Research and Publications

South Asia is the most climate-vulnerable region among emerging market and developing economies. With governments having limited room to act due to fiscal constraints, the burden of climate adaptation will fall primarily on households and firms. 

The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. 

Women, Business and the Law 2026 is the 11th in a series of annual studies measuring the laws and policies that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies. The 2026 edition presents an updated Women, Business and the Law 2.0, a new framework that assesses three pillars capturing both de jure and de facto dimensions of gender equality: legal frameworks, supportive frameworks, and enforcement perceptions.

In East Asia and Pacific (EAP), people are living longer but not necessarily healthier lives. As populations age and urbanize, an epidemic of chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease is taking hold, affecting workers in their prime, eroding productivity, and escalating health care costs. 

Amidst slower global growth, a shifting labor market, and rising protectionism, governments around the world are increasingly turning to a once controversial policy. Industrial policy—the range of policy tools governments use to shape what an economy produces, rather than leaving it to markets alone—is back with a vengeance.

Human capital—the health, knowledge, skills, and experience that people accumulate throughout their lives—is essential for productivity and economic growth. Yet, progress has stalled, and there have even been reversals in human capital accumulation over the last 15 years.