from 1982 to 1989.

* The Bank should develop a training program for operational staff to design studies with appropriate meLhodologies and which develop domestic research capacity.

* Information on studies should be more accessible. All data and documents about studies should be sent to Regional Information Centers, which should provide a list of information received to the Education and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department. Project completion reports should list studies in bibliographies.

The PRE Working **Paper** Series disseminates the findings of work vindcr way in the Bank's Policy. Research, and Extemal Affairs Complex. An objective of the series is to get these finding cout quicRkl. even **_ie_ fprCsent6tioTs** are less than fu11\ polished. The findings. interpreutions, a nd conclusions in these palprs do not TWCeC>aril rep.resot official Banik policv.

Produced b\ P '7_ 3ditorial Sers ices