About this site

Rapid Response is the World Bank Group’s knowledge hub on financial and private sector development in developing countries.

Mission:

To promote financial and private sector reform, resulting in better business environments.
Ultimately to spur business, entrepreneurial, and employment opportunities for the poor in developing countries.

Objective:

To fill a large gap in understanding about successful business environment and financial sector reform, and what makes reform processes successful in developing countries.
To empower policy reformers and the business community to turn these ideas into reform action by providing them with information, tools, and access to critical data.

Areas of expertise:

Doing comprehensive assessments of the business environment and financial services in developing countries, through surveys and benchmarking;
Creating the institutional foundations for effective markets (examples: property rights, collateral systems, corporate governance, financial market infrastructure)
Promoting open and competitive markets (examples: opening up entry, access to finance for promising firms, deeper and more liquid financial markets, and exit for failing firms)
Supporting social safety nets with market-based instruments (examples: financial market-based instruments and risk management for pensions and insurance systems, as well as low income housing)
Supporting privatization policy development, especially in sectors with complex market design and regulatory issues (for example, banking, infrastructure, transport.)

Note on changes to website:

Several features were dropped from this website in November 2007, including the Discussion forum and various thematic pages. Papers and Links -- reading lists of best papers and case studies on financial and private sector development topics -- are no longer being maintained, but will remain available for download through Spring 2008.