This paper discusses and illustrates the analytical foundations of international comparisons (or benchmarking) for assessing a country's potential for improvement along various dimensions of social and economic development. By providing a methodology for international benchmarking, discussing...

Firms and entrepreneurs of all types - from microenterprises to multinationals - play a central role in growth and poverty reduction. Their investment decisions drive job creation, the availability and affordability of goods and services for consumers, and the tax revenues governments can draw...

The outlook for the global economy has darkened. Global financing conditions have tightened, industrial production hasmoderated, trade tensions have intensified, and some large emerging market and developing economies have experiencedsignificant financial market stress. Faced with these...

Global growth appears to be stabilizing after a period of marked weakness, but it remains fragile. A modest recovery inemerging market and developing economies continues to be constrained by subdued investment, which is dampeningprospects and impeding progress toward achieving critical...

Global growth is projected to be slightly faster in 2020 than the post-crisis low registered last year. While growth could be stronger if reduced trade tensions lead to a sustained reduction in uncertainty, the balance of risks to the outlook is to the downside. Growth in emerging market and...

The COVID-19 pandemic has, with alarming speed, dealt a heavy blow to an already-weak global economy, which is expected to slide into its deepest recession since the second world war, despite unprecedented policy support. The global recession would be deeper if countries take longer to bring the...

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, remarked that the millennium development goals (MDGs) created a metric of accountability for which humanity will hold the World Bank answerable. It also created a vital tool for measuring progress. The MDGs call for developing countries to improve...