Africa is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty. While many countries were successful in reducing poverty during the years before the pandemic,…

Camilla Holmemo, Christian Bodewig, Robert S. Chase, Suleiman Namara |

The question of what countries trade, and why is a complex and pressing one. This blog characterizes the specific activities involved in exports, providing an understanding that goes beyond…

Hagen Kruse, Marcel Timmer, Xianjia Ye, Gaaitzen de Vries, Deborah Winkler |

Despite progress toward more comprehensive SPL systems, many Central Americans had limited pre-pandemic access to vital programs to help them cope with crises, find jobs, invest in the health and…

Aylin Isik Dikmelik, Ana Sofia Martinez Cordova |

In 2020, 48.7% of the 16.2 million emigrants from Central America and Mexico were women. The migration phenomenon in Central America particularly affects women and girls, who face challenges at…

Michel Kerf, Manuel Contreras-Urbina, Ana I. Aguilera, Erika Padron, Carlos Xavier Muñoz Burgos |

Central Asian countries are joining forces across the environment, agriculture, and health sectors to protect food systems and prevent future pandemics.

Tatiana Proskuryakova, Martien van Nieuwkoop |

Whenever the share of industry in the economy starts waning, industrial expansion often becomes a component of the growth policies. This blog analyzes if and how targeting labor market barriers…

Rishabh Sinha |

The World Bank updated its global poverty lines last month and the number of poor is now significantly different in certain countries and regions. For the EAP region, this changes our view of the…

Rinku Murgai, Hassan Zaman |

What leads thousands of people to travel almost 4,000 kilometers to risk their lives in uncertain conditions? Are there alternatives? What initiatives can help make this migration successful and…

Ana I. Aguilera, Carolina Mejia-Mantilla, Aylin Isik Dikmelik |

The Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens the uneven recovery of East Asia and Pacific. The invasion comes on top of the economic distress caused by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, the financial…

Aaditya Mattoo, Ekaterine T. Vashakmadze, Ergys Islamaj |