The climate is changing; and the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region is vulnerable to the consequences. Many of the region's countries are facing warmer temperatures, a changing hydrology and more extremes, droughts, floods, heat waves, windstorms, and forest fires. Already the frequency and...

During COVID-19 lockdowns it became visible that migrants are often important in sectors that are crucial for the functioning of everyday life. Informed by this experience, this note provides an assessment of the role of foreign-born workers in essential services (referred to as migrant key...

When a disaster strikes, it not only affects households' physical assets, but also their income levels and ability to contribute to the local economy. Critically, these socio-economic disparities shape not only the severity of shocks on household-level economies, but also the duration of...

This paper considers the impact of social entrepreneurship in European communities, finding that working with such enterprises and helping them develop can result in widespread gains for public budgets. Starting and running such a business can pose a number of problems though, as it must not...

Like other regions, Eastern Europe and Central Asia is vulnerable to climate change and its potential socioeconomic impacts. While all countries are facing warmer temperatures, a changing hydrology, and more extreme events (for example, floods and droughts) and are concerned about the level of...

The objective of this paper, besides offering insight in the regional and global development and stability issues, is to initiate a dialog with housing finance market stakeholders on the course of action appropriate for their jurisdictions. The policy options presented in the paper are practical...