South Asia, battered by three years of upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic and spillovers from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, faces a combination of good and bad news for its economies. On the…

Jiemin Ren, Zoe Leiyu Xie |

Energy Efficiency is Key to Bangladesh’s Clean Energy Transition

Sameh Mobarek, Carlos Lopez |

Investments in the early years have been proven to be among the most cost-effective ways of improving life outcomes and reducing inequality of opportunity. The recently-published Pakistan Human…

Amna Ansari, Amer Hasan |

Pakistan's growing working-age population can become healthier, more educated, more skilled, more productive. A recent study by the World Bank shows that Pakistan’s Human Capital Index (HCI)…

Lire Ersado, Koen Geven, Amer Hasan |

The World Bank's recent Human Capital Review highlights that quality education for all children in Pakistan will require a different approach and substantial financial efforts, estimated to…

Juan Baron, May Bend |

Strengthening Community Clinics to improve nutrition outcomes in Bangladesh

Wameq Azfar Raza, Deepika Chaudhery, Deepali Hariprasad |

In the summer of 2022, unusually intense monsoon rains – exacerbated by climate change - caused a super flood that submerged one-third of Pakistan, affecting some 33 million people. While all four…

Anne T. Kuriakose, Thomas Kerr |

In Pakistan, a country with one of the largest gender gaps in the world, women are bringing change to the emergency rescue service.

Farah Yamin Khan, Yoko Okura |

As the dust settles on the road to the Dawki Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Meghalaya, near the India-Bangladesh border, a winding queue of some 750 trucks can be seen lined up on the side. The…

Cecile Fruman |

Even though migration is critical to South Asia’s recovery and resilience to future shocks, the region faces several barriers in labor mobility, with high costs and frictions in credit and labor…

S. Amer Ahmed, Jean Nahrae Lee, Moritz Meyer |