Striking the Balance

The report outlines eight recommendations for investors—including international financial institutions and private companies—to implement effective social and environmental safeguards while supporting the laws and institutions of recipient countries. It specifically analyzes four risk management approaches used by the World Bank to derive lessons for other investors seeking to reduce environmental and social risks in infrastructure and development projects.

• The report provides eight specific recommendations for investors to balance ownership and accountability: utilizing recipient-country laws and institutions, maintaining strong internal safeguard policies, researching the actual practice of country systems, engaging in consistent collaboration with governments and stakeholders, investing in human resources, providing proper incentives for staff, establishing clear requirements focused on substantive results, and supporting citizen engagement.
• Investors, including private banks, public funds, and international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, are updating social and environmental policies to ensure economic growth does not harm people or ecosystems.
• The report evaluates four specific risk management approaches employed by the World Bank: the traditional safeguards approach, the "use of country systems" approach, the approach for "program for results" investments, and the approach for development policy loans.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Striking the Balance. https://www.wri.org/research/striking-balance

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Striking the Balance. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/striking-balance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Striking the Balance |url=https://www.wri.org/research/striking-balance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstriking, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Striking the Balance}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/striking-balance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }