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Inclusive Education
No full textThe World Bank commits to removing barriers to inclusive education so that the right to education may be upheld for all children and youth, including learners from poorer households and/or rural and remote communities, persons with disabilities, ethnic- and linguistic minorities, Indigenous Peoples, refugees, sexual orientation and gender minorities, and other marginalized and/or vulnerable groups
Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Kenya
No full textKenya is at a pivotal moment in advancing prosperity for adolescent girls. With a solid educational base already established, the country has a unique chance to broaden its efforts toward comprehensive empowerment by addressing both economic and social dimensions. Prioritizing school-to-work transitions, digital inclusion, effective policy implementation, and context-specific strategies can help unlock the full potential of adolescent girls. These efforts are essential not only to reduce disparities across geographic, gender, and socioeconomic lines but also to generate significant economic returns that benefit the nation as a whole. Achieving this vision requires coordinated, multi-sectoral action tailored to Kenya’s diverse contexts, with a strong focus on reaching the most vulnerable populations
A Roadmap
No full textZambia aspires to be a prosperous middle-income country by 2030. To that end, the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) has set out an aggressive economic diversification and industrialization agenda driven by the agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and tourism sectors. With regards to mining, Zambia recognizes that it has a unique window of opportunity to leverage its endowments in energy transition minerals (ETM) to transform its economy in an inclusive and sustainable manner. The GRZ has set ambitious targets and is undertaking several actions to realize them. This roadmap, requested by the government and prepared jointly with government counterparts, provides a deliberate, whole-of government approach and an integrated strategy for leveraging Zambia’s ETM resources for economic transformation, focusing on maximizing the generation, sharing, and management of benefits and minimizing risks. The roadmap highlights the primary opportunities and constraints along the main segments of the ETM value chain and provides a menu of policy recommendations to address these challenges, along with proposals for implementing the roadmap
Evidence from Eastern India
No full textAs with most agricultural inputs, the optimal use of fertilizer leverages the production complementarities between different types of nutrients. Wide variation in the intensity of nutrient application rates suggests there are potentially large productivity gains to be had from rebalancing fertilizer use across nutrient types even under a fixed expenditure budget. Using detailed information on a large sample of rice fields across three states in eastern India, this paper investigates whether a more balanced use of fertilizer—measured as the ratio of potash to nitrogen applied to a field—can lead to higher yields and revenues. To address the endogeneity of fertilizer application decisions, the analysis exploits the fact that nitrogen-based fertilizers demanded by Indian farmers are mostly produced domestically in a limited number of manufacturing plants, while all potash-based fertilizers must be imported by ship from abroad. Instrumenting for the ratio of potassium-to-nitrogen fertilizer applied on a field with the relative travel distances between farmers’ villages and both the nearest urea production plant and the nearest international port, the paper estimates the impact of more balanced fertilizer use on yields and revenues. The estimates show that at median levels of fertilizer use, and keeping the level of expenditure on fertilizers constant, rebalancing fertilizer application choices such that the potassium-to-nitrogen ratio of fertilizer is doubled would lead to a 4.8 percent increase in yield
Country Program Evaluation
No full textThis Country Program Evaluation assesses the performance and effectiveness of the World Bank Group’s support to Georgia in achieving the country’s development objectives. In the decade leading up to the evaluation period, Georgia pursued economic reforms to attract critical investments for becoming a regional trade and transport hub. Ambitious economic reforms went hand in hand with efforts to improve human development and strengthening social protection systems. Growing geopolitical tensions and internal political polarization have challenged Georgia’s reform progress in recent years. The Bank Group’s strategy adapted well to Georgia’s development needs and was well coordinated with other development partners. It successfully employed a range of instruments to help increase competitiveness, growth, and job creation, and effectively contributed to improved infrastructure and increased trade by using programmatic and innovative approaches. The Bank Group’s regular investments in analytical work and the switch to results-based programmatic support helped improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education and health care systems. The IEG offers the following lessons based on the evidence and analysis in the Country Program Evaluation: (i) Prioritizing Bank Group support around the move towards deeper regional integration was an effective anchor for key economic reforms for economic convergence. (ii) Pursuing a selective and adaptive approach in a country with high implementation capacity and institutions, strong coordination among development partners, and access to a wide range of external resources can allow the Bank Group to exercise significant influence in areas of comparative advantage and global expertise. (iii) A stronger focus on outcome-based programmatic approaches helped to build local capacity and crowd-in partner financing
Fostering Private Sector Led Growth and Global Integration
No full textUzbekistan’s economic story over the past seven years is a captivating one of transition and reform; however, the country is not yet enjoying the full economic returns from these efforts. This report shows how to spur faster growth by improving the functioning of domestic markets and their integration into international markets. At its core, Uzbekistan’s economic success needs to have a vital, dynamic, and growing private sector that creates jobs and forges new economic opportunities. Two conditions are essential for this private sector development. Firstly, integration of domestic markets results when government policies and interventions in factor markets, product markets, and public infrastructure are considered crucial for this integration. Such policies determine a firm’s production choices - what, how, and where to produce, and the distribution of goods within the country. These government actions should be carefully designed to facilitate the efficient allocation of resources across firms and sectors, and the flow of goods nationwide. Secondly, integration with external markets comes when trade barriers are lowered and costs minimized so that domestic firms can derive multiple benefits from this greater external market access. Newly opened export markets can offer huge potential to expand while lowering costs through economies of scale. Access to a broader range of low-cost, quality inputs can enable higher value and more competitive firms to operate, while competition from abroad will further boost the forces of private sector dynamism and innovation
A Proposal for Reforming and Upgrading Kiribati’s Coconut Industry
No full textThis policy report studies Kiribati’s coconut sector, and proposes ways to remove distortions, increase efficiency, and encourage diversification. It does this while taking into account the coconut sector’s economic, social, and cultural significance. The report targets Kiribati’s Ministries, World Bank Group management, and other agencies, and is part of a larger World Bank initiative on economic diversification and social protection in Kiribati. The report is a high-level review of potential socio-economic development models and private sector opportunities for Kiribati’s consideration. It offers a rapid assessment of Kiribati’s coconut industry and the fiscal and economic effects that it has on the country. The study was prepared in a short time through desk research, so in-country stakeholder consultations were limited given the preliminary nature of the exercise. It largely utilizes qualitative assessments, which are particularly useful in data-scarce environments, such as Kiribati. It backs them with statistics where available. Owing to its qualitative and rapid nature, it is not a concrete guide for public investment nor a guarantee for securing private sector investment. Its findings are intended as background for discussion with the aim of prioritizing a shared assessment of reform that will be further researched in due course
Fostering Engagement Between Statutory Courts and Customary Law Systems
No full textThis Brief examines the complex relationship between statutory courts and
customary law systems, highlighting the historical context that fostered legal
pluralism in many countries. It argues that attempts to replace customary
practices with uniform legal frameworks have largely failed, suggesting instead
that a harmonious coexistence of these systems can enhance access to justice and
fairness. The Brief identifies practical mechanisms for engagement, emphasizing
the need for context-sensitive approaches that recognize the ingrained nature
of customary systems, especially in regions where they are preferred for their
accessibility and cultural relevance. The Brief highlights several factors that should
be considered when designing engagement, including state recognition; jurisdiction;
articulation and documentation of customary law; referral pathways; appeal
pathways; and oversight and accountability. The Brief also explores strategies
for addressing harmful practices, as customary justice systems can incur human
rights violations, including discrimination against women and marginalized groups,
denial of fair trial rights, and the enforcement of harmful traditional punishments
People-First Housing - A Roadmap from Homes to Jobs to Prosperity in Indonesia
No full textIndonesia’s economy remains resilient amid worsening global conditions. GDP grew at 4.9 percent year-on-year (yoy) in Q1-2025, slightly lower than previous post-pandemic quarters. Domestic demand was impacted by reduced government consumption and lower investment. Budget efficiency measures led to a contraction in public consumption, while investment in the construction and manufacturing sectors dipped due to investors’ concerns over domestic and global policy uncertainty. Meanwhile, declining commodity prices worsened Indonesia’s terms of trade. The supply side showed notable contributions from the agriculture and services sectors. Businesses and households are adjusting to economic uncertainty, but weak consumption of middle-class households has been persistent since the pandemic. The GOI structural reform agenda could accelerate growth further. In response to rising global policy uncertainty, the GOI devised a program of deregulation including reforms to the business environment and licensing, investment liberalization, trade and logistics reforms, and digital services. These reforms complement other reforms currently in play, like those related to financial sector deepening, and accompany the demand stimulus that the GOI is targeting through its priority programs. If implemented, these reforms could gradually expand the economy’s capacity, unlock further FDI, boost investment returns, and ensure productivity gains. The report suggests that this will translate into better job creation and raise GDP growth to 5.3-5.5 percent in 2026-2027. This report identifies the necessary steps to reach the target of providing 3 million housing units each year. In short, to meet the housing target and supercharge current efforts, the government needs to act as both a housing provider and a housing facilitator: instituting housing regulation reforms, accelerating public-funded housing programs, and creating an enabling environment that attracts private investment in Indonesia. Directly, 3.8 billion dollars in annual public investments can create an estimated 2.3 million jobs and mobilize 2.8 billion dollars in private capital. Reforms can create an enabling environment for housing investments and indirectly help multiply this impact
COVID-19 G2P Cash-Transfer Payments Country Brief: Peru
No full textSince its creation in 2011, the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) has been the governing body of social protection in Peru, with responsibility for the three largest conditional transfer programs. The largest program, JUNTOS, reaches around 724,000 households in poverty and vulnerable conditions, providing a bi-monthly transfer of approximately 57 dollars. Over 80 percent of JUNTOS beneficiaries receive the cash transfer in their Banco de la Nacion (BN) savings account. JUNTOS beneficiaries receiving account-based transfers all own a debit card, which can be used at BN ATMs and BN banking agents. Peru declared a State of Emergency on March 16th, 2020, initiating a 14-day quarantine period and taking different measures to resolve the health response and, in turn, reduce the impact on the economy, especially in the vulnerable households. Other measures have been adopted as part of the State of National Emergency. An exceptional withdrawal of funds in the Private Pension System has been declared. Employees with suspension of work and those who have not contributed over the past 6 consecutive months are allowed to withdraw their funds up to 567 dollars, in 2 periods. In addition, the government has authorized the withdrawal of up to 680 dollars from the CTS accounts (Compensacion por Tiempo de Servicios), which is a fund to protect the employee when they are unemployed. For dependent employees who earn up to 425 dollars monthly, they will receive a subsidy equivalent to 35 percent of their salaries. Finally, the government has approved a subsidy of 215 dollars targeting 1 million households in a vulnerable situation and living in rural areas