New Zealand’s success story is often told in terms of its lamb, wool, kiwifruit and agricultural exports. But our country’s greatest asset has always been our people who have been equipped to do…

Annette Dixon |

The issue Data compiled over the past two decades has found that all four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Tonga are on the rise – diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and…

Sutayut Osornprasop |

Among the 29 countries and economies of the East Asia and Pacific region, one finds some of the world’s most successful education systems. Seven out of the top 10 highest average scorers on…

Michael Crawford |

This blog post was co-authored by Franz Drees-Gross, Director, Transport and ICT Global Practice, and Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director, Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice.…

Franz Drees-Gross, Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez |

Photo: Christopher R. Bennett/World Bank Few things are more depressing than seeing the damage caused by cyclones on transport infrastructure. Especially when it is a causeway that was only…

Chris Bennett, Theuns Henning |

Students at Beijing Bayi High School in China. Photo: World Bank In 1950, the average working-age person in the world had  almost three years of education, but in East Asia and Pacific (EAP), the…

Michael Crawford |

Early investment in the lives of disadvantaged children will help reduce inequality, in both the short and the long run. —James Heckman Investments in the early years of children’s lives and in…

Harry A. Patrinos |

Most of us are familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s observation that “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”  For many of us, we could also add physical disability…

Chris Bennett |

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 |