Political risk remains the top preoccupation for foreign investors operating in developing countries over the next three years, in spite of persistent concerns over the global downturn in the short term. The global economic recession triggered by the financial crisis that has unfolded over the...

Due to its recognized benefits, most countries today regardless of their level of development compete for and dedicate significant resources to attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Capturing the full positive spillovers of FDI is a long-term process and requires regulatory certainty and...

More than 1 billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the past 15 years, but climate and disaster risks threaten these achievements. Global asset losses from disasters are now reaching an average of more than US

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Country Risk Profiles for floods and earthquakes presented in this publication are based on quantitative risk assessments derived using global flood and earthquake models.Flood and earthquake risk were defined in terms of affected population and affected gross...

The purpose of this report is to raise awareness and initiate a discussion on the need for sovereign sustainability reporting. The proposed sovereign climate and nature reporting framework would assist sovereigns looking to attract investment by enabling them to produce comprehensive, regular,...

Over the past decade, financial consumer protection has become an increasingly mainstream priority for policymakers. A strong consumer protection regime is key to ensuring that expanded access to financial services benefits consumers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions on how best to...

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis is unique and requires tough policy choices for managing the public sector wage bill to best achieve the difficult balance between fiscal consolidation, protection of lives and livelihoods, service delivery, and job restoration. In the emergency phase, the...

The outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11 and the epicenter of the crisis has moved from China and Korea to the US and Western Europe. Infections are also increasing at a rapid pace in WBG client countries, with large uncertainty about the extent to which many countries are...

The welfare and economic growth of Azerbaijan's development trajectory based on fossil fuel extraction has come at the expense of the environment, other non-oil industries, and human capital growth. Due to its lack of economic diversification, the country is highly vulnerable to transition...