Thematic Evaluation Study: ADB Private Sector Operations: Contributions to Inclusive and Environmentally Sustainable Growth (Main Report)

Abstract

The corporate strategy of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Strategy 2020), approved in 2008, supports expanding work with the private sector in the Asia and Pacific region. ADB is to act as a catalyst for investments that the private sector might not otherwise be willing to make and to do more to help developing member countries (DMCs) attract direct private sector investments that support inclusive growth and improve the environment. Strategy 2020 and, to a lesser extent, ADB’s private sector development strategy (PSDS) approved in 2000 recognize that both the amount of growth and its pattern and quality matter for poverty reduction. ADB private sector operations (PSO) have a role to play not only in promoting growth, but also in directly broadening access to economic opportunities, especially for the disadvantaged. PSO are also expected to promote the use of environment-friendly technologies and mitigate adverse development impacts. The thematic evaluation study is not an all-encompassing evaluation of PSO or their development impacts. It aims to understand how PSO, which accounted for 9% of total operations during 2000–2012, are contributing to inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth as part of efforts to promote private sector investments and growth. The study primarily seeks to identify lessons from relevant experience with a view to informing the selection, design, and monitoring of future PSO.