Governments are under pressure to show their ever more educated and informed citizens that schools, hospitals and other public services are getting better. Traditionally, they have done that by…
During my visits to the Kyrgyz Republic I am always surprised to talk with people who fondly reminisce about the economy during Soviet times. Taxi drivers nostalgically describe traffic coming to…
During my visits to the Kyrgyz Republic I am always surprised to talk with people who fondly reminisce about the economy during Soviet times. Taxi drivers nostalgically describe traffic coming to…
On the road from Yerevan to Tbilisi I recently spent three days in Yerevan on a mission to learn a bit more about Armenia’s overall development challenges for a World Bank study on “Connectivity…
On the road from Yerevan to Tbilisi I recently spent three days in Yerevan on a mission to learn a bit more about Armenia’s overall development challenges for a World Bank study on “Connectivity…
The Debate .asset-video strong{display:none} Governments in the Arab world have long subsidized the price of energy. This gives citizens throughout the region access to cheap petrol and diesel,…
If you think the summers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are hot—think again. Summers are likely to become much warmer. Global temperatures are rising; the question now is by how…
From left: Minister Idris Jala, Malaysia; William Dorotinsky, World Bank; Alberto Leyton, World Bank; Melanie Walker, World Bank. In his recent presentation (video) at the World Bank, Minister…
All around the world, governments are recognizing the value and potential of Open Data. This is clear from the G8’s adoption of an Open Data Charter in June 2013 (with the G20 likely to follow…
We talk so frequently about how we shape our work and yet rarely about how our work shapes us. Let me explain. I recently moved 4 degrees in latitude – from Chisinau, Moldova to Almaty, …