Do social factors determine “who we are” as well as the choice sets we have?
The World Bank’s conference on “The State of Economics, the State of the World” was an opportunity to take stock of the emergence of new paradigms for understanding economic development. Following...
View ArticleUncertainty in groundwater supply may limit the adoption of water-saving...
During the dry season, N. S. Reddy, a farmer in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, cultivates groundnut on two acres using water from his own borewell, which he runs for the six hours every day that...
View ArticleShould cash transfers be systematically paid to mothers?
When I was a high school student in Belgium, our history textbook included a reproduction of a painting entitled “The Drunkard” by Eugène Laermans. The painting was included in the section describing...
View ArticleMarket impacts of patent reforms in developing countries
Intellectual property (IP) protection is a heavily debated issue particularly in the developing world, as many formerly poor countries have experienced rapid economic growth and now represent...
View ArticleHow long should the week be?
As agrarian economies modernize, a need emerges for coordination in production. In most countries, production is organized around a seven-day cycle in which five days are designated as workdays and two...
View ArticleBehavioral economics and social justice: A perspective from poverty and equity
It has been almost ten years since Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein wrote Nudge, but the revolution in behavioral policymaking is still unfolding. Around the world, behavioral economists and...
View ArticleMaking politics work for development
Fear of openly confronting politics can come in the way of achieving economic development goals. To help address this problem, the Development Research Group of the World Bank prepared a report...
View Article2016 Oil price forecast revised higher after supply disruptions boost prices...
The World Bank is raising its crude oil price forecast for 2016 to $43 a barrel from $41 dollars after a 37 percent jump in energy prices in the second quarter due principally to disruptions to...
View ArticleEnsuring a sustainable development path
I’ve suggested recently that although high economic growth in recent decades has greatly improved average life expectancy, infant mortality, and other leading indicators policymakers and development...
View ArticleDepressed energy prices playing key role in lowering food commodity prices
Energy prices play a key role in the determination of food prices. The post-2006 boom of food prices was partly driven by higher energy costs, and the weakness in energy prices since 2014 is expected...
View ArticleTen signs of an impending global land rights revolution
The development community has experienced various “revolutions” over the years – from microfinance to women’s rights, from the green revolution to sustainable development. Each of these awakenings...
View ArticlePursuing higher economic returns to extractive investment
Across large swaths of the developing world, a new trend is taking hold: governments are targeting public and private investments in specific geographic areas in the hopes of creating spatial...
View ArticleParents or centers: How should governments prioritize early investments in...
To reach their full potential, children need to be well nourished and cared for, stimulated, nurtured and protected from stress from the time their lives begin (The Lancet ECD series). The investments...
View ArticleWhat cost childhood stunting? And what returns to programs combatting stunting?
Child #115181 in the Demographic and Health Survey we’re looking at is 38 months old. Let’s call her María. Her older brother, child #115201, is 51 months old. Let’s call him Alejandro. Despite their...
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Are girls smarter than boys?
Parents are 2.5 times more likely to google“Is my son gifted?” than “Is my daughter gifted?” A gap like this—in perceptions and expectations—is not new. Myths about ‘gendered’ learning gaps have...
View ArticleThe Bank punches above its weight. But where and why?
In October 2015, the Washington Post ran a story that compared the World Bank’s performance to that of other bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions. It identified the Bank as a...
View ArticleFalling inequality: A Brazilian whodunnit
Long one of the world’s most unequal countries, Brazil surprised pundits by recording a massive reduction in household income inequality in the last couple of decades. Between 1995 and 2012, the...
View ArticleBig data is all around. How do we harness it to drive the change we need?
Today’s technological revolution is generating a wealth of social and environmental data. Every day, the world produces a staggering 2.5 quintillion bytes of new data. Our ability to collect and...
View ArticleUnequal opportunity, unequal growth
Inequality can be both good and bad for growth, depending on what inequality and whose growth. Unequal societies may be holding back one segment of the population while helping another. Similarly,...
View ArticleMaking innovation benefit all: Policies for inclusive growth
“Inclusive growth” has been at the forefront of policy discussions in OECD and non-OECD economies. These discussions reflect a concern that economic growth does not necessarily improve the welfare of...
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