Introducing the World Bank Land Data Map
From urbanization to agriculture, land systems touch nearly every aspect of development. That’s why the World Bank Group has launched the Land Data Map, a new
The European Union needs more than the digital omnibus to make digital services competitive
European Commission plans to streamline digital rules introduce new inconsistences and fall far short of transformative reform. The European Commission’s digital and artificial intelligence omnibus
US-Japanese knowledge transfer programme in the aftermath of WWII
Following WWII, Japan experienced three decades of rapid productivity growth and convergence with the US. This column studies the Japanese Productivity Program, a joint US-Japanese
Rewiring trade for a warming world: How COP30 can turn climate goals into trade rules
The challenge for policymakers at COP30 is not to reach universal agreement on the exact ‘price’ of carbon, but to build rules that function amid
Certification schemes may break the link between natural resources and violent conflict
Natural resources, including alluvial minerals such as diamonds, have been at the centre of brutal wars in Africa. This column evaluates one of the first
Cities that work: How urban tourism drives jobs
When cities invest in tourism, they invest in jobs, entrepreneurship, and growth. Marrakech is a compelling example. In 2024, the city welcomed nearly 4 million tourists, each
Strengthening governance and trust in AI-based data dissemination with Proof-Carrying Numbers
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a new gateway to development data, a quiet but significant risk has emerged. Large language models (LLMs) can now summarize
Engaging in Good SPIRIT: Advancing Corporate Governance Reforms of State-Owned Enterprises in Sarawak, Malaysia
In 2022, the World Bank and Sarawak State in Malaysia launched a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Transformation Program that was based on a systematic corporate governance review
Chat Bankman-Fried: An experiment on LLM ethics in finance
As large language models gain traction, it is important to ensure that decisions delegated to them comply with ethical and legal principles. This column reports
Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?
In 2000, the World Bank published, “Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?” This landmark report proposed four crucial areas of progress, and the priorities that were
