Development Research Group

The 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference is now accepting paper submissions! Submit your paper and join leading researchers and policymakers in London this September 2025 to discuss cutting-edge public finance research. The organizers invite submissions across all areas of public finance, including Tax Policy and Administration; Subsidies and Compensation / Wage Bill Reforms; Political Economy of Fiscal Reforms; Public Financial Management, Public Goods Provision, and Procurement; and Cash Transfers, Social Protection and other Poverty Alleviation, and Inequality Reduction Programs.

📅 Submission deadline: May 15, 2025

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.

Join us on May 21 as a panel of the report’s core authors takes a deep dive into the report’s findings and implications for development policy.

Global goods trade continued to expand rapidly from October 2024 through February 2025, driven by a surge in demand fueled by expectations of higher import restrictions in the US. Trade in services, which is reported two months after goods, also saw further expansion during the October to December period, with international tourist arrivals recovering to exceed pre-pandemic levels. However, stress in global supply chains remained high in March 2025 due to the increase in goods trade. Despite these pressures, the expansion of the container fleet helped restrain shipping costs. 

Entrepreneurial activity is a pillar of economic growth. Successful businesses power local economies, generate jobs, and offer a pathway out of poverty. However, turning a small unproductive firm into a resilient, growing business is rarely straightforward.

This edition of Research Insights collects evidence from four studies that examine how different forms of support—training, information, and business networks—can shape outcomes for micro and small firms.