Rising debt and record-high commodity prices are tempting many developing countries to pledge their natural resources to secure the financing they so urgently need. They should tread carefully: a…

Marcello Estevão, Diego Rivetti, David Mihalyi |

From public transit quality to land use patterns, there are many factors that may impact people's ability to access essential services like healthcare or education. A new World Bank study…

Aiga Stokenberga, Karla Dominguez Gonzalez |

Globally, 56 percent of children live in countries with Human Capital Index (HCI) scores below 0.5. As these countries gear up to improve their human capital outcomes, it is vital to set a target…

Zelalem Yilma Debebe |

Zimbabwe is not known as an economic dynamo in Africa.  In fact, most people who know anything about the country probably have the opposite impression.  Yet not so long ago, Zimbabwe was the bread…

Simon Bell, Crispen Mawadza |

Those who have tried toilet training a pet dog or cat know that it is a difficult proposition. How about toilet training a flock of 30 chickens? “Why would I want to?” Because in poor countries,…

Derek Headey |

At this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, leaders are not hiding their concerns about the commodities downturn. Government representatives express their…

Paulo de Sa |

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 |

It seems that everyone is talking about inequality these days, and I, for one, am happy to see this issue at the forefront in the development discussion. We can look at inequality in a number of…

Ana Revenga |