Despite a steady increase in Albania's agricultural output over the past several decades, the country continues to trail behind its neighbors. The seemingly obvious obstacles preventing…

Fernando Blanco, Laureta Qorlazja |

Cambodia has made remarkable development progress over the past decades through rapid economic growth, averaging over seven percent per year in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic and lifting…

Sebastian Eckardt, Faya Hayati |

The conditions and circumstances of people across the world cannot be boiled down to only national averages. Within the same country, economic development can be unbalanced, with some regions…

Judy Yang, Minh Cong Nguyen, Carlos Sabatino |

The impacts of COVID-19 and consequent supply chain disruptions have driven some companies to bring supply chains closer to production. The global automotive industry is an example. This is an…

Niharika Sachdeva, Fernando Blanco, Emmanuel Pouliquen, Turhan Semizer |

To protect vulnerable populations and promote economic growth, policymakers in the Western Balkans should take into account the heterogeneity of inflation rates experienced by different households…

Anna Fruttero, Leonardo Lucchetti, Carlos Ospino, Zurab Sajaia |

For the Western Balkan countries, aspirations to join the EU mean urgency to align with the bloc’s climate and environmental policy acquis. All six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,…

Anita Hafner, Marissa Santikarn |

The Balkans often evoke images of conflict and fragmentation. But on the digital front, countries across Southeast Europe are working together to build robust broadband network connecting millions…

Natalija Gelvanovska-Garcia |

Blog about how the global crises and uncertainty are testing the economic resilience of the Western Balkans. And what the governments across the region should consider in order to build greater…

Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster, Richard Record, Natasha Rovo |

Cities are increasingly considering investments in urban flood protection. However, when evaluating infrastructure investments, they often consider only the direct benefits derived from avoided…

Steven Rubinyi, Tess Doeffinger |

To build on the Utility of the Future program, the World Bank, in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), is establishing the Utility of the Future Center of…

Karin Gallandat, Sven Schlumpberger, Federico Perez Penalosa, Camilo Lombana Cordoba |