Research and surveys consistently show that firms do not rank tax incentives as the primary reason for choosing where to invest. Instead, political and macroeconomic stability, the legal…

Viet Anh Nguyen, Hassan Zaman |

This blog is a biweekly feature highlighting recent working papers from around the World Bank Group. It introduces 4 papers published from December 1-15 on various topics, including the impact of…

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |

Learn more about the potential of the sovereign green, social and sustainability bond market to mobilize private capital.

Farah Imrana Hussain, Helena Dill, Banu Turhan Kayaalp |

As we keep hearing the term “inflation” in the news every day, it’s worth revisiting what that really means for MENA countries. Here are four policies that tackle high inflation and low growth…

Nadir Mohammed, Kevin Carey, Johannes Hoogeveen, Gladys Lopez-Acevedo |

A recent World Bank review of the Libyan financial sector demonstrated that even before the civil war, the financial sector in Libya was not sufficiently developed, and the current political…

Valeriya Goffe |

I had the privilege recently to spend an unscheduled hour of discussion with a group of young Tunisians who were visiting our offices. As often, on these occasions it is hard not to get captured…

Antonius Verheijen |

Myanmar in 2012, when we started our financial sector engagement, and Myanmar today seem like two different worlds. Back then, sim cards cost close to US$500, visitors carried wads of crisp, new…

Nagavalli Annamalai |

 Photo © Dominic Chavez/World Bank Performance budgeting (PB) has a deep and enduring appeal. What government would not want to allocate resources in a way that fosters efficiency, effectiveness,…

Donald Moynihan, Ivor Beazley |

Policymakers often associate competitiveness with real exchange rates. Not too long ago, firms in Southern European countries attributed their difficulties to compete in global markets with a…

Gonzalo Varela, Stefania Lovo |

To reinvigorate growth in Europe, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi called for more common projects in the European Union (EU). And he emphasized that these efforts need to meet a set…

Doerte Doemeland, Arup Banerji, Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster |