In 2022, we published, Lessons for the education sector from the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a follow up to, Four Education Trends that Countries Everywhere Should Know About, which summarized views of education experts around the world on how to handle the most pressing issues facing the education sector then. We focused on neuroscience, the role of […]
All countries must urgently invest in resilient, equitable health systems At the halfway point to 2030, half the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services and the proportion of people facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health spending has worsened . As world leaders convene at the SDG Summit during the 78th UN General Assembly in New […]
Since the global financial crisis of 2008, countries have been embracing more protectionist measures and shying away from multilateral trade agreements. However, the rise of smaller preferential trade agreements, or PTAs, has been a promising development towards bolstering international trade. PTAs set rules for commerce and remove trade barriers among a limited number of member countries. […]
As countries respond to the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, the re-use, re-manufacturing, and recycling of products in a circular economy offers a promising path for sustainable economic growth. Renewable energy, water treatment, textiles, electronics, and ICT recycling, and industries that reuse organic materials are key to the circular economy. While the […]
In today’s rapidly changing world, citizen engagement has emerged as a crucial element in development projects. By empowering citizens and involving them in decision-making processes, development interventions can become more inclusive and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people they are designed to benefit. The World Bank´s Caribbean Hotspot Project, implemented under the Critical […]
India’s Reliance Retail is in talks with existing investors including the sovereign wealth funds of Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia for combined new investments of around $1.5 billion, three sources with direct knowledge of the plan said. Reliance Retail is India’s largest retailer and is led by Asia’s richest person Mukesh Ambani. The talks […]
Apple launched a new series of iPhones this week that included a titanium shell, which will make the handsets the lightest the company has ever made and the case more durable. Titanium is increasingly being used in mobile phones. China’s titanium producers said they expect stronger demand after the launch of the new Apple models. Here are some key […]
 Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it will soon give users in more than 150 countries access to WhatsApp Channels, a broadcast service that enables them to receive private updates from celebrities, sports teams and thought leaders. The move comes as Meta makes a push to shore up engagement across its social media apps, positioning them as […]
Many individuals are experiencing for the first time inflation considerably above central bank targets. Yet despite this limited experience, inflation expectations of many households have been upward biased relative to ex-post realisations and target rates. This column proposes inflation shocks in the more distant past as an explanation for elevated inflation expectations. It shows that […]
Real estate is frequently used as collateral by firms in the euro area, potentially impacting borrowing and the broader economy when commercial real estate prices decline. Using data on almost five million pieces of real estate collateral across the euro area, this study examines how banks’ treatment of real estate collateral influenced firms’ access to […]
