While MENA has made strides in improving women and girls’ health, much more needs to be done. Understanding the impact of conflict on women and girls is critical for designing both preventive…

Fadia Saadah, Sameera Al Tuwaijri |

Cash transfers can effectively mitigate the impacts of energy subsidy reforms on vulnerable households. Our report explores successful experiences from various countries, providing insights into…

Anit Mukherjee, Defne Gencer, Mohamed Almenfi, Ugo Gentilini, Yuko Okamura |

Most workers in developing countries are in informal employment-- that is, a job that does not come with social security benefits and leaving them with limited means to manage risks to their…

Nadir Mohammed, Roberta Gatti, Marco Ranzani, Gladys Lopez-Acevedo, Nistha Sinha, Adam Elsheikhi |

Of the region’s 450 million people, nearly two-thirds, almost 300 million people, are under the age of 35. Unfortunately, this vast human resource is highly “untapped,” and nearly 80 percent of…

Anna Bjerde |

View from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic / World Bank Published in digital portal El Dinero In the past, a company in the Dominican Republic facing financial difficulties, such as falling…

Andrés F. Martínez, Annabel González |

It takes a lot to do a first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) well. In the past 12 months, we witnessed the successful financial close of two landmark PPPs: the Tibar Bay Port PPP—a first for…

Jemima Sy |

Aracelis owns a hair salon in Santo Domingo. Like all the other owners of the nearly 20, 000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Dominican Republic, she dreams about making her…

John Martin Wilson, Annabel González |

As recently as 2006, Timor-Leste was in crisis. Only a few years into independence, the country was torn by riots and political turmoil. Not surprisingly, its business climate was one of the…

Christopher Bleakley |

Results-based financing can force conversation to focus on developing a theory of change that starts with results. (Photo: Minna Mattero / World Bank) We just got back from Nepal to see how…

Jessica Lee, Peter Holland |

Also available in: Arabic | French National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Gulf banking markets may have entered an important phase of consolidation, with the potential to…

Pietro Calice |