The World Bank and Results-Based Financing (RBF) for Health: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in RBF

A key objective the Bank’s 2007 Health, Nutrition and Population Strategy was to tighten the links between lending and results through increased use of RBF. RBF holds considerable promise for increasing health service utilization and improving service quality, increasing efficiency, and enhancing equity. It focuses on health results (such as the number of women receiving early antenatal care and delivering their babies in health facilities), rather than inputs (such as the construction of health centers and staff training), tightly linking budgets and financing to results.  This article explains how RBF can help to accelerate the progress towards global health goals and describes the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in World Bank Supported RBF Projects.