WDR Reports


  • WDR 2023 cover

    WDR 2023

    Migrants, Refugees, and Societies
    World Development Report 2023 proposes an integrated framework to maximize the development impacts of cross-border movements on both destination and origin countries and on migrants and refugees themselves. The framework it offers, drawn from labor economics and international law.
  • World Development Report 2022 Finance for an Equitable Recovery

    WDR 2022

    Finance for an Equitable Recovery
    World Development Report 2022: Finance for an Equitable Recovery examines the central role of finance in the economic recovery from the pandemic. It highlights the consequences of the crisis most likely to affect emerging economies, and advocates a set of policies to mitigate the interconnected financial risks stemming from the pandemic and steer economies toward a sustainable and equitable recovery.
  • World Development Report 2021 cover image The WDR2021 cover is designed by Dania Kibbi, Base Three Studio, cover illustration by Mijke Coebergh.

    WDR 2021

    Data for Better Lives
    WDR 2021 explores the tremendous potential of the changing data landscape to improve the lives of poor people, while also acknowledging its potential to open back doors that can harm individuals, businesses, and societies. To address this tension between the helpful and harmful potential of data, this Report calls for a new social contract that enables the use and reuse of data to create economic and social value, ensures equitable access to that value, and fosters trust that data will not be misused in harmful ways.
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    WDR 2020

    Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains
    The World Development Report 2020 examines whether there is still a path to development through GVCs and trade. It concludes that technological change is at this stage more a boon than a curse.
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    WDR 2019

    The Changing Nature of Work
    The World Development Report 2019 studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Fears that robots will take away jobs from people have dominated the discussion over the future of work, but the World Development Report 2019 finds that on balance this appears to be unfounded.
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    WDR 2018

    LEARNING to Realize Education’s Promise
    This World Development Report 2018 is the first ever devoted entirely to education. It explores four main themes: 1) education’s promise; 2) the need to shine a light on learning; 3) how to make schools work for learners; and 4) how to make systems work for learning.
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    WDR 2017

    Governance and the Law
    This WDR 2017 addresses these fundamental questions: Why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted or implemented? When they are, why do they often fail to generate development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity? And why do some bad policies endure?
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    WDR 2016

    Digital Dividends
    The World Development Report 2016 on Digital Dividends assembles the best available evidence on the Internnet potential impact on economic growth, on equity, and on the efficiency of public service provision. The report analyzes what factors have allowed some governments, firms and households to benefit from the Internet, and identify the barriers that limit gains elsewhere.
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    WDR 2015

    Mind, Society, and Behavior
    The World Development Report 2015 shows how a richer view of human behavior can help achieve development. It shows how a more subtle view of human behavior provides new tools for interventions.
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    WDR 2014

    Risk and Opportunity
    The 2014 World Development Report examines how improving risk management can lead to larger gains in development and poverty reduction. It argues that improving risk management is crucial to reduce the negative impacts of shocks and hazards, but also to enable people to pursue new opportunities for growth.
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    WDR 2013

    Jobs
    The 2013 World Development Report on Jobs helps explain and analyze the connection between jobs and important dimensions of economic and social development. It provides analytical tools to identify the obstacles to sustained job creation and examine differences in the nature of jobs.
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    WDR 2012

    Gender Equality and Development
    The 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development finds that women's lives around the world have improved dramatically, but gaps remain in many areas. The authors use a conceptual framework to examine progress to date, and then recommend policy actions.
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    WDR 2011

    Conflict, Security, and Development
    Conflict causes human misery, destroys communities and infrastructure, and can cripple economic prospects. The goal of this World Development Report is to contribute concrete, practical suggestions to the debate on how to address and overcome violent conflict and fragility.
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    WDR 2010

    Development and Climate Change
    The main message of the report is that a "climate-smart" world is possible if we act now, act together, and act differently.
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    WDR 2009

    Reshaping Economic Geography
    Places do well when they promote transformations along the dimensions of economic geography: higher densities as cities grow; shorter distances as workers and businesses migrate closer to density; and fewer divisions as nations lower their economic borders and enter world markets to take advantage of scale and trade in specialized products. WDR 2009 2009 concludes that the transformations along these three dimensions of density, distance, and division are essential for development and should be encouraged.
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    WDR 2008

    Agriculture for Development
    In the 21st century, agriculture continues to be a fundamental instrument for sustainable development and poverty reduction. WDR 2008 concludes that agriculture alone will not be enough to massively reduce poverty, but it is an essential component of effective development strategies for most developing countries.
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    WDR 2007

    Development and the Next Generation
    Developing countries which invest in better education, healthcare, and job training for their record numbers of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 years of age, could produce surging economic growth and sharply reduced poverty, according to this report.
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    WDR 2006

    Equity and Development
    Inequality of opportunity, both within and among nations, sustains extreme deprivation, results in wasted human potential and often weakens prospects for overall prosperity and economic growth, concludes this report.
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    WDR 2005

    A Better Investment Climate for Everyone
    Accelerating growth and poverty reduction requires governments to reduce the policy risks, costs, and barriers to competition facing firms of all types - from farmers and micro-entrepreneurs to local manufacturing companies and multinationals - concludes this report.
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    WDR 2004

    Making Services Work for Poor People
    his report warns that broad improvements in human welfare will not occur unless poor people receive wider access to affordable, better quality services in health, education, water, sanitation, and electricity. Without such improvements, freedom from illness and from illiteracy — two of the most important ways poor people can escape poverty — will remain elusive to many.
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    WDR 2003

    Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World
    Without better policies and institutions, social and environmental strains may derail development progress, leading to higher poverty levels and a decline in the quality of life for everybody, according to this report.
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    WDR 2002

    Building Institutions for Markets
    Weak institutions — tangled laws, corrupt courts, deeply biased credit systems, and elaborate business registration requirements — hurt poor people and hinder development, according to this report.
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    WDR 2000-2001

    Attacking Poverty
    This report focuses on the dimensions of poverty, and how to create a better world, free of poverty. The analysis explores the nature, and evolution of poverty, and its causes, to present a framework for action.
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    WDR 1999-2000

    Entering the 21st Century
    This report notes that localization--the growing economic and political power of cities, provinces, and other sub-national entities--will be one of the most important new trends in the 21st century.
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    WDR 1998–1999

    Knowledge for Development
    Knowledge for Development This report analyzes the risks and opportunities that the global information revolution is creating for developing countries, and concludes that access to financial, technical, and medical knowledge is crucial to improving the health and living standards of the poor.
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