Bangladesh has demonstrated how investment in coastal flood protection saves lives, reduces economic losses, and protects development gains. Yet, its cost effectiveness depends on the design standards...
Nepal is, according to its constitution, among the world’s most decentralized countries, with a long and complex tradition of local-level public participation. This paper traces the evolution of Nepal’s...
Labor markets in Central America and the Dominican Republic face limited direct impacts from technological advancements compared to developed countries. However, substantial migration flows to high-income...
Effective monitoring of development aid is the foundation for assessing the alignment of flows with their intended development objectives. Existing reporting systems, such as the Organisation for Economic...
Maldives remains at high risk of debt and liquidity distress despite temporary improvements in fiscal and reserve indicators. Foreign exchange (FX) liquidity pressures have intensified, and there is increasing...
This study revisits Pakistan’s level of urbanization using satellite imagery and the Degree of Urbanization methodology. While official statistics report that 39 percent of the population resides in urban...
This paper synthesizes recent evidence on refugee self-reliance in low- and middle-income countries, clarifying definitions, reviewing measurement approaches, and assessing the effectiveness of policies...
This work discusses simple frameworks for measuring a country's exposure and vulnerability to international trade shocks at the sector and product levels based on widely available data. Exposure refers...
As increasingly frequent extreme weather events disrupt lives, institutions are turning to early-warning systems and advance preparation to accelerate aid delivery. A randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh...
School-related gender-based violence remains widespread in low- and middle-income countries, yet rigorous evidence on effective prevention strategies is limited. This study evaluates the Empowerment Pilot...
The economic environment for services trade has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, driven by rapid technological progress that has expanded the possibilities for exchanging services. How has...
Expanding women’s property rights has become a central objective of development policy aimed at reducing gender inequality in Africa. With this goal in mind, a randomized controlled trial in western Uganda...
This note presents the 10th edition of the World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measure (MPM) database, drawing on the latest country data from the Global Monitoring Database (GMD) as of October 2025...
This paper examines the roles of tariff and non-tariff measures in China’s meteoric rise as the world’s leading green product supplier. Evidence from customs transaction data from 2000 to 2016 shows that...
Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions worldwide. Across politics, business, and community organizations, they face persistent barriers that limit both access to leadership roles and influence...
Roads are key drivers of economic growth and form a dominant feature in many landscapes. With road infrastructure steadily expanding—and projections indicating significant growth—it is important to ensure...
A scalable method for estimating changes in local greenhouse gas emissions from satellite-based atmospheric composition measures is developed and applied in this paper. The analysis employs large panels...
As tariffs have declined, non-tariff measures (NTMs) have become central to trade policy, especially in high-income countries and regulated sectors like food and green technologies. Although NTMs may serve...
How social change is sought is central to ensuring not only that change happens but that it does so in ways perceived by those most affected by it to be legitimate (especially those who “lose”). This paper...
