In 2007, for the first time in human history, 50 percent of the global population lived in urban areas. The United Nations predicts that this figure will rise to 69 percent by 2050. A significant…

Olatunbosun Obayomi |

Thousands of Basotho joined HM King Letsie III last Friday at the inauguration of a state-of-the-art hospital in Maseru, Lesotho. The new hospital, together with its three filter clinics, is…

Ritva Reinikka |

One persistent criticism that I hear of educational technology projects in many places -- and especially in Africa -- is that 'there are too many pilot projects'. 'What we really…

Michael Trucano |

The side event on diaspora bonds organized during the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF attracted significant interest. Senior officials in the Bank considered forming a task force to…

Dilip Ratha |

I blogged a few months ago about a paper Justin Lin and I were writing that focused on applying  the Growth Identification and Facilitation Framework in Nigeria.  The paper has just recently been…

Volker Treichel |

The following piece appeared as a guest blog in the UK's Guardian this past week. A good public education system means public spending – but not necessarily public provision. In OECD…

Harry A. Patrinos |

Lights, camera, action!  It’s a clichéd phrase that we more often associate with the movie business and not the World Bank.  In the past the Bank has financed schools, hospitals, power stations…

Ismail Radwan |

Backpackers looking for an intense experience are constantly looking for new regions to explore. While Asia is nowadays swamped by mass tourism, and Western destinations lack originality, Africa…

Pierre Strauss |

With a view to assessing the practical implications of the Growth Identification and Facilitation framework (GIFF) (*for more on this, see the bottom of this post) in a concrete country case,…

Volker Treichel |

1. Only 15 percent of Nigerian entrepreneurs are women --- one of the lowest shares in all Sub-Saharan Africa 2. Almost 70 percent of firms in Akwa Ibom train their employees while just one…

Giuseppe Iarossi |