For years, the World Bank Group’s systems for measuring results operated in parallel tracks: corporate Scorecards that monitored performance through outcome-level targets, and impact evaluations that investigated what works, for whom, and why. Both were powerful in their own right—but too often disconnected. That is beginning to change. In today’s context of tighter budgets, more […]
In the fight against poverty, timely, reliable, and open data is our compass. Without it, we are unable to track progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals SDG1, design effective policies, or respond to emerging needs. This year, we celebrate improved measurement of post-pandemic poverty in the MENA region, thanks to better availability and access to […]
Agricultural commodity prices continued their downward trend in the second quarter of 2025, with the World Bank’s agricultural price index dropping nearly 7 percent since the start of the year. Food and raw material prices within the index fell by 7 and 1 percent, respectively, while beverage prices fell by 13 percent. The index is […]
Central banks raise interest rates to reduce aggregate demand and bring inflation down. This column uses credit register data and product-level price data from the euro area to highlight a parallel and potentially offsetting supply-side mechanism. It shows that in markets where firms rely more heavily on floating-rate loans, the ECB’s monetary tightening had a […]
The US dollar has traditionally dominated the invoicing of international trade. But could other currencies one day replace it? This column examines a unique policy experiment in Argentina in 2023. Amid a severe dollar shortage, Argentina expanded its currency swap agreement with the People’s Bank of China. The share of imports from China invoiced in […]
The presence of directors on the boards of competing firms (‘interlocking directorates’) raises concerns about collusion. This column studies the Italian corporate loan market and exploits a reform that prohibited directors of Italian banks from sitting on multiple boards simultaneously. Comparing treated and control loans before and after the policy, it shows that the ban […]
Dubai, November 11, 2025 — The highly anticipated Wiki Finance Expo Dubai 2025 is set to take place at the Millennium Plaza Downtown Hotel. As the largest gathering for Fintech, Forex, Crypto, Web3.0, and AI in the Middle East, this event promises to be a landmark occasion for the industry. Event Details Why Attend? With […]
The success of ChatGPT has raised fears that the excessive concentration of generative AI technology within one or two leading US companies could reduce market dynamism. This column presents novel empirical evidence which suggests that the supply of AI has been more open than initially expected in various segments of the AI value chain, driving […]
The growth of the private equity in recent years has raised concerns about its consequences. This column matches 2.5 million workers who were employed by 3,600 firms in the US that underwent leveraged buyouts with workers at firms that were not acquired to explore the effects of private equity on labour market outcomes. The authors […]
While tariffs have been the most visible policy tool during the US-China trade war, anecdotal evidence points to the use of Chinese state-owned enterprises as a hidden lever of protectionism. This column presents new systematic evidence showing that state-owned enterprises drove a significant share of the decline in US exports to China in 2018–2019, especially […]
