Despite the emphasis placed by microfinance organizations on lending to female business owners, evidence from three recent randomized controlled trials has cast doubt on the ability of capital alone to grow female-operated microenterprises: in my own previous experiment in Sri Lanka women given...

Lack of mobility of labor is likely the biggest distortion in global factor markets, resulting in large differences in the productivity and income a given worker can have in different places. As a result of this fact, facilitating emigration has the potential to be one of the most effective...

The tenth in series of impact notes profiles early results from an ongoing randomized experiment, which is the first such experiment with large firms. Early results show how much difference improving management practices can make. Recent measurement has found that the majority of firms in...

The eighth in impact series summarizes the results of an evaluation that didn't go as planned. Nevertheless, the author believe there are lessons to be had from this experience for Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) finance and private sector work in other countries, and that it is...

The seventh in impact series summarizes research which arose from research staff working together with operational staff on a World Bank Economic and Sector Work (ESW) on policies to increase the formality and productivity of firms in Bolivia. It is also illustrative of how an instrumental...

The fourth in impact series follows up on the first impact note, which presented the puzzling finding that the average female-owned microenterprise in Sri Lanka had no gain in profit from grants. This note presents the results of new research designed to understand why

This new series is intended to share the findings of impact evaluations in the areas of finance and private sector development (FPD) that researchers in Finance and Private Sector Development Team of the Development Research Group (DECRG-FP) have been involved in, and to draw out their lessons...

Lowering the cost of sending remittances has become a major goal of policy efforts in migration, and an area the World Bank has worked on across the globe. Two main channels for lowering these costs are regulatory reforms to promote competition and the introduction of new products; and efforts...