Sustainability and Infrastructure

Lasting poverty reduction requires sustainable natural resource management as well as infrastructure development. This research program encompasses energy, environment, land, agriculture, water, climate change, biodiversity, and urbanization.

Featured Research

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies
December 2020
In this Policy Research Talk, World Bank economist Hanan Jacoby explored the cognitive limitations of consumers flagged by behavioral economics and how they interact with the policy questions faced by public utilities. The talk draws on recent research in Vietnam, undertaken in partnership with both a water and an electricity service provider. The electricity experiment allows a study of consumer inattention and the value of providing real-time usage information, while the piped water experiment addresses pricing of utility services when consumers form habits.
Presentation | Video | Working Paper | Event Information | More about Hanan Jacoby
Electricity Availability and Economic Activity: Lessons from Developing Countries

September 2020
In this Policy Research Talk, World Bank economist Jevgenijs Steinbuks discussed key insights from recent studies of electricity access and reliability in developing countries, and lesson learned from his own recent empirical work on the power sector in Brazil, Nepal, Ukraine, and a number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Main Presentation (PDF) | Discussant Presentation (PDF) | Video | Event Information | More research by Jevgenijs Steinbuks | Newsletter on Electricity and Development
Land Research, Data, and Policy Insights
Land is at the center of many of the world's pressing challenges. The World Bank's Development Research Group is generating new insights into how countries can reform their land policies to effectively tackle rural poverty, rapid urbanization, equity, and environmental degradation.
Land Governance Assessment Framework | Next Land Conference (March 21-25, 2022, Washington, DC)

LATEST WORKING PAPERS

Rural-Urban Migration in Developing Countries: Lessons from the Literature
Harris Selod, Forhad Shilpi
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9662, May 2021

Assessing Response Fatigue in Phone Surveys: Experimental Evidence on Dietary Diversity in Ethiopia
Kibrom A. Abay, Guush Berhane, John Hoddinott, Kibrom Tafere
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9636, April 2021

The Effect of Information and Subsidy Measures on Adoption of Solar Lanterns: An Application of the BDM Bidding Mechanism in Rural Ethiopia
Alemu Mekonnen, Sied Hassen, Marcela Jaime, Michael A. Toman, Xiao-Bing Zhang
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9595, March 2021

More Working Papers

LATEST JOURNAL ARTICLES

Economic Costs of Electricity Load Shedding in Nepal
Govinda Timilsina and Jevgenijs Steinbuks, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 146, August 2021, 111112 | Working Paper Version

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Tropical Cyclone Landfalls in Northern Bay of Bengal, India and Bangladesh
Snando Bandyopadhyay, Susmita Dasgupta, Zahirul Huque Khan, David Wheeler
Asia Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, March 5, 2021 | Working Paper Version

Backyarding: Theory and Evidence for South Africa
Jan Brueckner, Claus Rabe, Harris Selod
Regional Science and Urban Economics 79, November 2019, 103486 | Working Paper Version

PUBLICATIONS

Coping with Climate Change in the Sundarbans: Lessons from Multidisciplinary Studies
Susmita Dasgupta, David Wheeler, Md. Istiak Sobhan, Sunando Bandyopadhyay, Ainun Nishat, and Tapas Paul, November 2020
Climate change is a major threat to the Sundarbans — the world’s largest remaining contiguous mangrove forest — wetland of international importance, and the surrounding poor communities whose livelihoods depend on its natural resources. This book synthesizes multiyear, multidisciplinary studies that assess the vulnerability of this ecosystem and its neighboring coastal communities and recommend “resilient-smart” adaptation measures. The methods and findings will be of interest to development practitioners, policy makers, and researchers focused on island nations and countries worldwide that feature high density populations and economic activity in low-lying coastal regions vulnerable to sea-level rise.
Download the report | More about Susmita Dasgupta

MULTIMEDIA

1 / 3

VIDEO

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies

Latest Blogs & Articles

Managing coastal out-migration in Bangladesh
Susmita Dasgupta, David Wheeler, Mainul Huq, Utpal Roy | End Poverty In South Asia, February 11, 2021 | Report
COVID-19 and food security in Ethiopia: Do social protection programs protect?
Kibrom A. Abay, Guush Berhane, John Hoddinott, Kibrom Tafere | Let’s Talk Development, February 1, 2021 | Working Paper
Africa’s Resource Export Opportunities and the Global Energy Transition
Clara Galeazzi, Jevgenijs Steinbuks, James Cust | Live Wire series knowledge note 2020/111, World Bank, Washington, DC, December 15, 2020
How can potholes empower? Lessons from Moscow
Jevgenijs Steinbuks, Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, Nisan Gorgulu | Let’s Talk Development, November 10, 2020
Mangroves and coastal protection: A potential triple-win for Bangladesh
Susmita Dasgupta, Md. Istiak Sobhan, Mainul Huq, Zahirul Haque Khan | End Poverty in South Asia, July 16, 2020
Proactive, crosscutting adaptation measures are needed to reduce climate change impacts on the poor
Susmita Dasgupta | Let’s Talk Development, May 28, 2020
Increasing resilience to climate change is good development policy
Michael Toman and Susmita Dasgupta | Let’s Talk Development, April 16, 2020
Returns to early interventions at sufficient scale are high
Sergio Schmukler, Michael Toman, Adam Wagstaff | Let’s Talk Development, April 9, 2020
Basing policy decisions on rigorous causal evidence
Xavier Gine and Hanan Jacoby | Let’s Talk Development, March 26, 2020

Show More +

MANAGER

Carolyn Fischer

Research Manager, Sustainability and Infrastructure

Research Staff »

Development Projects

Priorities

Knowledge

Products & Services

Sustainability and Infrastructure

Featured Research

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies

Electricity Availability and Economic Activity: Lessons from Developing Countries

Land Research, Data, and Policy Insights

PUBLICATIONS

Coping with Climate Change in the Sundarbans: Lessons from Multidisciplinary Studies

MULTIMEDIA

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies

Related

Latest Blogs & Articles

MANAGER

Carolyn Fischer

JOIN US LIVE

About the World Bank

Accountability

Experts And Leaders

Development Projects

Priorities

Knowledge

Products & Services

Countries

Recent Searches

Regions

Country Groups

Data & Research

Development Topics

For Job Seekers

For Partners

For Investors

For Learners

Meet Us

Search

Sustainability and Infrastructure

Featured Research

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies

Electricity Availability and Economic Activity: Lessons from Developing Countries

Land Research, Data, and Policy Insights

PUBLICATIONS

Coping with Climate Change in the Sundarbans: Lessons from Multidisciplinary Studies

MULTIMEDIA

The Implications of Behavioral Economics for Public Utility Policies

Electricity Availability and Economic Activity: Lessons from Developing Countries

Structural Change in Space: Employment Transition and Urbanization in Developing Countries

Related

Latest Blogs & Articles

MANAGER

Carolyn Fischer

follow us

newsletter