Real GDP growth in Russia surpassed expectations in 2018, reaching 2.3 percent, mostly due to one off effects of energy construction. Forecasted growth of 1.2 percent in 2019 and 1.8 percent in 2020 and 2021 reflects a more modest outlook. Russia's macro-fiscal buffers remain strong, with fiscal...

Growth in the Western Balkans has strengthened to an estimated 3.5 percent. In most of the region, growth projections for 2018 have been revised upward. Growth was stimulated by higher public investment and consumption. Driven by tax reforms and faster growth, higher tax revenues created fiscal...

This note examines the competitiveness of the export sector in Sao Tome and Principe. It relies on the framework developed by Reis and Farole (2012) and examines the export competitiveness along four complementary dimensions: export growth and market shares, diversification in terms of product...

The purpose of this background note is to give an overview of the literature on output volatility and economic growth, assess output volatility and its impact in Sao Tome and Principe (STP). This note is organized in four sections, besides this introductory part. The second section reviews the...

Kenya continues to experience steady economic growth, with real GDP expanding on average by about 5.6 percent over the last five years (2014-2018). In 2019, however, economic activity has softened primarily due to lower agricultural output and weak private sector investment. As a result, the...

Reducing gender inequality could increase GDP per capita by more than a fourth in Niger by 2030. These significant economic gains would be generated by enabling women to have the same earnings as men and reducing fertility and thereby population growth. Investing in girls' education and reducing...

After nearly a decade of strong growth fueled by the boom in commodity prices, Ghana's economy remains undiversified and vulnerable to external shocks.This report strives to analyze the main challenges for economic diversification from a productivity angle.In looking at a set of high-growth...

The objective of this report is to analyze sources of growth in Togo and required reforms in selected sectors (agriculture, manufacturing, transport and logistics, mining, and tourism) to allow the country to accelerate gross domestic product (GDP) growth, therefore creating a basis to move...