Development Research Group

Resilience to climate change is often framed in defensive and reactive terms, focusing on top-down measures that treat individuals as passive victims unable to anticipate or protect themselves from shocks. This narrow approach overlooks a critical aspect: the capacity of firms, farms, and households to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to disruptions. True resilience is about enabling people to take proactive measures—preparing for disruptions, recovering from shocks, and adapting to changing circumstances. 

This perspective lies at the heart of the World Bank Development Economics Vice Presidency’s (DEC) research program on resilience. This seminar will present key ideas from the DEC research program on resilience and explore their applicability in the Asia region.

A new report from the World Bank Group, Financing Firm Growth: The Role of Capital Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, explores the surge in capital market financing in low- and middle-income countries from 1990 to 2022. Drawing on data from nearly 80,000 firms worldwide, the study shows how capital markets have been a key driver of investment and job creation in developing countries.

The accompanying Capital Markets Portal enables users to compare capital market financing at country, regional, or income levels against selected benchmarks through dynamic graphs and maps.

In many developing countries, tax policy is often driven more by pragmatism rather than the pursuit of optimal outcomes. Barriers such as informality, low tax capacity, political roadblocks, and limited data analytics often result in inefficient and inequitable tax structures that persist over time.

Join us on April 7, 2025 for this Policy Research Talk where World Bank economist Dario Tortarolo will discuss how new data-driven approaches are reshaping how governments design and evaluate tax systems in real time, enabling policymakers to move beyond educated guesses toward informed, evidence-based decisions. 

With International Women’s Day serving as a reminder of the progress made —and the challenges that remain— in advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment, this edition of Research Insights highlights new evidence on how to expand women’s access to economic opportunities.

Research Insights aims to bridge the gap between complex research and practical application, fostering informed decision-making and effective policy design.