This report seeks to inform the policy dialogue on how to accelerate Paraguay's international economic integration and in turn its medium- and long-term growth prospects. It benchmarks Paraguay's global integration; analyzes trade, investment and competition policies and the quality of related...

The Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), which consists of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, is one of the oldest regional groupings in Africa. The main objectives for achieving this are: (i) the creation of a...

Cities can increase economic growth and participate in global economic flows by acting as hubs or gateways to regional corridors, that are supported by three dimensions of connectivity: physical (infrastructure) connectivity, digital connectivity, and economic integration. Integrating these...

The Western Balkan countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, achieved strong growth and poverty reduction since the start of the transition to market economies. Despite progress, today the six Western Balkan...

Regional integration and international connectivity via economic corridors play an essential role in reducing the isolation of West Africa's landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso's main international corridors are the Ouagadougou-Lome road corridor connecting it to Togo, the...

Although economic linkages between South Asia and Southeast Asia have been strengthened over the past decade, integration between these two regions remains limited. Can new approaches to regional integration help revitalize trade and economic links between South Asia and Southeast Asia This...

This policy note was prepared in parallel to the report Pakistan at 100, Shaping the Future. The report Pakistan at 100 discusses options to accelerate and sustain growth in Pakistan so that the country becomes an upper middle-income country when it turns 100 years old in 2047. This policy note...

There is an increasing recognition that policy initiatives at the regional level can complement and strengthen country road safety strategies and programs. This is certainly the case in the South Asia region, with implications for regional road safety investment priorities and potential for...

Governments' first instincts are often to attempt to tackle weaknesses in public financial accountability by investing in computerization of financial management information systems. However, in most East Asian contexts the World Bank advises countries that reforms need to start not from the...