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Insights from Firm-Level Data on Price Regulation Around the World
Full text linkThis Policy brief presents novel cross-country, firm-level evidence on the incidence and characteristics of price regulations around the world. Using data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) covering 103 economies - the first comparable global measure of how firms experience price regulations - the brief shows that price regulations remain widespread, particularly in lower-income countries, state-involved firms, and essential service sectors. Price regulation is high in concentrated markets, decreases sharply as competition increases, and rises again in highly competitive markets, suggesting that governments may intervene both to curb monopolistic power and to stabilize prices in highly fragmented markets. These patterns indicate where price regulations are most prevalent and how they relate to market structure, providing a foundation for further analysis on how regulation affects firm performance and innovation, and more refined data-driven reforms
Mauritius Country Climate and Development Report
Full text linkThe World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) are a core diagnostic that integrates climate change and development. They help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost adaptation and resilience, while delivering on broader development goals. CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so. The reports suggest concrete, priority actions to support the low-carbon, resilient transition. As public documents, CCDRs aim to inform governments, citizens, the private sector and development partners and enable engagements with the development and climate agenda. CCDRs feed into other core Bank Group diagnostics, country engagements and operations, and help attract funding and direct financing for high-impact climate action.The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) are a core diagnostic that integrates climate change and development. They help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost adaptation and resilience, while delivering on broader development goals. CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so. The reports suggest concrete, priority actions to support the low-carbon, resilient transition. As public documents, CCDRs aim to inform governments, citizens, the private sector and development partners and enable engagements with the development and climate agenda. CCDRs feed into other core Bank Group diagnostics, country engagements and operations, and help attract funding and direct financing for high-impact climate action.The Mauritius Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) provides analysis and recommendations on how Mauritius can achieve sustained development while responding to climate change. Mauritius is arguably Africa’s best development success story - transitioning from a low-income sugar producer to an upper-middle-income, relatively-diversified economy in a single generation. But the country has reached the limits of its current state-led development model, with bold reform required to catalyze a new round of private-sector led economic transformation and reduce the high level of public debt. As a small island developing state (SIDS) of 1.3 million people, it is also highly exposed to shocks, including increased climate variability and change. Despite these challenges, Mauritius aims to regain its high-income status, which it briefly achieved in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the economy. Achieving this goal will require a more inclusive, diversified, and productive economy. This report finds that adapting to a changing climate offers opportunities to boost growth, jobs, and development outcomes, while also reducing climate risks and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Grasping these opportunities will require actions to address rising sea level and temperature, and more frequent heatwaves, droughts, intense cyclones, flash floods, and storm surges - all of which threaten two pillars of the economy (tourism and fisheries), as well as most key infrastructure and the one-third of the population that is concentrated in coastal areas
South Sudan Country Climate and Development Report
Full text linkSouth Sudan has fallen into a vicious cycle of fragility, conflict, and climate vulnerability, with climate change acting as a threat multiplier, exacerbating displacement, food insecurity, social dislocation, resource conflict, and grievance. Already one of the fastest-warming countries, 80 percent of South Sudan’s population depends on climate-vulnerable livelihoods. More than half of the population is chronically food insecure, due to a combination of conflict and climate factors. The devastating floods of recent years are likely to become the new normal and will be joined by increasing climate stress on labor productivity, agrifood systems, and human health. This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) identify priority investments to strengthen resilience in flood risk management, resilient rural livelihoods, sustainable natural resource use, and sustainable energy access. These require substantial fiscal resources, but the public finance system is under severe strain, and external support is set to decline sharply. Domestic revenue mobilization - particularly more targeted and effective use of existing government revenues and more efficient, transparent spending - is therefore essential to promote adaptation. Core governance reforms also need to support private sector development and climate action. Inclusive and sustainable growth is indispensable for the country to achieve longer-term climate resilience. South Sudan has considerable economic growth potential, mainly in the agricultural and natural resources sectors. Its economy will remain climate sensitive, but improved security, robust and inclusive short-to-medium-term growth and diversification in the longer term will provide resources to mitigate the largest impacts and improve coping abilities at household level
From Training to Earning: The 7-Year Impact of Dual Apprenticeships on Youth Employment
Full text linkThis paper studies the long-term impacts of dual apprenticeships on youth employment in a high-informality labor market. A Randomized Controlled Trial in Côte d'Ivoire with four follow-up surveys collected over seven years shows that dual apprenticeships have sustained impacts: youth earnings increase by 14 to 20 percent two to five years after program completion. Gains are observed across the earnings distribution, and the share of youth in working poverty — with earnings below the minimum wage — decreases by 11 percent. Importantly, results highlight a distinct pathway whereby training raises earnings through self-employment, with no impact on access to wage employment. Youth perform more complex, non-routine tasks, consistent with improved technical skills and productivity. In a setting where formal wage jobs are rare, these findings show that dual apprenticeships constitute an effective and inclusive skilling model that raises earnings in self-employment and reduces working poverty
A Conceptual Framework for Labor Market Delivery Systems in Low- And Middle-Income Countries. Seeking Efficiency, Scale, and Impact
Full text linkThis paper presents a conceptual framework to guide the development of labor market delivery systems suitable for low- and middle income countries. Case studies show that in most countries labor market programs are characterized by high fragmentation (in financing, delivery agencies), poor or absent targeting criteria, limited or absent tracking of beneficiaries’ outcomes, and limited information for people and firms to exercise choice. The result is a suboptimal use of resources and limited quality assurance. In this context, we conceptualize labor market delivery systems as a set of functions that are delivered on three levels: (i) a delivery chain used to deliver individual programs; (ii) functions that enable coordination and synergy of multiple programs at the local level, typically performed by a designated territorial labor market agency (iii) and a set of governance functions, supported by common IT systems, that help regulate and assure quality, typically (but not always) provided by a central government agency. The paper then discusses these functions and gives select examples, especially from developing countries. At the center of the approach are territorial labor market institutions that help correct some of the market failures, by closing information gaps, avoiding cream skimming by providers, monitoring program implementation, and, in advanced cases, becoming true gateways to individual programs. While in many countries public employment services play this role, the paper argues for a more flexible approach to consider a broader range of institutions for such roles, considering that labor intermediation is just one of many potential interventions that workers may need. The framework
is intended as a tool for policymakers and practitioners to map out functions against their institutional landscape, identify gaps, and propose reforms that can help deliver labor market programs more effectively
Investment in Emerging and Developing Economies
Full text linkThe world faces a pressing challenge to meet key development objectives amid slowing growth and rising macroeconomic and geopolitical risks. With the number of job seekers rising rapidly, infrastructure shortfalls continuing to be large, and climate costs mounting, the case for a significant investment push has never been stronger. Yet the capacity to respond in many emerging markets and developing economies has eroded. Since the global financial crisis, investment growth has slowed to about half its pace in the 2000s, with both public and private investment weakening. Foreign direct investment inflows—a critical source of capital, technology, and managerial know-how—have also fallen sharply and become increasingly concentrated, leaving low-income countries with only a marginal share. The risks of further retrenchment are significant, as trade tensions, policy uncertainty, and elevated debt levels continue to weigh on investment. Reigniting momentum will require ambitious domestic reforms to strengthen institutions, rebuild macro-fiscal stability, and deepen trade and investment integration—the foundations of a supportive business climate. At the same time, international cooperation is indispensable. A renewed commitment to a predictable system of cross-border trade and investment flows, combined with scaled-up financial support and sustained technical assistance, is essential to help emerging markets and developing economies—especially low-income countries and economies in fragile and conflict situations—bridge financing gaps and implement the domestic reforms needed to restore investment as an engine of growth, jobs, and development
The Rise and Regulation of Digital Credit: Lessons from Indonesia
No full textThis paper examines the rise of fintech lending in Indonesia, using a dataset of more than 139,000 individual credit records representative of the full spectrum of consumer loans in the country. The analysis reveals that fintech lending has become deeply embedded in Indonesia’s financial landscape, with more than 40 percent of borrowers holding at least one fintech loan at the end of the sample period. While digital lenders have expanded financial inclusion by reaching significant numbers of previously unbanked households, they remain limited in their geographical reach, primarily finance consumption, and account for only a small share of total consumer credit. Over time, a substantial share of borrowers transition from high-interest fintech loans to more affordable conventional credit. However, this expansion of access brings new challenges: default rates among borrowers who obtain their first loan from a digital lender are 5 to 7 percentage points higher than among borrowers who start with non-fintech loans, and elevated default risks persist even after borrowers graduate to lower-interest rate conventional credit. The paper concludes by assessing the effects of recent regulatory reforms --such as interest rate caps and harmonized reporting standards for digital and conventional loans-- and offers policy recommendations to maximize the benefits of digital financial inclusion while safeguarding credit market stability and financial consumer protection
Evaluating Paraguay’s Vulnerability to the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation
Full text linkThis paper examines Paraguay’s vulnerability to the European Union’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products. Drawing on trade data, customs firm-level data, and high-resolution geospatial analysis, it assesses exposure at the country, firm, and geographic levels. The results show that Paraguay’s direct export exposure to the European Union’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products is modest, but indirect exposure through Argentina’s soy value chain could affect up to 13 percent of Paraguay’s exports. Firm-level evidence indicates that soy and rubber exports are concentrated among a few large firms, whereas the emerging wood and forestry sector is fragmented across small and medium-sized enterprises with limited capacity to absorb compliance costs. Geospatial analysis suggests that only 0.4 to 2 percent of soybean areas may be at risk of noncompliance, concentrated in Itapúa, San Pedro, and Alto Paraná. Overall, Paraguay’s vulnerability stems primarily from indirect value-chain linkages, underscoring the need for targeted support and regional coordination within MERCOSUR to strengthen environmental governance
Effective Cohesion Policies to Strengthen Social Integration in the EU
Full text linkThe paper examines the European Union's efforts to promote economic and social integration. Despite significant convergence across EU member states, regional inequalities persist, particularly between urban centers and lagging rural areas, fueling Euroscepticism and political polarization. To counter these issues, the paper proposes a three-pronged strategy to strengthen social integration. The European Social Fund+, a vital component of Cohesion Policies, could focus on targeted social assistance programs, such as the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), and combine them with “case management,” enhancing the effectiveness of social policies in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable groups. Second, administrative capacities at the local level should be enhanced to ensure an efficient use of Cohesion Policy funds. Finally, the paper recommends fostering policy innovation and rigorous evaluation to adapt social policies to evolving economic challenges, including population aging, technological shifts, and the green transition. This approach could maximize the impact of EU social policies, addressing rising disparities within and between regions to promote a more inclusive and resilient Union
Reforms for a Formal and Prosperous Indonesia
Full text linkInformality and job quality are among Indonesia’s most pivotal development challenges. Indonesia’s pace of formalization has consistently lagged economic growth, leaving large swaths of society outside the reach of regulation and social protection. This report is one of a three-part series focused on the essential challenges Indonesia must face to achieve its long-term aspirations for economic prosperity. This report focuses on the policy priorities specifically addressing the obstacles to formality and job quality in Indonesia. First, sustainably confronting the drivers of informality requires increasing government revenue, which is essential to financing state capacity and a social insurance system consistent with enforcing regulations and incentivizing high rates of formal employment. Second, the recommendations promoted in this report ultimately rely on efficiency and competition-focused policy reform to enable the productivity growth required to sustain better, more remunerative formal jobs, covered in depth in the Jobs and Growth Report. Employment informality is a spectrum, and though many workers in Indonesia have some benefits beyond pay, there are few who can be considered entirely formal. Government policy should prioritize aligning incentives that promote job-rich formal growth and prosperity. Promoting the government’s streamlined registration services and improving credit, banking, and fraud protection services can draw informal firms into the formal economy