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Guidance Note on Designing and Implementing Early Childhood Parenting Programs
Get PDFEvidence-based parenting programs are interventions aimed at improving behaviors, parental practices, skills, and knowledge to promote healthy child development,
through support and education from professionals or paraprofessionals working directly with the child’s caregiver. The objective of this guidance note is to provide
digestible information about parenting programs to World Bank teams and government partners so they may optimize the design and implementation of parenting programs. The main aim is to make this guidance note relevant to any sector, such as education, health, and social protection. Although the primary target audiences are World Bank teams and government partners, we hope other practitioners will find this guidance note useful as well
Accélérer les Gains de Productivité pour une Croissance Diversifiée et Résiliente
Get PDFAlgeria’s economic growth remained robust in 2024 but is expected to slow moderately in 2025. Strong investment momentum and robust growth in household consumption, both fueled by government spending, supported manufacturing and services activity, while agricultural production accelerated. However, growth in domestic demand boosted imports, which, combined with lower hydrocarbon production and exports, weighed on growth. Overall, non-hydrocarbon GDP grew at a pace of 4.8 percent, offsetting the 1.4 percent contraction in GDP from hydrocarbons. Real GDP growth is projected at 3.3 percent in 2025, driven by the rebound in growth in the hydrocarbon sectors (+1.6 percent), boosted by the recovery of OPEC production quotas and gas production. Non-hydrocarbon growth is expected to slow (+3.6 percent), driven by the expected consolidation of public spending, which would be more marked for investment. Agricultural production is expected to remain robust despite limited rainfall, offsetting the slowdown in industry and services. The analysis of productivity trends in different sectors offers avenues for reflection to accelerate the structural transformation of the Algerian economy. The public-spending-led growth model resulted in important economic and social achievements in the 2000s, before slowing down in the last decade as the pace of spending growth became unsustainable. In doing so, this growth model has steered employment to low-value-added sectors, including non-commercial services and construction. In addition, a comparative analysis of Algerian productivity suggests a heterogeneous performance, with strong momentum in the agricultural sector contrasting with limited gains in the manufacturing sector. Thus, a growth acceleration could be achieved by increasing productivity gains in the manufacturing and services sectors, on the one hand, and a gradual reallocation of employment to high-value-added sectors on the other, combined with a gradual rebalancing of public spending. Such an economic transformation calls for targeted cross-cutting and sectoral policies to support growth and jobs in the private sector, while equipping workers with the necessary skills.La croissance économique de l’Algérie est restée robuste en 2024, mais devrait ralentir modérément en 2025. La forte dynamique des investissements et la forte croissance de la consommation des ménages, toutes deux alimentées par les dépenses publiques, ont soutenu l’activité manufacturière et les services, tandis que la production agricole s’est accélérée. Toutefois, la croissance de la demande intérieure a stimulé les importations, ce qui, combiné à la baisse de la production et des exportations d’hydrocarbures, a pesé sur la croissance. Dans l’ensemble, le PIB hors hydrocarbures a augmenté à un rythme de 4,8 %, compensant la contraction de 1,4 % du PIB due aux hydrocarbures. La croissance du PIB réel devrait s’établir à 3,3 % en 2025, tirée par le rebond de la croissance dans les secteurs des hydrocarbures (+1,6 %), stimulé par le rétablissement des quotas de production de l’OPEP et de la production de gaz. La croissance hors hydrocarbures devrait ralentir (+3,6%), tirée par la consolidation attendue des dépenses publiques, qui serait plus marquée pour les investissements. La production agricole devrait rester robuste malgré une pluviométrie limitée, compensant ainsi le ralentissement des secteurs de l’industrie et des services. L’analyse de l’évolution de la productivité dans les différents secteurs offre des pistes de réflexion pour accélérer la transformation structurelle de l’économie algérienne. Le modèle de croissance tirée par les dépenses publiques a donné lieu à d’importantes avancées économiques et sociales dans les années 2000, avant de ralentir au cours de la dernière décennie lorsque le rythme de croissance des dépenses est devenu insoutenable. Ce faisant, ce modèle de croissance a orienté l’emploi vers des secteurs à faible valeur ajoutée, notamment les services non marchands et la construction. En outre, une analyse comparée de la productivité algérienne indique une performance hétérogène, avec une forte dynamique du secteur agricole contrastant avec des gains limités dans le secteur manufacturier. Ainsi, une accélération de la croissance pourrait être obtenue par l’accroissement des gains de productivité dans les secteurs manufacturier et tertiaire d’une part, et une réallocation progressive de l’emploi vers les secteurs à forte valeur ajoutée d’autre part, combinée à un rééquilibrage progressif des dépenses publiques. Une telle transformation économique appelle des politiques transversales et sectorielles ciblées pour soutenir la croissance et l’emploi dans le secteur privé, tout en dotant les travailleurs des compétences nécessaires
Soaring Food Prices Threaten Recent Economic Gains in the EU
Get PDFThe surge in food prices following the 2021 economic rebound has become a significant concern for households, particularly low-income ones, in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania. Food price inflation, which surpasses general inflation rates, risks worsening poverty and food insecurity in these countries. This paper explores the distributional impacts of rising food prices and the effectiveness of government response measures. Low-income households, who allocate a larger share of their income to food, are disproportionately affected and are struggling to cope with unexpected expenses, leading to increased difficulties in accessing proper nutrition. Simulations indicate that rising food prices contribute to higher poverty rates and greater income inequality, especially among vulnerable populations. They also suggest that the main poverty-targeted social assistance schemes offer critical support for the extreme poor, but expanding both coverage and benefits is vital to shield all at-risk individuals. Targeted policies that balance immediate relief with long-term resilience-building are essential to addressing the challenges posed by escalating food prices
Cautionary Lessons from a Randomized Trial in Ethiopia
Get PDFDigital business training offers flexibility and scalability, but translating these features into tangible benefits for women-led businesses is challenging. Completion rates were much higher for in-person training. While over 75 percent of women started the training in both groups, only 22 percent of app users completed the program, compared to 71 percent of in-person participants. Neither training modality led to measurable improvements in business outcomes. Business survival, revenues, profits, inputs, and practices remained unchanged across both groups. Business knowledge gains were modest and similar for both modalities, even among women who completed the program. The cost advantage of digital training was smaller than expected. Although the average cost per participant was lower for app-based training, the necessity of in-person onboarding to generate initial engagement narrowed the cost differential and raised marginal costs. Standalone training may not be sufficient to improve business performance. Even among women entrepreneurs with growth-oriented intentions, business training alone had no significant effect, suggesting the need for complementary interventions to address other binding constraints. Improving digital training outcomes will require stronger incentives to keep learners engaged. Gamification and tailored support for individuals with low digital literacy may help sustain participation and improve outcomes for e-learning programs
Tajikistan Taking a Socially Inclusive Approach to Climate Change
Get PDFThis report provides a better understanding of ways in which to address the gender and social dimensions of climate change in key sectors of the Tajik economy. It focuses on the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, particularly on women and girls, youth, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. It also includes the subregions most at risk of the social impacts emerging as a result of climate chang
Country Guidance for Navigating Carbon Markets
Get PDFAs a follow-up to the "Navigating Decisions in Carbon Markets" framework, this Guidance Document helps host countries develop a strategic approach for engaging with international carbon markets. It is structured into seven modules and is designed to help countries explore and answer fundamental questions on their participation in international carbon markets. It aims to help countries unlock the potential these markets offer to mobilize financing to support climate and wider developmental objectives, while managing risks. It identifies options, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and supports informed decision making.
The Guidance also aims to address fragmentation in the capacity building landscape and was co-developed with the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)
Building and Managing Local Databases from Google Earth Engine with the geeLite R Package
Get PDFGoogle Earth Engine has transformed geospatial analysis by providing access to petabytes of satellite imagery and geospatial data, coupled with the substantial computational power required for in-depth analysis. This accessibility empowers scientists, researchers, and non-experts alike to address critical global challenges on an unprecedented scale. In recent years, numerous R packages have emerged to leverage Google Earth Engine’s functionalities. However, constructing and managing complex spatio-temporal databases for monitoring changes in remotely sensed data remains a challenging task that often necessitates advanced coding skills. To bridge this gap, geeLite, a novel R package, is introduced to facilitate the construction, management, and updating of local databases for Google Earth Engine-computed geospatial features, which enables users to monitor their evolution over time. By storing geospatial features in SQLite format—a serverless and self-contained database solution requiring no additional setup or administration—geeLite simplifies the data collection process. Furthermore, it streamlines the conversion of stored data into native R formats and provides functions for aggregating and processing created databases to meet specific user needs
Evidence from Venezuelan Health Professionals in Peru
Get PDFIn 2020, amidst the COVID-19 crisis, the Peruvian government implemented a policy recognizing the foreign medical qualifications of immigrant health care workers. This study analyzes the labor market performance of Venezuelan health professionals with respect to other Venezuelans with university-level qualifications between 2018 and 2022. The findings show that health professionals experienced a marked improvement in their wages, significantly outperforming their fellow immigrants in sectors such as law and education. The analysis finds that compared to native Peruvian health professionals, Venezuelan health professionals experienced the highest positive impact on their income of all university-level professionals. However, although the effect is robust and statistically significant in the full sample and preferred specifications, it is not significant under alternative sampling restrictions. The study argues that the increased income of Venezuelan health professionals is related to the effectiveness of credential recognition policies in boosting the earnings of immigrants
Anatomy of Stagnation: A Status Report on Labor Markets, Firm Dynamics, and Macroeconomic Trends in the West Bank and Gaza - Summary Report
Get PDFThis report aims to offer a timely and comprehensive diagnostic of growth and labor patterns in the Palestinian economy. Drawing from a rich blend of data, including satellite-based nightlight imagery, mobile phone usage patterns, firm- and household-level surveys, and traditional macroeconomic indicators, it examines the underlying anatomy of economic stagnation in the Palestinian territories, posing a central question: why does the Palestinian economy remain persistently fragile, and what can be done to shift its growth trajectory? While the study explores a range of structural and institutional factors, it also acknowledges the overarching impact of longstanding conflict, the occupation, and movement restrictions, which have shaped and continue to shape the economic landscape in profound ways. Ultimately, the findings point to the significant untapped potential that could be unlocked in a stable and peaceful environment, offering a glimpse of what could be possible should conditions on the ground improve
Martin Ravallion: Measuring Poverty, Shaping Policy
Get PDFThis special issue celebrates the remarkable contributions of Martin Ravallion to the field of development economics, and especially his lasting impact on the Development Research Group at the World Bank. The papers featured here were selected from an open call for a conference held in Martin’s honor, co-hosted by Georgetown University and the World Bank, as well as from a symposium organized by Monash University and the Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies. Martin was one of the most influential development economists of his generation. Over more than four decades, he transformed the way poverty is measured, understood, and addressed. His research brought together methodological rigor, deep empirical insight, and a profound moral commitment to improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. His work shaped academic debates, informed global policy, and laid the empirical foundations for poverty-reduction strategies across the globe