Afghanistan stands at a critical crossroads. As of early 2025, nearly 15 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with 3.1 million already in emergency conditions. These figures are not just numbers;...
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...
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...
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...
This paper evaluates Tunisia’s “Startup Act,” a policy initiative to foster innovative firms through a “start-up” label and a bundle of incentives, including reduced social security contributions, corporate...
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many school-age Ukrainians have sought refuge in other European countries, including Italy, raising the need to protect their human capital and integrate them into...
Youth is a period of transition, open to the future and to possibilities. Yet, for migrants and non-migrants alike, this period is now taking place against a backdrop of high unemployment, underemployment...
The availability of weather data from remotely sensed Earth observation data has reduced the cost of including weather variables in econometric models. Weather variables are common instrumental variables...
This paper studies the welfare impacts of agricultural shocks on households with detailed heterogeneity, by taking consumption, land, and labor allocation choices into account. The underlying model is...
The State and Peacebuilding Fund (SPF) is the World Bank’s largest multi-donor trust fund providing catalytic financing to prevent conflict, support rapid crisis response, and build long-term resilience...
The State and Peacebuilding Fund (SPF) is the World Bank’s largest multi-donor trust fund, providing catalytic financing to prevent conflict, support rapid crisis response, and build long-term resilience...
Croatian firms in clean tech value chains demonstrate limited integration within the domestic economy and rely heavily on foreign suppliers, with only 25 percent of their supplier network being domestic...
Bulgarian firms in clean tech value chains demonstrate limited integration within the domestic economy and rely heavily on foreign suppliers, with only 25 percent of their supplier network being domestic...
Following an unprecedented tightening cycle that avoided deep recession and widespread job losses, the EU economy appears poised for a "soft landing" with inflation nearing target levels. In 2023, EU growth...
This report shows that Romania has the potential to become a significant player in the EU’s green value chains but needs to address its weaknesses to fully capitalize on the opportunities. Firm network...
This report aims to provide an overview of potential opportunities to participate in clean tech value chains, using new and evolving analytical tools from the World Bank Group that may help inform national...
This brief is the first in a series of several companion pieces that assess the state of the business environment in 27 European Union (EU27) countries. This series makes use of a fully comparable data...
The Climate Support Facility (CSF) 2024 Annual Report showcases the progress and results achieved in supporting over 110 countries to accelerate climate action, strengthen enabling environments, and boost...
On October 24, 2024, 33 countries joined the Annual Meetings Human Capital Ministerial Conclave to discuss how to equip young women and men with the skills to build resilience and thrive in a fast-changing...
This paper studies how credit guarantee and employment protection programs interact in assisting firms during crises times. The paper analyzes how these government programs influence credit allocation...
