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 future is Africa: Shaping AI-enabled EdTech for skilling the next generation
By 2050, one in three of the world’s children will live in Africa. Yet this demographic shift coincides with a profound learning crisis: over 70 percent
Accommodating emerging giants in the global economy
History provides many examples of large changes in the relative economic size of nations. This column examines the impact of rapid economic growth in emerging
Big cities and globalisation
Globalisation has deepened economic inequalities between large cities and the rest. This column examines foreign trade integration in larger cities versus other regions across Brazil,
The role of wages in retaining effective teachers in the classroom
Concerns about declining student achievements have become central in education debates, with teacher quality drawing attention as a key driver. This column examines how wages
Capital cities lead, while other cities lag in the EU
It is widely assumed that cities are the engines driving national and regional growth. This column analyses productivity dynamics across metropolitan regions in Europe over
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
Brexit’s slow‑burn hit to the UK economy
The UK is once again debating why its economy has grown slowly since the mid‑2010s. This column examines the impact of the decision to leave
Following the tracks: How digital monitoring expands access to mechanization in agriculture.
Low agricultural productivity in developing countries is often linked to limited mechanization. Using tractors for land preparation can significantly increase farm productivity, but most farmers
Why EU innovation policy fails to promote disruptive innovation
Europe’s long-term prosperity depends on its ability to generate and absorb disruptive innovation. This column argues, however, that the European Commission’s proposed 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial
