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FY 2024 Lao PDR Country Opinion Survey Report
Get PDFThe Country Opinion Survey in Laos
People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) assists the World Bank
Group (WBG) in better understanding how stakeholders in Laos
PDR perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic
feedback from national and local governments, multilateral
and bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector,
and civil society in Laos PDR on: (1) their views regarding
the general environment in Laos PDR; (2) their overall
attitudes toward the WBG in Laos PDR; (3) overall
impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results,
knowledge work and activities, and communication and
information sharing in Laos PDR; and (4) their perceptions
of the WBG’s future role in Laos PDR
The Temptation of Social Networks under Job Search Frictions
Get PDFThis paper presents descriptive
evidence that although social networks help find jobs, the
jobs found through social networks tend to be mismatched.
The paper uses nationally representative matched
employer-employee data in Bangladesh that includes direct
measures of match quality. Less educated and seemingly
poorer workers are more likely to have found their jobs
through social networks. Compared to workers at the same
occupation level in the same firm who were matched through
formal channels, those matched through social networks found
their jobs quicker but had lower match quality and earned
less. The mechanism, suggested by a theoretical model, is as
follows: even when social networks are connected to
mismatched jobs, workers can be tempted to use social
networks to find mismatched jobs for fear of finding
nothing. This temptation is more potent for less skilled and
poorer workers because costly formal channels are less
rewarding and affordable for them
Tackling Urban Heat for a More Livable City
Get PDFIn 2024, global temperatures reached record highs multiple times, highlighting the growing severity of extreme heat and the widespread implications. By 2050, Bangkok, already prone to high temperatures, can see extreme heat risks to health, productivity, economic growth, and infrastructure. The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect exacerbates these challenges, making some districts, including those with high concentrations of vulnerable populations, significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas. This report, developed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), in partnership with the World Bank, examines the growing threat of extreme urban heat in Bangkok, long-term trajectories, and potential impacts. It also quantifies the health, economic, and infrastructure costs associated with rising temperatures and explores targeted interventions and strategic reforms - particularly for the city’s most vulnerable communities
Growing to High Income in Europe and Central Asia
Get PDFTwenty-seven countries have reached high-income status since 1990. Ten of these are in the Europe and Central Asia region and have joined the European Union. Another 20 in the region have become more prosperous since the 1990s. However, their transition to high-income status has been delayed. These middle-income countries have found that the prospects for growth to high-income status have become even more difficult since the 2007–09 global financial crisis. This reflects partly a slowdown in structural reforms at home and partly the challenges associated with a deterioration in the global environment.
The concern has emerged that many countries in the region may be caught in the middle-income trap, a phase in development characterized by a recurring deceleration in growth and by per capita incomes that are systematically below the high-income threshold.
To ensure that these countries overcome the obstacles to growth and achieve progress toward high-income status, policy makers need to make the transition from a strategy driven largely by investment to a strategy that is supported by the importation and diffusion of global capital, knowledge, and technology and then to a strategy that complements these with innovation.
The report Greater Heights: Growing to High Income in Europe and Central Asia relies on the 3i strategy described in World Development Report 2024—investment, infusion, and innovation—to propose policy options to assist middle-income countries in Europe and Central Asia in the effort to reach high-income status. Drawing on comprehensive empirical analysis, the report offers actionable recommendations that will enable policy makers to advance stronger economic growth across the region. Such a transition will require continued and sustained foundational reform to maximize the drivers of economic growth while pivoting to new transformative reforms to promote the development of more complex economic structures and institutions. These involve the need to discipline incumbents, boost the role of the private sector, strengthen the competitive environment, and reward merit. The emphasis on a strategy driven by innovation is also critically important for those countries that have already attained high-income status
A Simple Approach to Identifying Global and Local Overperformers in AI Preparedness
No full textThis paper examines global
disparities in artificial intelligence preparedness, using
the 2023 Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index
developed by the International Monetary Fund alongside the
multidimensional Economic Complexity Index. The proposed
methodology identifies both global and local overperformers
by comparing actual artificial intelligence readiness scores
to predictions based on economic complexity, offering a
comprehensive assessment of national artificial intelligence
capabilities. The findings highlight the varying
significance of regulation and ethics frameworks, digital
infrastructure, as well as human capital and labor market
development in driving artificial intelligence
overperformance across different income levels. Through case
studies, including Singapore, Northern Europe, Malaysia,
Kazakhstan, Ghana, Rwanda, and emerging demographic giants
like China and India, the analysis illustrates how even
resource-constrained nations can achieve substantial
artificial intelligence advancements through strategic
investments and coherent policies. The study underscores the
need for offering actionable insights to foster peer
learning and knowledge-sharing among countries. It concludes
with recommendations for improving artificial intelligence
preparedness metrics and calls for future research to
incorporate cognitive and cultural dimensions into readiness frameworks
Will Viet Nam Meet the SDGs for Equitable Development?
No full textViet Nam is widely regarded as a
success story for its impressive economic growth and poverty
reduction in the last few decades. Yet, recent evidence
indicates that the country’s economic growth has not been
uniform. Compiling and analyzing new, extensive
province-level data from the Vietnam Household Living
Standards Surveys spanning 2002 to 2020 and other data
sources, this paper finds within-province inequality to be
much larger than between-province inequality. Furthermore,
this inequality gap has been rising over time. Despite the
country’s fast poverty reduction, the poor were increasingly
segregated in certain provinces, particularly those with a
larger ethnic minority population. The analysis finds a
beneficial impact of economic growth on poverty reduction,
but this can depend on inequality levels. It also finds that
greater inequality has had negative effects on economic
growth but varying negative effects on different poverty
indicators. The paper provides supportive evidence of the
beneficial impact of economic transitions from agriculture
to non-agriculture. The results suggest that policy makers
in Viet Nam should focus on reducing spatial disparities and
income inequality to attain sustainable economic development
Libérer le potentiel des solutions fondées sur la nature pour la résilience climatique en Afrique subsaharienne
No full textThis report aims to identify strategic actions to increase investment in NBS for climate resilience in SSA by evaluating over a decade of NBS project investment and assessing a range of policy, financial, institutional, social, and technical barriers to adoption. We examined historical and
projected data for climate hazards in the region to provide background on the challenges SSA faces. To establish a baseline of the status of NBS in the region and evaluate the types of projects being implemented, this report presents an inventory of NBS projects from across the region that were initiated between 2012 and 2023. In addition, we conducted over 50 interviews
with project developers, funders, and investors of NBS projects in SSA to gain insights on the key barriers to NBS project investment and implementation. This report synthesizes results from
the analysis and interviews to offer targeted recommendations for how actors such as governments and multilateral organizations can effectively scale up NBS in the region.Ce rapport vise à identifier des actions stratégiques pour augmenter les investissements dans les SfN pour la résilience climatique en Afrique subsaharienne en évaluant plus d’une décennie d’investissement dans les projets des SfN et en évaluant une série d’obstacles politiques, financiers, institutionnels, sociaux et techniques à l’adoption. Nous avons examiné les données historiques et
des données prévisionnelles sur les risques climatiques dans la région afin de fournir des informations générales sur les défis auxquels la SSA est confrontée. Afin d’établir une base de référence de l’état des SfN dans la région et d’évaluer les types de projets mis en œuvre, ce rapport présente un inventaire des projets des SfN de toute la région qui ont été lancés entre 2012 et 2023. De plus, nous avons mené plus de 50 entrevues
avec les développeurs de projets, les bailleurs de fonds et les investisseurs des projets NBS en Afrique subsaharienne afin d’obtenir des informations sur les principaux obstacles à l’investissement et à la mise en œuvre des projets NBS. Ce rapport synthétise les résultats de
l’analyse et les entretiens afin de proposer des recommandations ciblées sur la manière dont des acteurs tels que les gouvernements et les organisations multilatérales peuvent efficacement étendre les SfN dans la région
Leveraging Maturing Technologies for Health Financing Needs in East and Southern Africa
No full textThis report explores the potential of
maturing technologies to address specific health financing
challenges in East and Southern Africa. To the extent
possible, it draws on examples from countries in the region
and shows how some technologies have been used in
other sectors that could inform similar application to health
financing challenges. The report discusses benefits,
drawbacks, risks, and costs of the various options and
emphasizes that these need to be balanced when exploring the
introduction of any such tools
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) 2026-2030 Strategy: Driving Measurable Change to Enhance Disaster and Climate Resilience
Get PDFDisaster risk management (DRM) plays a critical role in protecting livelihoods and economies from the adverse impacts of disaster and climate-related shocks, while enabling inclusive and sustained growth. The frequency and severity of disasters is rising, driven by the combined pressures of climate change, unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation, and persistent inequality. Vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected, and economic losses are escalating - pushing millions into poverty and reversing development gains. By reducing vulnerability to these shocks, DRM makes assets and investments more secure, and catalyzes investment, jobs, and growth. By 2030, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) aims to be recognized as a key driver of measurable disaster and climate resilience outcomes in developing countries. Building on nearly two decades of experience, our ambition is to ensure that GFDRR’s grant financing consistently supports scaled-up investments, stronger institutions, and tangible benefits for people, including improved safety, more resilient livelihoods, and better-protected infrastructure. This strategy sets out GFDRR’s approach and structure to achieve this ambition, grounded in a demand driven model that links the country’s needs with technical expertise, financing, and partnerships to deliver impact at scale
Boosting Domestic Revenue Mobilization - To Enhance Service Delivery and Strengthen the Social Contract
Get PDFSomalia continues to make important strides in advancing its economy and institutions. Following the completion of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in 2023 and the accession to the East African Community (EAC) in 2024, Somalia has developed and started the implementation of an ambitious National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2024–2029. The NTP is designed to promote inclusive economic growth and the generation of jobs, strengthen institutions, and support resilience to climate shocks. The NTP is aligned with Somalia’s Centennial Vision 2060, which charts out institutional and socio-economic reforms that would help Somalia become a middle-income country by 2060. The national socio-economic transformation sought by Somalia’s NTP hinges on accelerating domestic revenue mobilization to advance state-building and provide more and better services to Somali citizens. Boosting domestic revenue is essential to improve the social contract between the government and Somali citizens across the country, invest in human capital development and infrastructure in support of long-term growth, and reduce reliance on foreign aid. Recent efforts show potential for increasing revenue, but sustained reforms in tax administration, customs, and fiscal federalism are needed. In this context, Somalia’s economic prospects are showing signs of improvement, despite the pace of growth remaining modest. Specifically, the economy is experiencing a rebound, inflationary pressures have diminished, and fiscal performance has shown progress. The outlook remains positive, with expectations for continuing economic growth, though at a moderate rate. However, despite Somalia’s strides towards recovery, there are significant risks to the outlook, including uncertain aid flows, climate vulnerabilities, and political and security threats. The 10th edition of the World Bank’s Somalia Economic Update (SEU) assesses key economic developments, prospects, and policies in Somalia. It looks at recent macroeconomic and poverty developments and assesses the risks and opportunities for the medium-term growth outlook. In its special topic, it focuses on policies for domestic revenue mobilization. The SEU is intended for a wide audience including policy makers, business leaders, the community of analysts and professionals engaged in economic debate, and the public. This SEU tackles the Domestic Revenues Mobilization challenges to Enhance Service Delivery and Strengthen the Social Contract. It emphasizes the importance of boosting domestic revenue collection for fostering sustained and long-term growth and proposes directions for reforms. Key policy recommendations include strengthening domestic revenue mobilization efforts to increase the revenue-to-GDP ratio by 2030 through expanding the tax base, modernizing collection of taxes and customs revenue, finalizing the fiscal federalism framework, and coordinating effectively Official Development Assistance (ODA). Additionally, enhancing public service delivery will play a critical role in reinforcing the social contract and supporting Somalia’s strategic vision for growth and stability