Between values and interests: drivers of EU aid
EU aid is still more poverty-focused than peers, but external policy drivers are growing and reshaping development cooperation after Global Gateway. This paper examines whether
Hungary has room to streamline public spending without hurting growth
Cutting some state operating and economic spending to the average of its regional peers could save Hungary more than four percent of GDP. Hungary’s new
Unlocking the benefits of green water flows for growth and development
At the Global Facility for Transboundary Waters, when we speak with stakeholders about transboundary water management, the conversation almost always centers on the stewardship of what
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
