IPF	Liliana Proskuryakova

Civic Engagement Policies of the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Russia
	Full citation		Brief annotation
	Issues and Options for Improving Engagement Between the World Bank and Civil Society Organizations.		The purpose of this paper is to assess the World Bank’s recent relations with civil society organizations (CSOs), and to facilitate a strategic discussion among Bank senior management, member governments, and CSO representatives on key issues and proposed actions for strengthening these relations and managing associated risks in the future. It analyzes the Bank’s experience over the past few years of engaging CSOs in a broad range of development operations and in policy dialogue at the local, national, and transnational levels
	Granberg, A.,Suslov,V.,Kolomak,E.: Russian “Macro-regions”: Economic Integration and Interaction with the World Economy.		The project is dedicated to an analysis of interregional and foreign trade ties of large economic regions in Russia. The analysis focuses on: - Effects of economic interactions among the regions of Russia; - Non-equivalence level of the actual interregional exchange; - Equilibrium of the system of regions, i.e., the state of an equivalent interregional exchange; - System core, i.e., a set of mutually beneficial exchanges; - Consequences of foreign trade liberalization; - Reasonable rate of export-import tariffs, providing an acceptable unemployment level and sufficient competition from the world market; - Volume of interregional financial transfers, maintaining a sufficient level of internal economic space homogeneity.
	Varshavsky, Alexander E.: Macroeconomic Aggregate Model for Researching Arrears and Stabilization of the Russian Economy.		On the basis of an analysis of vast statistical information the author argues that arrears reflect the system changes that have place in the Russian economy in transition, in particular, changing regime of the system of financial circulation. The results of the analysis are used for specification and estimation of parameters of a system of econometric models that includes two models of money demand and arrears. The main feature of the model of money demand is the inclusion of arrears as one of the factors. On the basis of these econometric models a new rather simple macroeconomic aggregate model, described by the system of linear equations, is developed. It helps to assess the main relations between main economic factors and provides better understanding of the influence of arrears on the GDP in the short and long-run.
	Scholte, Jan Aart: Democratizing the Global Economy. The Role of Civil Society.		How can economic globalization be democratized? This report addresses this question in six steps. First, it defines the key concepts involved: ‘economic globalization’, ‘governance’, ‘democracy’, and ‘civil society’. Then it explores the nature of democratic deficits in today’s global economy. Thirdly, it indicates the principal ways that civil society associations can counter these democratic deficits. Afterwards it identifies conditions in wider society that help or hinder civil society efforts to promote a more democratic course of economic globalization. The next section considers the main problems of internal organization and practice of civil society associations that can advance or limit their capacities to democratize the global economy. The last part highlights critical issues for future civil society strategies to democratize the global economy.
	World Bank: Civil Society Engagement: Review of Fiscal Years 2002 - 2004.		The report provides a summary of the varied policies, programs, and activities through which the Bank engaged CSOs at the global, regional, and national levels. It highlights some of the more important initiatives and events while discussing the challenges and constraints the Bank faces in these evolving relations. These include the need to improve the quality of consultation efforts, streamline grant making and contracting procedures, and facilitate greater government–civil society operational collaboration. Finally, the report serves to reaffirm the Bank’s commitment to strengthening relations with civil society and to demonstrate the important role this interaction has had in improving the outcomes of poverty reduction efforts.
	A Call for Participatory Decision Making: Discussion Paper on World Bank-Civil Society Engagement.		The paper explores the opportunities for more meaningful, empowering forms of participation in World Bank decision-making. First, the report examines the challenges of public participation in the Bank’s institutional governance, and in its operations at global, national, and local levels. Second, the report proposes a set of principles and a framework for thinking about how to expand and deepen the opportunities for meaningful public participation in all stages of Bank decision-making. And third, it uses the framework to propose a set of recommendations for improving Bank practice for consideration by the World Bank’s management and Board.

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February 2006