The Covid-19 pandemic caused a global economic crisis, leading governments to provide substantial State Aid to support firms. This paper examines the effectiveness of Covid-related financial support in Spain and Italy, focusing on its impact on firm recovery. Using a difference-in-differences...

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a global economic crisis, leading governments to provide substantial State Aid to support firms. This paper examines the effectiveness of Covid-related financial support in Spain and Italy, focusing on its impact on firm recovery. Using a difference-in-differences...

This study examines how student aid eligibility influences application decisions to higher education using administrative data from France. We study the impact of a change in income thresholds for aid eligibility. We find that aid eligibility did not have a uniform effect on students'...

This study examines how student aid eligibility influences application decisions to higher education using administrative data from the French national centralized platform. We employ a difference-in-differences approach following a change in the income thresholds for aid eligibility. We find...

Research and development (R&D) is a central driver of long-term economic growth, technological progress, and institutional capacity. Yet many African countries remain marginal in the global knowledge economy, with limited investment in science, technology, and innovation (STI) and weak research...

Development finance institutions mobilize over $250 billion annually through blended finance operations, yet practitioners lack a unified framework to evaluate its catalytic effect and for choosing among instruments. I develop a model of investment multipliers under two canonical market...

ubsidizing fossil fuel consumption is at odds with climate change mitigation and a heavy burden on public budgets. Yet, efforts to reform such subsidies often face strong public opposition. We examine whether informing citizens about the effects of fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR) and...

This paper evaluates the employment and sales effects of two widely used financial support instruments for small and medium-sized enterprises, interest rate subsidies and credit guarantees, using administrative program data from Kazakhstan matched to the universe of firms. Utilizing staggered...

This Report goes beyond diagnosing subsidy problems to provide clear, evidence based, and politically grounded guidance for policy makers on reform paths. It offers a comprehensive overview of the costs and benefits of subsidies, along with strategies for reform. It outlines pathways for...

This Country Program Evaluation assesses the World Bank Group’s support to Indonesia between FY 2013 and FY23. The evaluation period included three country strategies: the FY13–15 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS), the FY16–20 Country Partnership Framework (CPF), and the ongoing FY21–25...

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in public-sector administrative capacity, particularly in the implementation of crisis-related state aid schemes. Under conditions of extreme workload, time pressure, and legal constraints, administrative processes became critical...

ndustrial policy has returned to the centre of economic governance, particularly in the high-tech sectors where positive network externalities in demand make market dominance self-reinforcing. This paper studies the welfare effects of an industrial policy targeting a sector with network...

This study examines the heterogeneous effects of key macroeconomic determinants on economic growth in selected MENA economies using a pooled quantile regression framework. Unlike conventional mean-based approaches, this method captures variation across different segments of the conditional...

This study explores public opinion for reducing fossil fuel subsidies in Angola, identifies strategies that can shift public opinion, and analyzes variations in support based on respondents’ area of residency and gender. It uses data from a survey of 598 respondents and focus groups involving...

The goal of universal health coverage (UHC) is for all people to receive the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without incurring financial hardship. UHC covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to disease prevention, treatment,...

The International Development Association (IDA) is the largest source of long-term concessional financing for the world’s poorest countries. Since 1960, IDA has delivered more than US$600 billion in grants and credits at low interest rates with long-term maturities, helping client countries...

This Country Program Evaluation reviews the World Bank Group’s engagement in Ethiopia during FY2013–FY2023 across three distinct periods: rapid growth with rising macroeconomic imbalances and political unrest (FY13–FY18); government-led openings to economic reform (FY19–FY20); and...

This paper studies how employment subsidies for start-ups shape their performance. We exploit an unexpected policy reform in Belgium that permanently exempted start-ups hiring their first employee from payroll taxes for that employee. Using firm-level administrative data and a...

This paper examines whether the success of prior aid projects affects the performance of subsequent ones based on a study of World Bank projects in Africa. While existing research has shown that aid effectiveness depends on macroeconomic conditions, institutional quality, and managerial...

This paper studies how employment subsidies for start-ups shape their performance. We exploit an unexpected policy reform in Belgium that permanently exempted start-ups hiring their first employee from payroll taxes for that employee. Using firm-level administrative data and a...

Persistent gender gaps in self-promotion contribute to unequal labor market outcomes. In this study, we investigate how AI-assisted writing tools shape selfpromotion, and, as a secondary outcome, confidence and how these effects interact with gender. For this purpose, we conducted an online...

Drawing on nearly 650 government and MDB officials across 125 countries and 250 in-depth interviews in 12 countries. This report arrives at a moment of significantly reduced aid budgets, escalating financing needs, rising sovereign debt, geopolitical tensions and a fragmented development finance...

The resurgence of subsidies and industrial policies has raised concerns about their potential inefficiency and alignment with multilateral principles. Critics warn that such policies may divert resources to less efficient firms and provoke retaliatory measures from other countries, leading to a...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the global framework establishing 17 universal and interconnected goals to guide sustainable development efforts – was adopted in 2015 following a uniquely participative and ambitious process. A decade on, it is increasingly evident that most of...

Central Asia has emerged as a key region where the convergence of geopolitics and development cooperation is most visible. Major powers are redefining their approaches: Japan combines official development assistance (ODA) with commercial partnerships to advance connectivity and reform; the EU is...

Background: The administration and management of humanitarian logistical operations are considered critical factors. The extreme and unexpected nature of events such as natural disasters poses logistical challenges to humanitarian support agencies providing aid to the affected area. These...

Climate-related risks are macro-critical considerations for Burkina Faso. This Climate Policy Diagnostic identifies policy reforms that reduce balance of payment risks, boost fiscal resilience, and generate positive climate outcomes. A robust package of fiscal policies is key to accelerating...

In 2025, fragile and conflict-affected (FCS) included 38 economies that are home to 1 billion people. The recent shocks have intensified fragility-related pressures even in more stable economies. This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of macroeconomic challenges and policies under...