This chapter highlights the growing global and European financial inclusion agenda and provides a brief assessment of vulnerability and labor market outcomes for Roma in Eastern Europe. Financial inclusion is considered by many to be among the main instruments to improve welfare, especially...

What is the economic rationale for Roma inclusion? This report explores the question: What is the economic argument for Roma inclusion?The analysis is based on quantitative data from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia, and information from interviews with 222 stakeholders in...

Following a strong recovery after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, growth in the European Union (EU) is expected to sharply decelerate in 2023 as high inflation and increasingly tight monetary policy dampen economic activity. Despite considerable resilience, the EU economy is in a weakened...

Early childhood development programs are particularly beneficial to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Effective investments in this area have the potential to reduce inequalities perpetuated by poverty, poor nutrition, and restricted learning opportunities. This report explores the gaps...

This report is meant to support the Slovak Government in its efforts to address the exclusion of the Roma by offering evidence-based policy advice. The assessment relies on three main sources of information. First, it takes advantage of the 2011 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/World...

The World Bank has prepared three reports in the framework of the promoting inclusive growth in Hungary reimbursable advisory service activity, with a view to provide clear step-by-step guidance for addressing complex social inclusion challenges by leveraging European Union (EU) funds. The...

This report examines the impact of rural connectivity on poverty, access to basic services, and income in Armenia, a country which has found itself in a low-growth, low-investment nexus, with stalled poverty reduction. This study attempts to shed light on the linkages between transport and...

Cities in the developing world are witnessing unprecedented growth rates. It is expected that 70 percent of the global population will live in cities by 2050. In urban areas, as in rural areas, women and girls are often the primary users, providers, and managers of water in their household, and...

The Philippines quarterly update provides an update on key economic developments and policies over the past three months. It also presents findings from recent World Bank work on the Philippines. It places them in a longer-term and global context, and assesses the implications of these...

The main report is organized into three parts: part one provides the overall context by describing the level and evolution of poverty and inequality in the Philippines and by analyzing the factors that could be weakening the link between economic growth and poverty reduction. It also provides a...