A new paper that synthesizes over 300 studies over 40 years is one of the most significant attempts to date to understand the impact of infrastructure on development outcomes. With some caveats,…

Maria Vagliasindi, Nisan Gorgulu |

More than ever, governments need to tap private sector expertise and financing for deploying battery energy storage systems (BESS). A new report provides insights on their merits and…

Ludovic Delplanque, Kwawu Mensan Gaba |

Energy subsidies are proliferating as governments try to shield consumers from rising and volatile energy prices — but these come with significant risks.

Defne Gencer, Elcin Akcura |

If you paid some of the highest electricity tariffs in the world, you would expect some of the most reliable electricity services. Unfortunately, this logic does not hold in West Africa, where…

Mustafa Zakir Hussain |

As the region recovers from the economic downturn, it is important that governments make their recovery 'green'.

Lia Sieghart, Martin Heger |

It is well established in the economic literature that it’s the rich who benefit from the lion’s share of energy subsidies. Yet, it is often the poor and vulnerable who protest loudly against…

Guillermo Beylis, Barbara Cunha |

Some months ago, during a visit to one of the Central American countries, while we were on a call with the head of the electricity dispatch center, we noticed by the tone of his voice, that he was…

Mariano González Serrano, Melisa Gaitan Fanconi |

We’re pleased to announce support for 12 projects which seek to improve the way development data are produced, managed, and used. They bring together diverse teams of collaborators from around the…

World Bank Data Team |

Since the presentation of the World Bank’s first Africa Climate Business Plan at the COP 21 in Paris in 2015 and the Transport Chapter in Marrakech in 2016, a lot of progress has been made on…

Tara Shirvani, Andrew Losos, Shomik Mehndiratta |

The markets for rural energy access and internet connectivity are ripe for disruption – and increasingly, we’re seeing benefit from combining the offerings.   Traditionally, power and broadband…

Anna Lerner, Roku Fukui, Doyle Gallegos |