Academic research is a major source of insights from data. These insights can be critical in helping policymakers manage public resources, formulate policies, and help the public understand the world around them. However, academic research is not evenly distributed across countries. As previous research has shown, wealthier countries are more likely to be studied by academics.
The World Bank is a major source of academic research. Policy Research Working Papers (PRWPs) are a key output of the World Bank. These papers aim to provide insights to policymakers in World Bank client countries, which are mostly low- and middle-income countries. How do these World Bank publications fare in terms of filling gaps in empirical academic research for World Bank clients?
To examine this, we build on the approach of Stacy, Kitzmüller, Wang, Mahler, & Serajuddin (2024) to classify empirical academic articles based on data use. We compare the number of empirical academic articles and World Bank policy research working papers by country.
What did we find? Scroll below to learn more.
Do PRWPs fill gaps in empirical research for World Bank clients? To some extent yes!
By focusing more on low- and middle-income countries, PRWPs help fill critical gaps left by other empirical studies. However, while they contribute to a more equitable distribution of research, the challenge of fully correcting the skew towards wealthier countries remains. A lack of high quality, timely, and open data sources is major issue in several low- and middle-income countries. The continued production and dissemination of PRWPs are vital steps toward a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of global development issues.
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