It is generally believed that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can empower teachers and learners, promote change and foster the development of '21st century skills, but data to support these beliefs are still limited. There is widespread belief that ICTs can and will empower...

The Philippines has made remarkable progress in improving the quality of basic education in recent decades. Even so, despite significant improvements in primary and secondary education, the number of students who drop out of school remains worryingly high. More than five million youths have...

Little research attention has been paid to documenting and analyzing attempts of education systems moving quickly and at scale to provide online learning when all or many schools are closed. Related 'good practices' are considered rare, and on the whole, activities and initiatives of these sorts...

Client feedback surveys in Africa indicate that the Bank's performance requires strengthening with regard to (a) respect for local cultures, (b) adaptation of knowledge to the local context and (c) incorporation of local knowledge into development efforts. They would like to see greater...

This learning note prepares policymakers to engage with their technical experts and staff in designing and implementing an evidence-informed response to the challenges of existing and future slum settlements. To that end, the note discusses a set of indicators and data analysis techniques needed...

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, global learning levels were unacceptably low. In 2019, learning poverty, the share of children unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10, had reached 57 percent in low- and middle-income countries (World Bank and others 2022b). This constituted a global...

This note analyzes the evolution of Credit Information Systems, including the emergence of new technologies that use alternative data in credit decisioning and the opportunities and risks associated with these trends. This paper also predicts the potential development effect of these disruptive...

The transition to a more innovation-based growth model is even more urgent in the current uncertain global context[1]. While the GDP growth rate has proven resilient in recent years, declining oil and gas output, coupled with economic shocks, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, havedented...

Inspired by the success of the pilot study tour, the Africa Region embarked on an initiative to build cross-regional partnership between East Africa and South Asia seeking to integrate indigenous knowledge and practices into Bank supported operations. The aim was to leverage the experience of IK...