With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), world leaders made a bold pledge in 2015 to leave no one behind on the path of development by 2030. Half-way to the target date, some 22 countries…

Samuel Kofi Tetteh Baah, Christoph Lakner, Umar Serajuddin |

Despite Panama's significant achievements, the country grapples with income inequality, ranking third in the region. This inequality is partly rooted in an uneven labor market, where jobs are…

Kiyomi Cadena, Joelle Dehasse, Javier Romero Haaker |

Whenever the share of industry in the economy starts waning, industrial expansion often becomes a component of the growth policies. This blog analyzes if and how targeting labor market barriers…

Rishabh Sinha |

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the declaration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – a day devoted to reaffirming our commitment and shared responsibility to end…

Andrei Mikhnev, Ikuko Uochi, Lydia (Ypsse) Kim |

The World Bank updated its global poverty lines last month and the number of poor is now significantly different in certain countries and regions. For the EAP region, this changes our view of the…

Rinku Murgai, Hassan Zaman |

Why are fertilizer prices so high, and what can countries in Central America do about this?

Luis Flores, Viviana Perego, Diego Arias |

Building capacity to collect taxes efficiently and equitably is an important policy goal for governments. Still, Liberia, like many low- and lower-middle-income countries, faces serious challenges…

Oyebola Okunogbe, Yahe Li |

Central America and the Dominican Republic have a good track record of economic growth. Between 1991 and 2019, Central America grew by an average of 4.5% per year, and the Dominican Republic by an…

Michel Kerf |

For people in the developed world, a mortgage is a step toward owning a home. In developing countries, that dream is often elusive—especially for women.

Georgina Baker |

According to a Pan American Health Organization assessment, nearly seven out of 10 hospitals in Latin America and the Caribbean are in areas vulnerable to natural hazards.

Mirtha Escobar, Joaquin Toro, Jack Campbell |