Policy-makers across developing economies are implementing different forms of special economic zones (SEZs): programs intended to catalyze economic growth. The SEZ program is aimed at attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to increase firm-level investment and improve firm-level productivity...

The government recognizes that inadequate basic infrastructure and a severe shortage of accessible land discourages greenfield investments and industrial development.Bangladesh has one of the world's most cost competitive, sizeable supply of labor, ideal for labor-intensive production in sectors...

The Government of Mauritius is implementing the Mauritius Africa Strategy, which is focused on positioning Mauritius as a bridge for investment and trade in order to open new markets in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A cornerstone of this strategy is sharing the successful experience of Mauritius in...

The Dominican Republic is often considered an example of the successful implementation of Special Economic Zones (henceforth SEZs) in the Western hemisphere. The zones fueled economic growth during the 1980s and 1990s and, while they experienced a sharp decline in employment due in part to the...

This report examines the extent of gender gaps and their economic impact in Chad. It proposes policies for improving gender equality, taking into account the challenges posed by COVID-19. Although the Government of Chad has taken actions designed to boost gender equality, significant challenges...

This study discusses options how to increase the Dominican Republic tax revenue and attempts to identify priority areas for efficiency-enhancing reforms. A 2016 World Bank report on Dominican fiscal policy found that the country's tax expenditures were poorly targeted and regressively...

Sri Lanka has an impressive track record of reducing poverty and sharing prosperity more broadly. A dynamic decade that spurred post-war growth and continued with a process of economic transformation led to a productivity boost and labor reallocation from agriculture to industry and services....

Identifying opportunities to increase agricultural productivity and incomes is an important priority for rural development. Progress toward poverty reduction continued in recent years, but the contribution of the agriculture sector was weak, mainly because productivity improvements were...

Sri Lanka has made strong progress in reducing poverty and sharing prosperity among the less well-off in recent years. The poverty rate using the World Bank's 3.20 Dollars poverty line (in 2011 purchasing power parity) declined from 16.2 percent in 2012/13 to 11 percent in 2016, a reduction that...

The World Bank has engaged with the government of Sri Lanka in an advisory services and analytics (ASA) work entitled priorities for sustainably managing Sri Lanka's marine fisheries, coastal aquaculture and the ecosystems that support them. The development objective of this ASA is to support...