Zimbabwe is on a path to strengthening transparency in how it manages public finances and delivers results for citizens

Adrienne Shall, Edwin Farai Vela-Moyo, Stella Ilieva, Marko Kwaramba, Cheryl Khuphe |

Southern African countries had a tough 2019. The Government of Lesotho declared a national disaster as a result of the drought which left a fourth of its population facing severe food insecurity…

Barry Maher, Gracelin Baskaran |

If there is a single lesson to draw from the pandemic, it is that transparency in public information can save lives and improve economic outcomes, by enhancing societal trust in the state.

Ferid Belhaj |

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in China in late 2019, has the potential to disrupt the economies of the Middle East and North Africa through four distinct channels: directly through…

Rabah Arezki, Ha Nguyen |

In the build up to the Arab uprisings, data was doing its part to deceive those who follow the region closely. Tunisia and Egypt provide great examples. Both nations closed the first decade of the…

Mohamed Younis |

The events of the Arab Spring took the world by surprise: there were no obvious signs of an approaching storm in the Levant and the Maghreb. Objective measures—used on a regular basis—showed that…

Elena Ianchovichina, Martijn Burger, Efstratia Arampatzi |

Estimating national-level growth levels and rates is fraught with challenges. Doing so at subnational levels even more so – because of data challenges, and difficulties in attributing economic…

Apurva Sanghi, Tom Bundervoet, Laban Maiyo |

The nuclear agreement between Iran and the “P5+1” has finally reached adoption stage - and there is much excitement on economic fronts. Multinationals from around the world are queuing up to gain…

Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou |

. World Bank Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, Shanta Devarajan discusses potential economic scenarios for the region.

Shanta Devarajan |

Also available in: Français | العربية   A boat trip from Port Elizabeth to Kingstown, in the Caribbean country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, is a one-hour trip that locals take several…

Valerie Lorena |