Research and Publications

People in East Asia and Pacific (EAP) countries have prospered over the last few decades because of the growth in productive jobs. Do industrial robots, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital platforms threaten that development model?

Will the 21st century witness Africa’s major push toward catching up with other world regions? Or will the continent continue to underperform its peers? This sequel report analyzes past achievements, enduring obstacles, and potential policy alternatives and outlines strategies for governments to enhance support for sustainable growth.

The East Asia and Pacific region is helping the world decarbonize and is encouraging the domestic adoption of renewables. But there is an imbalance: while the region’s innovation and investment improve global access to green technologies, its own emissions continue to grow.

This report details four policy action areas governments can embrace to maximize the benefits of adequate social protection for all: extending social protection to those in need; strengthening the adequacy of social protection support; building shock-proof social protection systems; and optimizing social protection financing.

While growth has raised living standards around the world, and lifted billions out of poverty, not all countries or peoples have benefited equally. This report focuses on the interaction between social exclusion and natural capital—the world’s stock of natural resources and environmental assets, which include soil, water, and air. 

Competition is a core element of economic growth, but empirical evidence on how competition affects productivity is often limited. Competition and Productivity Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean presents new empirical research that shows how competition policy in the region has effectively boosted productivity growth and improved market outcomes.