Basic Services for the World's Poor People - World Development Report 2004: an analysis

The World Bank's annual World Development Report (WDR) gives information about the current economic, social and environmental state of the world. Each year the WDR provides an in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of development. The WDR of 2004: “Making Services Work for Poor People” attempts at guiding policymakers, donors, and citizens to improve the delivery of basic services. Too often, key services fail for poor people - in access, quantity, and quality. This imperils the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets, which call for halving the global incidence of poverty and broad improvements in human development by 2015.

Improving key services like Healthcare and Education is crucial for the Human Development of a country. Yet, only enhancing public spending does not often solve this problem. World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President for Development Economics, Nicholas Stern, said that in order to reach the 2015 development goals, it will require both a substantial increase in external resources and using resources more effectively, internally and externally. The WDR 2004 offers a practical framework for using resources more effectively. adelphi analysed and commented on the World Development Report.