The report's main objective is to provide policy makers, regulators, and the private sector, primarily in emerging economies and developing countries, with a tool for enforcing international best practice and for developing strategies for successful reforms in the area of construction...

The private sector, through investment and job creation, plays a crucial role in a country's fight against poverty. Where an effective private sector is lacking, business registration reform has been shown to be one of the essential first steps toward fostering private-sector growth. The easier,...

This note presents practical guidance on how to implement a framework for managing fiscal commitments from Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). It draws on specific regional operational experience and on World Bank Institute (WBI)'s wider thematic engagement with different partners worldwide. The...

Women, business and the law focuses on this critical piece of the puzzle, objectively highlighting differentiations on the basis of gender in 141 economies around the world, covering six areas: accessing institutions, using property, getting a job, providing incentives to work, building credit...

This global report examines the opportunity for special economic zones to promote women's economic empowerment and boost zone and enterprise competitiveness in developing countries. The research covers Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Jordan, Kenya, and the Philippines. The...

Impact investing has seen a boost in popularity during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic due to increased awareness of climate change and social challenges such as unequal access to healthcare and racial and gender inequality. In 2020, the market saw an increasing level of maturity compared to...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which began as a health crisis in early 2020, has rapidly evolved to become an unprecedented economic crisis affecting global, national, and regional economies and billions of individuals around the world. This report analyzes the widespread implications of...

Blended concessional finance is the combination of concessional funds from development partners with commercial finance from development finance institutions (DFIs) and private sources. These resources can be used strategically to help mitigate risk in challenging emerging markets and attract...

Artificial intelligence (AI) - the science of making machines act in rational, intelligent ways is rapidly making inroads into business operations and society. AI is already being applied in many areas of our lives, with high penetration in financial services followed by e-commerce, healthcare,...

The structure of the Ukrainian biomass-to-energy market is taking shape. The supply side of the market is represented by the forestry and wood processing companies and crop and animal farms that are sources of biomass. Pellet producers process available waste into pellets. Boilers for burning...