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Channel: Let's Talk Development - A blog hosted by the World Bank's Chief Economist
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Increasingly, inequality within, not across, countries is rising

During the second-half of the last century countries were placed in one of two mutually exclusive camps: north or south, east or west, advanced or emerging, developed or developing. Simple though this...

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The international poverty line has just been raised to $1.90 a day, but...

World Bank researchers have been trying to assess the extent of extreme poverty across the world since 1979 and more systematically since the World Development Report 1990, which introduced the...

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From population bomb to development opportunity: New perspectives on...

A generation ago, the World Development Report 1984 focused on development challenges posed by demographic change, reflecting the world’s concerns about run-away population growth. Global population...

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Why are Indian firms five times less productive than American ones? One...

How important is land as a factor of production in India? In a recent paper (The misallocation of land and other factors of production in India,"Policy Research Working Paper Series 7221), we focused...

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Poverty is falling faster among Africa’s female headed households

A sizeable number of households in Africa today have female heads.  Based on the latest Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), 26% of all households Africa-wide are headed by women. Although there are...

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The three major challenges to ending extreme poverty

As the latest Global Monitoring Report (GMR) finds, the global poverty rate is expected to fall into the single digits for the first time in 2015 at 9.6 percent. While this is good news, when we look...

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Markets prey on our weaknesses. Two Nobel Laureates say so.

One more swipe at homo economicus and he might just meet his maker. This time two Nobel laureates George Akerlof (2001) and Robert Shiller (2013) are packing the punch. In a new book called “Phishing...

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Lights, camera, action on entertainment education!

Also available in: Español | Français | العربية Behavior change campaigns are all around us. They remind us to get our flu shots; warn us that food and drinks are not allowed when using public...

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India’s chaotic and messy use of energy

Globally, India ranks fourth in energy consumption, but it is not well endowed with energy resources. Being the second most populous country in the world, how India manages its industrialization and...

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Commodity prices come tumbling down

Most commodity prices fell in the third quarter of 2015 as a result of abundant supplies and weak demand, leading to a further downward revision in price forecasts for 2015 and 2016. Our quarterly...

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Digital India = Inclusive India

One of the greatest marvels of our times, undoubtedly, is the digital revolution. It has pushed through human limitations to unleash an ‘e’-era of cutting-edge innovations. Be it a student taking an...

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The poverty line’s battle lines

For a long time, as a college professor and then as the chief economic adviser to the Indian government, I was a happy user of the World Bank’s data on global poverty, tracking trends and analyzing...

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Lifting of Iran sanctions could have major impact on energy markets

With a lifting of sanctions in 2016, Iran could play a key role in energy markets but boosting capacity will require foreign investment, according to the World Bank’s latest edition of Commodity...

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Appointing a gender equal cabinet is good for Canada – but not for the reason...

Also available in: Français Recently, Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, appointed a cabinet that is 50% female. Explaining the choice, Trudeau stated that it was important “to...

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Night lights and the pursuit of subnational GDP: Application to Kenya & Rwanda

Estimating national-level growth levels and rates is fraught with challenges. Doing so at subnational levels even more so – because of data challenges, and difficulties in attributing economic activity...

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How digital financial services boost women’s economic opportunities

Imagine having to skip work every month to travel to the city center just to pay your electricity bill or your child’s school fee? Would you not worry if your income relied on remittances and you were...

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Record-setting El Niño may disrupt locally but won’t cause spike in global ag...

El Niño weather patterns are known to disrupt commodity production, and by most accounts the current episode will be the strongest on record. Although this El Nino could cause considerable damage at...

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Why economic convergence matters in today’s globalized world

In his fine book The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization, professor Thomas Homer-Dixon refers to the projected divergence in average income per capita between the...

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The consequences of banning child labor

From a normative perspective, we can all agree that child labor is reprehensible and should be banned, particularly in its worst forms. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), child...

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How roads support development

Rural road. Photo: Curt Carnemark / World Bank Roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses. By linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to school, and the sick to hospitals,...

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