Swaziland's economic growth has moderated over the last two decades and has been among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The slow growth has exacerbated the serious challenges facing the country's development, for example, high unemployment, particularly among the youth. The demographic shift in...

The report focuses on the social safety net, particularly cash and in-kind transfers. The safety net can play an important role in addressing poverty and vulnerability; however, the process by which the safety nets have been developed in Swaziland has produced a fragmented system that leaves...

This report presents an analysis of how effectively the current policies in Swaziland engage the private sector in basic (primary and secondary) education. The analysis draws on the engaging the private sector (EPS) framework, a product of the World Bank's systems approach for better education...

This report presents an analysis of the early childhood development (ECD) programs and policies that affect young children in Swaziland and recommendations to move forward. This report is part of a series of reports prepared by the World Bank using the systems approach for better education...

The Enterprise Surveys (ES) focus on many aspects of the business environment. These factors can be accommodating or constraining for firms and play an important role in whether an economy's private sector will thrive or not. An accommodating business environment is one that encourages firms to...

The Report on Observance of Standards and Codes, Accounting and Auditing (ROSC A&A), requested by the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland, contributes to development of a comprehensive plan that will strengthen the institutional framework that underpins accounting and auditing practices in...

The World Bank Group has developed a new diagnostic approach called Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD). This study pilots the use of the World Bank's MFD approach to identify areas along value chains (VCs) where the private sector is involved. More important may be the identification of...

Bihar, India's poorest state, witnessed impressive yield growth in each of its three principal crops over 2005-17. This paper examines whether a convergence in district yields accompanied the improvement in yields at the state level, thereby reducing regional inequalities in land productivity....

Inorganic fertilizer use across Sub-Saharan Africa is generally considered to be low. Yet, this belief is predicated on the assumption that it is profitable to use rates higher than currently observed. However, there is little rigorous empirical evidence to support this notion. Using a...