This policy note is provided as an output under the World Bank's Regional Advisory Service for Southern Africa, 'Developing a Regional Risk Financing Framework for Agriculture and Food Security'. A key objective of this advisory service is to inform the public sector in Southern Africa on...

The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is the most unequal region in the world. While there has been some progress in recent years, inequality has remained almost stagnant in the most unequal countries. Using an innovative framework, this report provides a systematic and comprehensive...

Identification schemes are key enablers for the effective delivery of services and more broadly for the quality of engagement between a country's government and its citizens. Legal identity is now recognized as an essential element of development; target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals...

Liberia's status as a fragile state is deeply rooted in the political and economic exclusion practiced by the country's founders. Although they constituted just 5 percent of the population, freed American slaves and their descendants dominated the country's intellectual and ruling class from...

The Maldives experienced a slowdown in economic growth in 2023, despite an increase in tourist arrivals. The GDP growth rate was 4.0 percent, well below the pre-pandemic trend. The increase in tourist arrivals did not lead to higher GDP growth due to a decline in spending per tourist. Inflation...

The devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Cambodian economy-where the growth slowdown was among the most pronounced in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region-lies in the country's growth generating process. Recent growth has been remarkable, but insufficiently diversified in...

South Africa's ambition is to build a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable economy. This ambition depends on the extent to which the country is able to shift from its heavy dependence on coal to low-carbon activities and to address the growing risks presented by climate change. This...

Economic performance remains strong. Accelerating reform momentum after the 2018 general elections will be key to consolidating and furthering Bhutan's development. Efforts aimed at enabling a vibrant and job-creating private sector will need to be prioritized. The hydropower sector has served...

The external environment has deteriorated during the first half of 2019, and downside riskspredominate in the near-term. Global GDP growth is projected to decline to 2.6 percent in 2019 from 3 percent in 2018, reflecting broad-based weakness in advanced economies and major Emerging Market and...