This paper analyzes the role of the United States in the global economy and examines the extent of global spillovers from changes in U.S. growth, monetary and fiscal policies, and uncertainty in its financial markets and economic policies. Developments in the U.S. economy, the world's largest,...

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 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...

The following pages relate to the experience of over three thousand young people with regards to what it means for them to be coming of age in today's world. Between September 2005 and April 2006, these young women and men met in twenty-six developing countries to talk about what concerns them:...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a classic example of the paradox of plenty, since the country is extremely rich in natural resources while its population is extremely poor. It is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with a total surface area of about 234 million hectares...

Over the last decade Rwanda has developed an exemplary identification ecosystem and has accumulated practical knowledge and experience that deserve to be shared with other African nations who may find it useful and inspiring as they attempt to build their own identification schemes. While the...

In today's digital age, robust, inclusive, and responsible civil registration and identification systems play an important role in providing citizens with a legal identity and generating vital and demographic statistics. Universal coverage of these systems improves the accessibility, integrity,...

The January 2016 edition of Global Economic Prospects discusses current global and regional economic developments and prospects, analyzing key challenges and opportunities confronting developing countries. This volume addresses, among other topics, spillovers from large emerging markets and...

The decline in international oil prices over the past two years has resulted into an economic crisis in the Republic of Congo that could forestall the transformation efforts to move the country towards higher middle income status. A key strategy that government has pursued in recent years has...