Like many of its neighbors, Benin is experiencing growing threats of conflict. The country’s proximity to Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali—all experiencing violent extremism—makes it…

Solene Rougeaux, Saint-Martin Kodjovi Mongan Agbeshie |

Africa is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty. While many countries were successful in reducing poverty during the years before the pandemic,…

Camilla Holmemo, Christian Bodewig, Robert S. Chase, Suleiman Namara |

Being born a woman in Benin doesn’t come with the same opportunities as being born a man. Being born a rural woman limits one’s prospects even further. The Country Gender Assessment presents a…

Miriam Muller, Felicien D. Accrombessy |

The question of what countries trade, and why is a complex and pressing one. This blog characterizes the specific activities involved in exports, providing an understanding that goes beyond…

Hagen Kruse, Marcel Timmer, Xianjia Ye, Gaaitzen de Vries, Deborah Winkler |

Blue Ports support the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and healthy ocean ecosystems. The World Bank has looked at the potential of this model in five…

Kavita Sethi |

As we celebrated International Youth Day on August 12 , we reflect on the progress made in ensuring that the youth of Vietnam are on a pathway to greater upwards economic mobility.

Judy Yang, Anh Thi Bao Tran |

The question Vietnam now faces is how to reach high income status through higher productivity and protection of Vietnam’s and the world’s global assets.

Manuela V. Ferro |

The Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens the uneven recovery of East Asia and Pacific. The invasion comes on top of the economic distress caused by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, the financial…

Aaditya Mattoo, Ekaterine T. Vashakmadze, Ergys Islamaj |

This blog explores how climate smart agriculture solutions are available to "green" the rice we eat and the lessons learned from agriculture and smart staple crop production projects in…

Dina Umali-Deininger |

As Vietnam’s economic success in the last decades has improved lives for most, the challenge of including ethnic minority populations from remote and mountainous areas in the benefits of growth…

Giorgia DeMarchi, Susan Shen |