This briefing note provides a rapid scan of partnership initiatives by the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) to improve the state of water and sanitation services in Africa. The note aims to highlight the gains and challenges of the major...

Running a business involves continuous growth. Such growth can be organic, stemming from resources created internally in the enterprise. However, in many cases an external development strategy is adopted, based on acquisition of other entities. Such an acquisition may involve creation of a...

The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit) may have a negative impact on trade and investment flows not just for the UK, but also for the countries with the largest exposure to the UK. The indirect impact of a Brexit-induced recession in the UK -may also be felt in the EU...

In 2016, the Government of Bulgaria (GoB) decided to initiate spending reviews to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its spending in the context of a moderate fiscal consolidation process. Though Bulgaria has one of the lowest overall spending in the European Union (EU), spending...

All UK employers now offer a pension scheme including the use of automatic enrollment. More than 9 million people have started saving into a workplace pension as a consequence. NEST is a pension scheme that any employer can use to meet its auto enrollment obligations. It was set up to serve...

Core to an effective financial consumer protection framework is an accessible and efficient recourse mechanism that allows consumers both to know and to assert their rights to have their complaints addressed and resolved in a transparent and just way within a reasonable timeframe. Complaints...

This policy note assesses Croatia's readiness for increased longevity. It focuses on health and social care services for the elderly, identifying critical gaps, or open questions, in the key areas of services, workforce, financing and governance. The aim is to support reforms that strengthen...

The short-term impact of Brexit on goods exports is assessed using the Overall Trade Restrictiveness Index of the United Kingdom's major trading partners. The analysis shows that in the short run, leaving the European Union may cause the United Kingdom's exports to the European Union to decrease...