FY19 Bhutan Country Opinion Survey Report

The country opinion survey in Bhutan assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Bhutan perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Bhutan on: (1) their views regarding the general environment in Bhutan; (2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Bhutan; (3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Bhutan; and (4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in Bhutan.


I. Objectives
This survey was designed to assist the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Bhutan perceive the WBG.

II. Methodology
From February through May 2019, 230 stakeholders of the WBG in Bhutan were invited to provide their opinions on the WBG's work in the country by participating in a Country Opinion Survey (COS). Participants were drawn from the office of the Prime Minister, office of a Minister, office of a Parliamentarian, employees of ministries/ministerial departments/ implementation agencies, Project Management Units (PMUs) overseeing implementation of projects or consultants/contractors working on WBG-supported projects/programs, local government officials or staff, bilateral agencies, multilateral agencies, private sector organizations, the financial sector/private banks, private foundations, NGOs/community-based organizations (CBOs), the media, independent government institutions, trade unions, faith-based groups, youth groups, academia/research institutes/think tanks, and the judiciary branch.
A total of 122 stakeholders participated in the survey (53% response rate). Respondents received an invitation via email and completed the questionnaire online (N=114) or received the questionnaire via post and returned it accordingly (N=8).
Every country that engages in the Country Opinion Survey must include specific indicator questions that will be aggregated for the WBG's annual Corporate Scorecard. These questions are identified throughout the survey report.
The results of this year's Country Survey were compared to those of the Country Survey conducted in FY '16 (response rate was 56%, N = 102). The data were weighted to reach similar stakeholder compositions across both survey years, allowing for more statistically reliable comparisons. Note, there were too few respondents from the office of Prime Minister or the office of Minister from either year to be included, nor were stakeholders who identified themselves as "Other" in the stakeholder category options included in these comparisons. As a result, mean ratings, percentages of respondents, and the total number of respondents in both years are slightly different from those of the original data reported in the FY '16 COS report and the non-weighted data presented in this report. For the weighted stakeholder breakdown and year comparison results, please refer to Appendix E (see page 95).
The World Bank Group has provided good support for Bhutan to move to Country Systems for donor projects

DPCs have been effective instruments of coordination for economic policy reforms between and within government agencies and development partners
DPCs have led to good economic policy and institutional reforms Mean Level of Agreement FY19

FY16
"To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements?" (1-"Strongly disagree",

Making the World Bank Group of Greater Value
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that, to make itself of greater value, the WBG should increase the level of capacity development in the country (percentage of respondents = 35%), reach out more to groups outside of Government (30%), and offer more innovative financial products (27%).

World Bank Group Should Collaborate More with…
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that, to ensure better development results in Bhutan, the WBG should collaborate more with the private sector (percentage of respondents = 40%), followed by NGOs/CBOs (29%), local government (26%), academia/think tanks/research institutes (20%), and beneficiaries (19%).

Where the World Bank Group Should Focus its Resources
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that the WBG should focus its resources on economic growth (percentage of respondents = 40%), followed by job creation/employment (28%), private sector development (26%), and rural development (21%).

Future Combination of the WBG services
▪ Year comparison: Compared to respondents in this year's Country Survey, respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated statistically similar combinations of services that the WBG should offer more of in Bhutan.

Information Sources
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that they got most of their information about economic and social development issues from the local newspapers (percentage of respondents = 63%), followed by local television (34%), the Internet (28%), and social media (26%).

Preferred Information Sources
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that they preferred to get their information from the WBG's seminars/workshops/conferences (percentage of respondents = 44%) and the World Bank website (40%), followed by direct contact with the WBG (27%), the WBG's publications and other written materials (26%), and social media (24%).

Internet Connection
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey had significantly higher rates of high-speed Internet access (weighted percentage of respondents = 98%) compared to respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey (weighted percentage of respondents = 89%).

Percentage of Respondents (Responses Combined; N=121)
Agriculture and rural development 49.6% Job creation/employment 42.1% Education 33.1% Economic growth 32.2% Private sector development 28.1% Equality of opportunity (i.e., social inclusion) 18.2% Transport (e.g., roads, bridges, transportation) 9.9% Public sector governance/reform (i.e., government effectiveness, public financial management, public expenditure, fiscal system reform) 9.1% Food security 8.3% Natural resource management 8.3% Anti-corruption 6.6% Social protection 5.8% Trade and exports 5.8% Health 5.8% Decentralization 5.0% Information and communications technology 4.1% Water and sanitation 4.1% Financial markets 4.1% Energy 3.3% Urban development 3.3% Disaster risk management 2.5% Global/regional integration 2.5% Gender equity (closing the gap between women and men, and boys and girls) 2.5% Climate change (e.g., mitigation, adaptation) 1.7% Crime and violence 0.0% Judiciary reform 0.0% Pollution 0.0% 5. When economic and/or social reform efforts fail or are slow to take place in Bhutan, which of the following would you attribute this to? (Choose no more than

How EFFECTIVE do you believe the World Bank Group is in terms of the work it does in the following areas of development in Bhutan?
(

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements?

A. General Issues Facing Bhutan
When you think about the future in Bhutan, are you … ?

Do you think that economic opportunity for citizens in Bhutan is … ?
1 For these analyses, the few respondents from the office of the Prime Minister, the office of a Minister, local government, and the judiciary branch were combined into the Other category; the few respondents from PMUs/Consultants on WBG-supported projects were combined with employees of ministries; and respondents from private foundations, trade unions, faith-based groups, and youth groups were combined with those from NGOs/CBOs into a "Civil Society" category.

Listed below are a number of development priorities in Bhutan. Please identify which of the following you consider the most important development priorities in Bhutan?
(Choose no more than THREE)

A. General Issues Facing Bhutan (continued)
When World Bank Group assisted reform efforts fail or are slow to take place, which of the following would you attribute this to? (Choose no more than TWO)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(1-Not familiar at all, 10-Extremely familiar) (1-Not effective at all, 10-Very effective) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

When thinking about how the World Bank Group can have the most impact on development results in Bhutan, in which sectors do you believe the World Bank Group should focus most of its resources (financial and knowledge services) in Bhutan? (Choose no more than THREE)
*Significantly different between stakeholder groups

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
When thinking about the World Bank Group's role, which activity do you believe is of greatest VALUE and which activity is of second greatest value in Bhutan?

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
Which of the following do you identify as the World Bank Group's greatest WEAKNESSES in its work in Bhutan? (Choose no more than TWO)

To what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's work and support help the poorest in Bhutan? (Select only ONE response)
From your perspective, which of the following best describes the World Bank Group's current emphasis on investing in human capital (e.g., education, health, social protection)?*

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
In addition to the regular relations with the national government, which TWO of the following groups should the World Bank Group collaborate with more in your country? (Choose no more than TWO)

*Significantly different between stakeholder groups
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group's work in Bhutan? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the WBG an effective development partner in Bhutan, in terms of each of the

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
(

How effectively does the World Bank Group support Bhutan's efforts…? (1-Not effective at all, 10-Very effective)
(

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities (continued)
(

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

E. Working with the World Bank Group: World Bank Group Development Policy Credit (DPC) Program
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

F. The Future Role of the World Bank Group in Bhutan
Which of the following SHOULD the World Bank Group do to make itself of greater value in Bhutan? (Choose no more than TWO)

*Significantly different between stakeholder groups
How would you prefer to receive information from the World Bank Group? (Choose no more than TWO)

Which Internet connection do you use primarily when visiting a World Bank Group website?
Over the past SIX MONTHS, on average how often did you do any of the following related to the World Bank Group (

H. Background Information
Which of the following describes most of your exposure to the World Bank Group in Bhutan? (Choose no more than TWO) North/South N=20  East N=32  West N=68

A. General Issues Facing Bhutan
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(1-Not familiar at all, 10-Extremely familiar) (1-Not effective at all, 10-Very effective) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different geographic locations.

To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group's work in Bhutan?
(1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) 2 All but two respondents provided their geographic location.

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the World Bank Group an effective development partner in Bhutan, in terms of each of the following? (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

C. World Bank Group's Sectoral Effectiveness and Results
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Bhutan?
(1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities
In Bhutan, to what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities: (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) (1-Not significant at all, 10-Very significant; 1-Very low technical quality, 10-Very high technical quality)

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

A. General Issues Facing Bhutan
To what extent do you trust each of the following groups to do what is right?
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
(

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group's work in Bhutan? (

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Bhutan? (

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities
In Bhutan, to what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities: (

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) *Significantly different between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not

World Bank Group Development Policy Credit (DPC) Program
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) (

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(1-Not familiar at all, 10-Extremely familiar) (

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the World Bank Group an effective development partner in Bhutan in terms of each of the

How EFFECTIVE do you believe the World Bank Group is in terms of the work it does in the following areas of development in Bhutan?
(1-Not effective at all, 10-Very effective) *Significantly different between FY19 and FY16 respondents.
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Bhutan?

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities
How frequently do you consult World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities in the work you do?

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements?

World Bank Group Development Policy Credit (DPC) Program
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

F. The Future Role of the World Bank Group in Bhutan
When considering the combination of services that the World Bank Group offers in Bhutan, and taking into account its limited level of resources, which ONE of the following do you believe the World Bank Group should offer more of in Bhutan?  To wha t extent do you trus t The Worl d Ba nk Group to do wha t i s ri ght? 5.99 7.37 6.96 5.53 6.41 6.57 6.25 7.04 6.24 6.80 6.36 6.82

G. Communication and Information Sharing
Overa l l , pl ea s e ra te your i mpres s i on of the Worl d Ba nk Group's effecti venes s i n Bhuta n. 6.06 7.05 6.88 5.63 6.62 6.00 6.10 7.29 6.21 6.81 6.40 6.57 Overa l l the Worl d Ba nk Group currentl y pl a ys a rel eva nt rol e i n devel opment i n Bhuta n 5.90 7.47 6.94 5.59 6.65 6.07 6.07 7.64 6.17 6.95 6.49 6.40 The Worl d Ba nk Group's work i s a l i gned wi th wha t I cons i der the devel opment pri ori ti es for Bhuta n 5.98 7.09 6.74 5.68 6.51 6.03 5.96 7.54 6.15 6.69 6.34 6.42 Res pons i venes s to needs 5.82 7.09 6.54 5.72 6.43 6.00 6.00 7.04 6.19 6.43 6.32 6.18 Fl exi bi l i ty (i n terms of the i ns ti tuti on's products a nd s ervi ces )