How Does the World Bank Influence the Development Policy Priorities of Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries?

This article examines how the World Bank's lending and non-lending instruments, specifically Economic and Sector Work (ESW) and development policy lending (DPL), influence the policy priorities of developing countries. Using micro-level survey data from 1,244 public sector officials across 121 low- and middle-income countries, the study finds a consistently positive but statistically insignificant association between the Bank's ESW products and officials' perceptions of the Bank's influence on government policy direction. No robust evidence is found that development policy lending or investment loans significantly affect perceived policy influence or the usefulness of the Bank's advice during reform implementation. These findings suggest limited detectable impact of the World Bank's assistance on policymakers' perceptions of its agenda-setting role, highlighting the need for more granular data and alternative methods to assess the effectiveness of international development organizations' policy influence.