This report provides a systematic assessment of business angel activities, and the ecosystem surrounding innovation finance, in the Czech Republic. Based on literature reviews, published data sources and local stakeholder interviews, the report distills findings related to the demand for and...

This report provides an assessment of the policies devoted to supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic. It presents an original analysis of all national-level SME-related policy instruments, totaling 93 instruments operational from 2013 to 2017 and disbursing 108.5...

This study was undertaken by the World Bank to inform the potential areas and means ofassistance to the Government of Uzbekistan in scaling up energy efficiency (EE) investmentsin residential, commercial, and public buildings, focusing on energy use and efficiency inspace heating. Considering...

This report examines the system of residential electricity subsidies in Pakistan, and explores how it can be improved to better assist households within the existing political and budgetary constraints. The report is multi-disciplinary in nature, drawing on specially commissioned analysis of...

The most cost-effective way to reduce both particulate and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is to couple switching from noncompliant solid fuel boilers to gas boilers, heat pumps, renewable energy (RE) heating systems such as biomass, wherever possible, and compliant solid fuel boilers, as...

In the Kyrgyz Republic, access to reliable and affordable heating is critical given the cold and long winters in its mountainous regions. With central heating solutions such as district heating limited to the capital city Bishkek and other urban areas, over 80 percent of households resort to...

The recent advances in battery technology and reductions in battery costs have brought battery energy storage systems (BESS) to the point of becoming increasingly cost-effective projects to serve a range of power sector interventions, especially when combined with PV and where diesel is the...

The main objective of this report is to provide an intermediate step toward building more energy-efficient economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The present study complements the 2009 Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) report by providing a quantitative...

The Palestinian health system suffers from chronic challenges related to protracted conflict and limited health system inputs, coupled with a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Over 75 percent of the disease burden is attributable to NCD, particularly cancers, diabetes,...

This note attempts to identify the factors associated with differences in overall school performance and efficiency. It draws on data from the Philippines Public Education Expenditure Tracking and Quantitative Service Delivery Study (PETS-QSDS), which tracked public education spending and...