World Bank Development Economics

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. They also need skilled fund managers, credible exit opportunities, experienced operators, and private investors willing to support long-duration, high-risk growth. When these pieces do not develop together, private markets can remain thin or fail to form altogether. A new VoxDev article by the World Bank's Chhavi Rastogi together with Emanuele Colonnelli (The University of Chicago Booth School of Business), Anne Kersting (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)), and Francesco Loiacono (EBRD) provides evidence to avoid this coordination failure.   𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 of intervention matter. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebRax9Fv

🎧 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲—𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸—𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀? https://lnkd.in/g8djW_im Can standards improve services—or unintentionally block firms from participating in global markets? This episode from the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development mini series examines how standards shape trade, health, and education outcomes in practice. The conversation discusses how: ▪️ Technical rules now govern nearly 90% of global trade, with compliance costs reaching up to $425,000 per firm in developing countries ▪️ Fragmented and duplicative standards can exclude firms, while stronger domestic quality infrastructure can reduce costs and expand market access ▪️ Adaptive and process-oriented standards—such as checklists and targeted teaching approaches—can significantly improve health and education outcomes 🎧 Tune in now: https://lnkd.in/g8djW_im #Ideas4Impact #WDR2025

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? ➡️https://lnkd.in/eUww9SsW Resource-rich economies have long grappled with a stubborn structural challenge: how to build diversified economies when commodity revenues dominate, and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is putting industrial policy to the test at an unprecedented scale. The new 𝐿𝑒𝑡'𝑠 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 blog by Jasmin Chakeri, Muhammad Khudadad Chattha, and Dilan Yang examines early evidence on whether Saudi Arabia's ambitious industrial policy interventions are reshaping its economic structure, and what this means for other resource-dependent countries. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: • Saudi Arabia's industrial policy activity surged around 2018–2020, exceeding both GCC and global averages, with a heavy emphasis on investment-oriented instruments • No significant export diversification gains have been detected yet, but five years is a short window for structural transformation of this magnitude • Local content requirements are linked to positive employment responses, while firm-level data shows early adjustment dynamics rather than lasting productivity gains • Design and conditionality matter as much as scale; support that is performance-based and time-bound is more likely to build genuine productive capacity 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: industrial policy alone is not enough; lasting diversification depends on rigorous, ongoing evaluation and a policy ecosystem that addresses skills, infrastructure, and regulatory quality alongside targeted interventions. Read more ➡️https://lnkd.in/eUww9SsW

What does nature have to do with technology?  𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐒 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 – the oldest form, in fact. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed74-d9c For example, mangroves that buffer coastlines against storm surges are not a trick of fate. They are systems refined over centuries, delivering ecosystem services and employment opportunities that modern economies depend on.   Nature, as an affordable technology, is key to five job-rich sectors:  • Infrastructure and energy  • Agribusiness  • Healthcare  • Tourism  • Value-added manufacturing With the right investments, communities, countries, and companies can modernize, grow, and generate jobs at scale. Read the latest blog by World Bank Group Environment Director, Valerie Hickey, to learn more. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed74-d9c #BiodiversityDay

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥? The World Bank Group Data Academy invites you to join the new edition of the 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ e-learning course. ➡️https://lnkd.in/ebFpguZv • The program covers all aspects of implementing field research, from preparation to execution.  • Participants will explore best practices, address recurring challenges, learn new tools, and connect with field researchers from across the globe and experts from the World Bank Development Impact Department.  • It’s designed for development practitioners, researchers, graduate students, and public officials involved with monitoring and evaluation. Register now for this online course. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 included upon completion. Access the materials: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebFpguZv #Ideas4Impact

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 ➡️https://lnkd.in/dDycQgAu Across Sub-Saharan Africa, programs investing in young women and adolescent girls are doing important work – but new evidence suggests that "safe spaces" alone are not enough to drive lasting change. The new 𝐿𝑒𝑡’𝑠 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 blog by Othmane Boulhane, Claire Boxho, Estelle Koussoubé, and Léa Rouanet draws on new evidence from Côte d'Ivoire to examine what combinations of interventions actually move the needle for girls' empowerment - and why the social environment around girls matters just as much as the support they receive directly. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: • Safe spaces build knowledge, confidence, and agency, but alone are unlikely to shift broader life outcomes like economic participation and decision-making. • Engaging boys and young men amplifies impact significantly: girls in communities with male engagement programs were ~50% more likely to work than those in safe-spaces-only programs. • Community and religious leader involvement can reinforce positive norms, but only when implementation is well designed and consistently executed. • Multi-component programs require strong training, coordination, and monitoring systems to deliver results at scale. The takeaway: empowering girls is not only about building their skills and aspirations, it also requires addressing the social and structural factors that shape their opportunities. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dDycQgAu

#𝗔𝗕𝗖𝗗𝗘𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 | 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?   Register ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d_nY56rz Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor at MIT Department of Economics and Nobel Laureate, will present the keynote speech for Day 1 of the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics. Join us June 16 at World Bank Group HQ, Washington, D.C. in person or online. More information ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e9bwvXBS

𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲! Over three days, the conference brought together more than 200 speakers from academia, governments, and international organizations across 45 research sessions on land, governance, jobs, rural transformation, technology, and more. ➡️ Replay the sessions & access the event materials: https://lnkd.in/euKZUQsQ

𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gVsXn_fq This 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲’s course 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕: 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒚𝒄𝒍𝒆 introduces participants to the critical role gender data play in shaping policies, programs, and investments that expand women’s access to jobs and economic opportunity. In this e-learning course, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 how to:  • Understand the role of gender statistics in policy and decision-making  • Identify and assess gender data gaps across the data lifecycle  • Apply best practices in data collection, analysis, and dissemination  • Use data visualization and communication strategies to translate gender data into action The course includes 13 video lessons, learning materials, assessments, peer discussions, and certification. Designed for statisticians, policymakers, development practitioners, researchers, and anyone working to strengthen gender data for better decision-making. Turn gender data into insights that inform policy and expand economic opportunities.    This e-course was developed by experts from three WBG departments: the Development Data Group’s Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) program, the Gender Department, and the Fiscal Policy and Growth Department. Enroll now: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gVsXn_fq