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Should Malaysia Expand Its Social Pension? Global Evidence, Design Issues and Options
Get PDFThis paper aims to assess the case for a significant expansion of social pension coverage in Malaysia in light of global and Malaysian experience. It first defines social pensions and their diverse objectives. It then looks at global patterns of social pension coverage, adequacy, and spending, highlighting the diverse design trade-offs taken by different countries, including Malaysia. A key takeaway is that the umbrella term social pension encompasses a diverse set of programs where design differences are as important as common features. Following the global benchmarking, there is a discussion of the global evidence on the impacts of social pensions on a range of social indicators, including poverty, health and well-being, labor market behavior, and indirect effects on non-beneficiary household members. It then discusses specific design issues that need to be taken into account when considering expansion of social pensions. This
is followed by analysis of the potential impacts on inequality and poverty in Malaysia of different social pension reform scenarios, presenting evidence of their potential positive distributional impacts. The paper concludes with suggestions for reforms of Malaysia’s social pension
Malawi Public Finance Review: Restoring Stability, Rebuilding Trust
Get PDFMalawi stands at a critical inflection point in its pursuit of macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability. Public finances are under severe strain, marked by persistent fiscal and current account deficits, a highly vulnerable debt profile, and declining external support, making the cost of policy inaction increasingly untenable. Rising fiscal risks, compounded by global uncertainty, recurrent climatic shocks, falling aid flows, and election-related overspending, underscore the urgency of reform. This public finance review provides a strategic assessment of challenges and opportunities in public expenditure management, revenue mobilization, SOE governance, and the emerging mining sector. It outlines a reform agenda centered on fiscal consolidation through more efficient spending, enhanced revenue mobilization, and improved governance, aiming to restore stability and unlock long-term growth
Reclaiming Momentum Towards Prosperity: Pakistan's Poverty, Equity, and Resilience Assessment
Get PDFPakistan’s once-promising poverty reduction trajectory has come to a troubling halt, reversing years of hard-fought gains. After dramatically reducing poverty from 64.3 percent in 2001 to 21.9 percent in 2018—declining by 3 percentage points annually until 2015 before slowing to less than 1 percentage point per year—recent compounding shocks have pushed poverty rates back up to a projected 25.3 percent by 2023/24. The economic model that delivered early wins has reached its limits, with 14 percent of the population in 2018 remaining vulnerable to falling back into poverty when faced with shocks. Compounding crises—COVID-19, economic instability, devastating floods, and record-high inflation—have further exposed systemic weaknesses, leaving many in low-productivity activities and unable to cope with these challenges. Bold policy reforms are now essential to address structural imbalances, prevent sliding back into poverty during shocks, and tackle the persistent challenges in remote areas.
In this context, this Poverty, Equity, and Resilience Assessment , the first since the early 2000s, looks at how poverty has evolved in Pakistan by combining traditional and non-traditional data, offering detailed analysis and strategic direction on the country’s efforts and challenges to reduce poverty and promote equity. This comprehensive assessment aims to provide a roadmap for policymakers and stakeholders to address poverty and equity challenges in Pakistan effectively
The Global Sanitation Crisis: Pathways to Urgent Action
Get PDFThis World Bank report highlights the benefits of investing in resilient urban sanitation systems for people, economic growth, and the planet. The report presents
a suite of policy, institutional, regulatory, and financing (PIRF) recommendations, and outlines actions that cities and countries can take to accelerate progress toward
universal access to resilient, safely managed sanitation. It contributes to the World Bank’s strategic objective of accelerating access to water, sanitation and hygiene by supporting two pillars of the World Bank’s Water Strategy: Water for People and Water for Planet
Examining the Water Energy-Food Nexus in the West Bank and Gaza within the Context of Climate Change
Get PDFThis report provides a deeper analysis that identifies exogenous vulnerabilities, such as climate change, and their impacts on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus in the West Bank and Gaza. It provides an analysis of the water, agriculture, and energy sectors and identifies potential adaptation responses, institutional measures, and investments anchored in the WEF nexus to improve sustainability and resiliency in the context of increasing uncertainty. These recommendations remain broadly relevant even in the context of the ongoing conflict and could provide useful guidance to inform the reconstruction and recovery effort
Programa de Paisajes Sostenibles de 10 años de PSA: Una década de conexiones: personas, instituciones y paisajes en la Amazonía 2015-2025
Get PDFThis report presents a snapshot of the collective impact of actions taken by
individuals and institutions over the last 10 years to conserve, manage, and
restore the Amazon as part of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program
(ASL). The ASL was envisioned and implemented with the support of the
Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is implemented by dedicated individuals
and communities from the eight participating countries. The report draws on their collective knowledge, incorporating insights and feedback gathered through 22 interviews with members of the ASL community. We are grateful for their time and sharing their expertise. Additionally, we extend our sincere thanks to more than 100 ASL community members whose work makes the program’s vision a reality. They actively validated and enriched this report through a series of engaging discussions, including those who participated as panelists at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2024, and
at the 2025 ASL Annual Conference.Este relatório apresenta uma panorâmica do impacto coletivo das ações empreendidas por
indivíduos e instituições nos últimos 10 anos para conservar, gerir e
restaurar a Amazônia como parte do Programa Paisagens Sustentáveis da Amazônia
(ASL). A ASL foi concebida e implementada com o apoio da
Fundo Mundial para o Ambiente (GEF). É implementado por indivíduos dedicados
e comunidades dos oito países participantes. O relatório baseia-se no seu conhecimento coletivo, incorporando perspetivas e feedback recolhidos através de 22 entrevistas com membros da comunidade ASL. Estamos gratos pelo seu tempo e pela partilha dos seus conhecimentos. Além disso, estendemos nossos sinceros agradecimentos a mais de 100 membros da comunidade ASL cujo trabalho torna a visão do programa uma realidade. Eles validaram e enriqueceram ativamente este relatório através de uma série de discussões envolventes, incluindo aqueles que participaram como painelistas na 16ª reunião da Conferência das Partes (COP16) da Convenção sobre Diversidade Biológica (CDB) em 2024, e
na Conferência Anual da ASL 2025.Este informe presenta una instantánea del impacto colectivo de las acciones tomadas por
individuos e instituciones durante los últimos 10 años para conservar, administrar y
restaurar la Amazonía como parte del Programa de Paisajes Sostenibles de la Amazonía
(ASL). La ASL fue concebida e implementada con el apoyo de la
Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (FMAM). Es implementado por personas dedicadas
y comunidades de los ocho países participantes. El informe se basa en su conocimiento colectivo, incorporando ideas y comentarios recopilados a través de 22 entrevistas con miembros de la comunidad de ASL. Estamos agradecidos por su tiempo y por compartir su experiencia. Además, extendemos nuestro sincero agradecimiento a más de 100 miembros de la comunidad de ASL cuyo trabajo hace realidad la visión del programa. Validaron y enriquecieron activamente este informe a través de una serie de debates interesantes, incluidos los que participaron como panelistas en la 16ª reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP16) del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica (CDB) en 2024, y
en la Conferencia Anual de ASL 2025
Tajikistan Poverty and Equity Assessment 2025: Transformation at Home
Get PDFPrior to independence, Tajikistan’s role within the Soviet Union (1928–1991) was primarily that of an agrarian republic supplying cotton (often referred to as white gold), minerals, labor migrants, and soldiers. Cotton production was intensively water-consuming and sustained through large-scale irrigation projects initiated by the Soviet government. Tajikistan was also rich in hydropower, which benefited from these irrigation projects. The country’s mountainous terrain offered mineral resources such as gold, silver, and uranium, but a lack of infrastructure and industrial capacity limited the potential of the mining industry. Though not seen in the same numbers post-independence, labor migration from Tajikistan to Russia started during Soviet times, long before Tajikistan’s independence in 1991. Seasonal and permanent labor migrated to more industrialized regions in the Soviet Union. In addition, Tajik soldiers, estimated to number about 260,000, fought in key battles during World War II, such as the Battle of Stalingrad, the Siege of Leningrad, and the liberation of Eastern Europe. In the Cold War period following World War II, Tajikistan remained heavily militarized, particularly during the time of the Soviet Afghan War (1979–1989). Since gaining independence, Tajikistan has been charting its own course, shaped by resilience and struggle. The collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent independence of Tajikistan in September 1991 led to a severe economic downturn. A brutal civil war from 1992 to 1997 further devastated the country’s economy, with Tajikistan’s GDP shrinking by more than 60 percent compared with its pre-independence levels. Post-civil war recovery began in the late 1990s with agricultural revival, especially in cotton production, alongside remittance inflows from labor migrants to the Russian Federation. Despite this recovery, by the end of the 2000s the economy had merely returned to pre-independence levels, marked by limited industrialization and heavy reliance on remittance inflows. The previous Poverty Assessment covered the growth and poverty stories up to 2009. This subsequent Core Analytics of Poverty and Equity Assessment (CAPEA) tells the story of Tajikistan’s remarkable journey of progress and perseverance over the past decade, and provides policy recommendations for the coming years to meet the country’s aspiration of achieving middle-income status by 2030
Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of trade promotion organizations on exports during the COVID-19 pandemic using a World Bank survey. The results suggest that increased trade promotion organization budgets significantly boosted exports during downturns but had no effect during the recovery phase. Interestingly, e-commerce programs adopted by trade promotion organizations negatively affected exports during downturns as they diverted resources away from productive support, especially for sectors not intensive in online trade. These findings suggest that countercyclical trade promotion organizations budgets may enhance trade resilience during similar global shocks
Applying a Gender Lens to the Analysis of Peru’s Fiscal System
Get PDFThis paper applies a gender lens to the distributional analysis of Peru’s fiscal system using the Commitment to Equity methodology with data from the 2019 Encuesta Nacional de Hogares. The paper examines how taxes and transfers affect households with gender-relevant characteristics, including presence of dependents, care responsibilities, and agricultural reliance. The analysis reveals that while Peru’s fiscal system increases poverty when considering taxes and cash transfers (consumable income), it reduces both poverty and inequality when including the monetized value of education and health services (final income). The findings also show that nuclear, extended, and single-parent households experience poverty increases after fiscal interventions, while elderly and single adult households see reductions in poverty. Agricultural households benefit more due to targeted transfers and lower tax burdens. Policy simulations show that expanding the generosity of existing direct transfers reduces poverty, especially for single mothers and agricultural households, but still falls short in addressing disadvantages faced by families with caregiving responsibilities. The findings underscore the need for a more gender-responsive fiscal agenda
FY 2025 India Country Opinion Survey Report
Get PDFThe Country Opinion Survey in India assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in better understanding how stakeholders in India perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in India on 1) their views regarding the general environment in India; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in India; 3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in India; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in India