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The Global Gender Distortions Index (GGDI)
Get PDFThe extent to which women participate in the labor market varies greatly across the globe. If such differences reflect distortions that women face in accessing good jobs, they can reduce economic activity through a misallocation of talent. This paper builds on Hsieh et al. (2019) to provide a methodology to quantify these productivity consequences. The index proposed, the “Global Gender Distortions Index (GGDI)”, measures the losses in aggregate productivity that gender-based misallocation imposes. The index allows for separate identification of labor demand distortions (e.g., discrimination in hiring for formal jobs) from labor supply distortions (e.g., frictions that discourage women’s labor force participation) and can be computed using data on labor income and job types. The methodology also highlights an important distinction between welfare-relevant misallocation and the consequences on aggregate GDP if misallocation arises between market work and non-market activities. To showcase the versatility of the index, the analysis examines gender misallocation within countries over time, across countries over the development spectrum, and across local labor markets within countries. The findings indicate that misallocation is substantial and that demand distortions account for most of the productivity losses
Armenia's Economic Pulse, Fall 2025: Fairer Markets for Inclusive Growth
Get PDFThis Country Economic Update (CEU) is the first in a regular series of reports dedicated to monitoring socioeconomic developments and to fostering informed dialogue on economic policies and prospects. Armenia CEUs aim to offer regular, comprehensive, and concise analysis of recent economic developments and the country’s economic outlook, together with discussion on selected, critical structural challenges that require attention by policy makers. The 2025 CEU update comes at a pivotal moment for Armenia. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, the country has experienced rapid growth yet is still faced with structural challenges such as limited economic diversification heightening exposure to shocks; limited competition, stifling innovation; and declining investment. All demand bold policy action. This report highlights Armenia’s resilience and potential––and offers actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in an effort to foster inclusive growth and address barriers to competition
Good Practices for National Development Bank: Guidance Note for the Western Balkans
No full textNational Development Banks (NDBs) are specialized financial institutions established with a public policy-oriented mandate to fill financing gaps in new or strategic sectors and support economic and social development. Their development-oriented mandate, long-term liabilities, and ability to borrow from international markets are key features enabling them to provide long-term, affordable capital. NDBs are typically owned by national governments or state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which hold all or most of the shares. The shares not held by the government are usually owned by development partners and, in some cases, private firms. There are very few privately owned NDBs. This note outlines strategies and frameworks for the effective operation of National Development Banks (NDBs). The note emphasizes the critical role these institutions can play in addressing financing gaps and supporting economic development when aligned with international best practices. These best practices include a clear mandate, sound corporate governance, appropriate instruments and funding structures, robust risk management, and strong legal and regulatory frameworks
Paraguay: Country Private Sector Diagnostic
No full textThe revised Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) reports seek to unlock private sector–led growth and investment. Prepared jointly by the institutions of the
World Bank Group, each report discusses the overall business environment within a country and provides an analysis of specific sectors in which private sector
investment could accelerate growth, if appropriate policy and regulatory issues are addressed.La nueva versión de los diagnósticos del sector privado de los países tiene como objetivo promover el crecimiento y la inversión impulsados por el sector
privado. En cada uno de los informes, preparados de manera conjunta por las instituciones del Grupo Banco Mundial, se examina el entorno empresarial general de
un país y se ofrece un análisis más profundo de los sectores específicos en los que la inversión privada podría acelerar el crecimiento, siempre que se aborden las
cuestiones normativas y regulatorias apropiadas
Bangladesh: Country Private Sector Diagnostic
No full textThe revised Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) reports seek to unlock private sector–led growth and investment. Prepared jointly by the institutions of the World Bank Group, each report discusses the overall business environment within a country and provides an analysis of specific sectors in which private sector investment could accelerate growth, if appropriate policy and regulatory issues are addressed
Harvesting Prosperity: Inclusive Economic Growth Through Strategic Agriculture Transformation in Namibia
Get PDFThis report evaluates expenditure composition and examines budget allocation and execution in public agricultural spending within available data information, with a dedicated focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation. By assessing how closely resource allocations align with government priorities and the returns they yield, the analysis offers evidence-based recommendations to reposition agriculture as a pillar of inclusive growth. Considering climate risks, the report emphasizes value-for-money assessments of various adaptation and mitigation investments. Access to more granular expenditure data and local microdata would further enable the effectiveness analysis of these public investments, helping to design interventions that maximize value-for-money. This agriculture Public Expenditure Review (PER) —the first of its kind for Namibia’s agricultural sector—analyzes actual agricultural spending from 2013/14 to 2021-2022, with projections through 2025-2026. While the World Bank undertook a 2019 Namibia health sector public expenditure review, following the MAWLR mandate this analytical work is the first of its kind in being specific to the agriculture sector and in integrating relevant information from mutually supportive sectors—water and agriculture. Public expenditures data are derived from the Finance Laws covering the fiscal period 2013-2014 to 2021-2022 for actual expenditures and extending to the 2025-2026 period for budgeted expenditures. The analysis uses FAO’s Monitoring and Analyzing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) methodology, one of the most comprehensive and broadly accepted approaches to classify and analyze data for agricultural public expenditure reviews. Among its strengths, it highlights the mechanisms employed to support the sector, and enables international benchmarking (Gill et al., 2023)
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Agricultural Transformation
Get PDFThe global agrifood system stands at a critical inflection point. Climate shocks, rising input costs, fragile supply chains, and widening inequality are placing unprecedented pressure on food production and distribution. Small-scale producers (SSPs), who produce one-third of the world’s food, are especially vulnerable. Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a timely and powerful tool to help reimagine agricultural transformation in ways that are more productive, sustainable, and inclusive. This report presents a comprehensive and development-oriented analysis of how AI can be responsibly deployed across agrifood systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It moves beyond hype to deliver a grounded roadmap of applications, prerequisites, and investment priorities, while emphasizing ethical, inclusive, and scalable use
The Energy Progress Report 2025
Get PDFSince its inception in 2018, Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report has become the global reference for information on progress toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of SDG 7 is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.” This report therefore summarizes global progress on electricity access, clean cooking, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and international cooperation to advance SDG 7. It presents updated statistics for each of the indicators and provides policy insights on priority areas and actions needed to spur further progress on SDG 7
Angola DTIS Update 2025 - Fostering Economic Diversification: Creating a Supportive Environment for Trade and Private Sector Growth in Angola
Get PDFThis Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) update focuses on the trade-related constraints and opportunities impacting Angola’s capacity to diversify and increase regional and global trade.Esta actualização do Estudo de Diagnóstico sobre a Integração do Comércio (EDIC) centra-se nos constrangimentos e oportunidades relacionados com o comércio que afectam a capacidade de Angola para diversificar e aumentar o comércio regional e global
Afghanistan Climate-Smart Agriculture Action Plan
Get PDFAfghanistan stands at a critical crossroads. As of early 2025, nearly 15 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with 3.1 million already in emergency conditions. These figures are not just numbers; they reflect a deepening crisis of hunger, collapsing rural livelihoods, and systemic fragility that threaten the country’s long-term stability. The situation is particularly dire for vulnerable groups, with over 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and 3.5 million children under five suffering from acute malnutrition. This is not simply the consequence of isolated shocks but the result of a complex web of climate-induced stress, economic contraction, gender exclusion, and institutional disintegration. In this context, the Afghanistan Climate-Smart Agriculture Action Plan (CSAAP) emerges as a vital instrument to address urgent needs while laying the foundation for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable rural development