This paper investigates how firms use green versus conventional debt and the associated firm- and aggregate-level environmental consequences. Employing a dataset of 127,711 global bond and syndicated loan...
The September 2025 update to the poverty and inequality platform (PIP) introduces changes to the data underlying the global poverty estimates. This document details the changes to underlying data and the...
The standard global poverty estimation method - relying on household survey data and consumer price index (CPI) - based inflation - suggests a sharp decline in Madagascar’s international poverty rate (measured...
Can algorithms enhance bureaucrats’ work in developing countries? In data-poor environments, bureaucrats often exercise discretion over key decisions, such as audit selection. Exploiting newly digitized...
Governments and development institutions dedicate substantial resources to programs aimed at expanding access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with the expectation that...
This paper analyzes the welfare impacts of import bans in Nigeria and how these impacts are shaped by evasion. Bans were not effectively enforced, thus fostering informal trade. The imposition of bans...
The Results and Performance of the World Bank Group 2025 (RAP 2025) report presents a two-part review of the lending and non-lending support of the World Bank Group. Part 1 will focus on trends in project-...
Improvements on excise taxes on tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) are urgently needed in Mexico to reduce preventable premature deaths. In Mexico, 125,350 people lose their...
En México se necesitan urgentemente mejoras en los impuestos selectivos al tabaco, las bebidas alcohólicas y las bebidas azucaradas para reducir las muertes prematuras evitables. En México, 125,350 personas...
Climate shocks increase poverty and reduce development gains and productive investments, in part because vulnerable households have poor financial resilience, are often not covered by public safety nets...
Development outcomes such as job creation, clean energy access, and sustainable agriculture drive a global effort to bolster growth along sustainable and climate-resilient pathways, but significant funding...
The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is evaluating the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Sustainability Framework to identify lessons for its planned update. The evaluation will focus on how IFC...
Supporting countries in their fertility transitions can entail different entry points, such as improving access to reproductive health services, raising awareness and knowledge of family planning, promoting...
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) aims to level the playing field by applying the same carbon price faced by domestic producers under the Emission Trading System to the emissions embodied...
Transport expenditures are a sizable share of many Brazilian city budgets. While capital expenditures in the transport sector often target road improvements, operating expenditures are increasingly focused...
Descarbonizar o setor de transporte rodoviário de cargas do Brasil é essencial para alcançar as metas de emissão do país para 2050. Para ampliar esse esforço, o Brasil deve fazer a transição de caminhões...
Os gastos com transporte constituem uma parte expressiva dos orçamentos públicos municipais no Brasil. Tradicionalmente concentrados em investimentos de capital voltados à infraestrutura viária, os recursos...
Global economies are highly dependent on efficient logistics to promote economic growth, yet the historical contribution of freight transport to environmental impacts poses an important challenge for the...
Brazil’s transport infrastructure and the social and economic activities it supports face increasing exposure to climate and natural hazards, with climate change intensifying risks to critical corridors...
Diversifying guarantee mechanisms in Brazil is essential for attracting private investment in infrastructure. Strong guarantees enhance legal security and reduce perceived risk, making it easier for new...