What to do about energy sector reforms when governance incentives are the problem?
In countries where electricity outages and “load shedding” are a regular feature of life and a major obstacle to jobs and economic growth, failure to achieve reforms has often
Sector-targeted Skills Development as Industrial Policy
Today’s blog is a background note I prepared for a forthcoming Policy Research Report on “Industrial Policy for Development” written by Ana Fernandes and Tristan
How AI and machine learning can predict and explain social risks for more effective development operations
At the time when the Government of South Africa approached the World Bank’s Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) Program about looking beyond natural disasters to social risks such as social
Middle East institutional investors to increase allocations in private markets
US asset manager Nuveen indicates investors are looking for diversification outside of developed markets. Middle East institutional investors are eyeing an uptick in private equity
Mapping the contours of Chinese policy transmission at home and abroad
China’s place within international trade networks and global supply chains makes the propagation of Chinese shocks a global phenomenon. This column discusses the channels of
From AI investment to GDP growth: An ecosystem view
Forecasts on the economic impacts of artificial intelligence diverge sharply. This column assesses how the current AI wave is contributing to US GDP, both directly
The future is under the glass
Digital design increasingly confers a competitive edge in global tech markets. This column examines how the award to Apple of damages for, among other things,
Generative AI in German firms: Diffusion, costs, and expected economic effects
The novelty and speed of diffusion of generative AI means that evidence on its impact on productivity and the future of work is scarce. This
Immigration restrictions and natives’ intergenerational mobility: Evidence from the 1920s US quota acts
Much of the debate over the consequences of immigration restrictions for labour market outcomes of native-born workers focuses on short-run wage competition. This column exploits
Why inflation may respond faster to big shocks: The rise of state-dependent pricing
Macroeconomic models distinguish time-dependent pricing, where firms change prices at fixed intervals, from state-dependent pricing, where firms change prices in response to changing demand or
