Blog about how the global crises and uncertainty are testing the economic resilience of the Western Balkans. And what the governments across the region should consider in order to build greater…

Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster, Richard Record, Natasha Rovo |

Just as the economies of the Western Balkans were looking to sustain a recovery from the shock of COVID-19, the region now faces a new combination of challenges. The war in Ukraine, the resulting…

Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster, Richard Record |

This  World Bank’s Policy Research Working Paper Series introduces 6 papers published from March 1 to March 15 on various topics, including taxation, gender, and wildfire smokes.

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |

Having spent much of my working life working with and in countries in transition, it remains painful to watch the disillusionment that so often strikes people that had the courage to change a bad…

Antonius Verheijen |

Continuing with our series looking at the 25 year partnership between Mongolia and the World Bank, today we look at 2008, a year that will be remembered by many Mongolians for events both high and…

Erdene-Ochir Badarch |

When development practitioners such as ourselves think of poverty, the EU is not what comes to mind first. While it is true that average incomes are higher in Europe than in most regions of the…

Doerte Doemeland, Gabriela Inchauste |

Volatility in financial markets gets wide attention in the public eye. Less noticed is what we in the development world call macroeconomic volatility—faster-than-desired swings in the broad forces…

Francisco G. Carneiro, Ha Minh Nguyen, Rei Odawara |

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 |

Sometimes insights come from unexpected sources. Ever since returning to Mongolia some months ago I have, naturally, been observing how things have changed since I last lived here in 1990s. Many…

Jim Anderson |