This paper analyzes competition in the retail banking markets in Latin America. Retail banking services, that is banking products and services for consumers and small businesses, including deposit accounts and related services such as ATMs, direct debit and credit transfers, and credit lines,...

Enhancing Competitiveness in the Face of Disasters presents the case to government decision-makers, tourism private sector stakeholders, and development partners that the industry must act urgently to integrate resilience as a core component of its competitiveness agenda. Its objectives are to:...

Providing universal coverage and barrier-free access to ID systems is one of the three pillars of the Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development and is vital to achieving Target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to "provide legal identity for all" by 2030....

This paper examines interventions that seek to address firm-level capabilities and access to markets in an integrated fashion. Examples of such interventions include supplier development programs (linking domestic SMEs in developing countries with large buyers, such as foreign investors that are...

A key focus of most countries is to stimulate growth in their small and medium enterprises (SME) population. There are various influences on SME competitiveness. Governments, development partners, non-profit entities, and private sector associations and firms intervene to aim to increase SME...

Human capital is the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives and that enable them to realize their potential as productive members of society is an important contributor to the wealth of all nations regardless of income status. While Azerbaijan has achieved...

Human capital is the stock of accumulated knowledge, experience, and attributes that workers bring to and use in the production of goods and services in an economy. Investing in people through quality healthcare, education, social services, and job opportunities develops human capital, which is...

Kazakhstan is a unique country in a unique part of the world. Its uniqueness is important, as it shapes the opportunities and economic realities faced by the country, as well as the political responses to those challenges. Since independence in 1992, Kazakhstan has made rapid progress in...

Across the world, governments use minimum wages, employment protection legislation, and other labor regulations that define the legal boundaries of employment to manage potential labor market imperfections. These imperfections include information asymmetry, uneven market power between employers...