Mines represent Mongolia’s present, while minds - broadly defined to include people and institutions - are its future. Current policies are excessively focused on preserving the mining-driven prosperity at the risk of future stagnation. Such complacency is ill-timed when climate change...

This paper analyzes competition in the retail banking markets in Latin America. Retail banking services, that is banking products and services for consumers and small businesses, including deposit accounts and related services such as ATMs, direct debit and credit transfers, and credit lines,...

As in most conflicts, in South Sudan, women and girls have been the most vulnerable. Not only do they face many challenges, including extreme poverty and lack of access to basic services and productive assets, but many of the risks they face, such as gender–based violence (GBV), are heightened...

The objective of this study is to fill the knowledge gaps to help advance Albania's vision of the Blue Economy, in the context of the country's aim of joining the EU. The two most important sectors with this regard are fisheries and tourism. Both industries are well established and offer the...

Frequently referred to as the Giant of Africa, Nigeria is growing slower than its population and large numbers of people are poor. With gross national income per capita of US $2,100 (in 2017; Atlas method, WDI), Nigeria is classified as a lower-middle-income country. It is richly endowed, has a...

Policy makers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) often complain that poor fiscal performance in their countries is a result of a high degree of spending rigidity. Despite being a common complaint, the issue has remained largely ignored by the literature because of the lack of adequate...

The people of the Mashreq have seen more than their share of deaths, economic losses, and instability over the past decade. As the decade-long conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic created new challenges and worsened the existing ones, economic activity declined, labor markets deteriorated, and...

Education has a large untapped potential to contribute to human capital, well-being, and wealth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It had been at the heart of the region’s history and civilizations for centuries. The region invested heavily in education for decades but has not been...

Doing Business 2020 is the 17th in a series of annual studies investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. It provides quantitative indicators covering 12 areas of the business environment in 190 economies. The goal of the Doing Business series is to...