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access also. This library has been put into place to serve academic and research community. The
World Bank also maintains information repositories in its national offices also.
5.3.4.3 Data and Statistics
The data and statistics are important elements of knowledge and research. It also helps, for all
stakeholders, to make informed decisions. The World Bank has one of the largest data hubs of
the world. The data available with the Bank is of different types: global, regional, micro and
specialized. It provides time series data from 1963 to the most recent year and it covers more
than 2000 indicator and 209 countries (The World Bank, 2010). The World Bank data is an open
resource and it accessible from all geographical locations. The World Bank also provides
detailed country data on the lending, programs and projects
5.3.5 The World Bank Group in the World
The World Bank Group has a presence in 192 economies around the world through its five
organizations, majority of the members have a participation in its four organizations: IBRD,
IDA, IFC and MIGA. The WBG staff comprises on more than 10,000 employees from 160
nationalities. The staff members have come from diverse fields and are engaged in Bank‟s
different activities. A big majority of the staff, more than 75%, works at headquarters and the
rest of it is located in the field offices the world over.
5.3.5.1 The World Bank in its member countries
The World Bank is a cooperative organization owned by its 187 members. At international and
national levels the Bank works in cooperation with various stakeholders: communities, Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs), intergovernmental organization, donor agencies, and
governments. The Bank provides technical and financial assistance in the form of expertise and
loans to its member countries on their demand. In each member states the Bank develops action
plans with the help of the stakeholders. These plans are the guiding documents from the planning
of a project to its implementation and outcome evaluation whereas the projects are developed by
each country according to their need and then submitted to the Executive Directors of the Bank
for an approval. After the approval and necessary procedures funds are released. The
governments are responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the projects.
The Bank has set guidelines for the governments and implementing bodies in order to ensure
Bank‟s social and environmental standards.