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 |

As we marked World Poverty Day on October 17th, a blog published recently by World Bank staff highlights that poverty has finally receded to pre-COVID pandemic levels, which in essence means we…

Nadir Mohammed, Laura Moreno Herrera, Salman Zaidi |

In the Palestinian territories, fiscal subsidy reforms can help free up resources and improve economic and social conditions for a bigger part of the population.

Arden Finn, Gianluca Mele, Nur Nasser Eddin |

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 |

Most workers in developing countries are in informal employment-- that is, a job that does not come with social security benefits and leaving them with limited means to manage risks to their…

Nadir Mohammed, Roberta Gatti, Marco Ranzani, Gladys Lopez-Acevedo, Nistha Sinha, Adam Elsheikhi |

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 |

Years of ongoing exposure to conflict have exacted a toll on the mental health of Palestinians. In this context we resolved to investigate the mental health impacts of overlapping vulnerabilities…

Alia Aghajanian, Arden Finn, Gianluca Mele, Nadir Mohammed |

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 |