It is a shocking fact that around 70 percent of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries can’t read and understand a simple text. With reading essential for all learning, a child who can’t read by age 10 risks being left behind for good, even if they are enrolled in school. What’s even more shocking is that, broadly […]
The World Bank is evolving to take on a set of complex global challenges and scale to deliver an ambitious new vision, ending poverty on a livable planet. We are in a race against time to step up our efforts with the end goal of a better quality of life, jobs, and a cleaner planet. Private […]
Even from far down the beach, I could make out the familiar cries of a soccer game. But as I got closer, I realized this was no ordinary game at all. Every player on the field had missing limbs. Maneuvers I had never seen before were performed at high-speed; crutches and clever jumps became combined […]
In the summer of 2016, floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka. One of the most heavily impacted areas was the flood-prone Kelani River basin, where flooding affected thousands of people and caused over $500 million in losses in the Greater Colombo area. Such extreme weather events have been increasingly […]
As the international community gathers in the United Arab Emirates for COP28, the converging effects of the climate crisis, violent conflicts, and geopolitical upheaval are increasingly clear. In many countries, they are raising critical, and at times life-threatening, challenges for refugees and their host communities. How best can the international community respond to such situations? This […]
Bitcoin rose 5% to $44,083 at 2149 GMT on Tuesday, adding $2,098 to its previous close. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is up 66.1% from the year’s low of $26,533 on Oct. 11. Ether , the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, rose 1.4% to $2,275.7 on Tuesday, adding $31.9 to its […]
India has made massive developmental and economic gains since 1991, but one facet of its developmental path marks it out from its peers – a failure to increase female participation rates as the economy matures. This column examines the factors underlying the persistently low labour force participation rates of Indian women, showing that it is […]
The imperative to enhance renewable energy capacity has never been more pronounced, prompting a critical inquiry into the most cost-effective means of achieving this objective. Despite inherent challenges to clean energy transition, such as the capital cost and intermittency, there are ways to improve efficiency. This column demonstrates that in high-renewable electricity systems, real-time pricing […]
All countries have a government, and all governments are different. But there is a universal principle: a good governing structure is key to developing regulations that are fit for purpose. To learn more about the structure of governments and contribute to the debate on institutional capacities and strategies for the development of business regulations, we […]
Energy prices declined 8.2% in November, led by coal (-12.9%) and oil (-8.7%), the World Bank’s Pink Sheet reported. Non-energy prices were up by 1.7%. Agricultural prices gained 1.6% in November. Food prices inched up 0.9%, as an increase in oils and meals (+5.4%) was partly offset by declines in grains (-4.4%). Beverages gained 7% while raw […]
