New technologies help firms in emerging markets make significant gains. But these firms often face barriers to successfully incorporating new technologies into their businesses. Emerging-market leaders, however, can take steps to help firms overcome these barriers, including strengthening...

Severe storms, record heat waves, intense droughts, and floods—the impact of climate change rises every year and economic and financial losses rise with it. Insurance plays a major role in helping businesses in advanced economies mitigate the consequences of the changing climate and prepare...

Governments in advanced economies have historically helped spur commercial innovation, particularly as a result of spillovers from defense related research and development. In many emerging markets, however, government lacks the resources or capabilities to do so. In Africa, as in other emerging...

The global productivity slowdown is affecting mature as well as emerging economies and this pattern has been particularly prominent over the past five years. Productivity levels in mature economies are almost five times higher than those of emerging countries, providing ample catch-up...

In emerging markets, climate change threatens infrastructure that is critical for development. Roads, airports, water systems, and power plants are vulnerable to weather changes. Severe storms and major droughts can disrupt economic activity. Because private companies and investors in emerging...

Emerging markets are especially vulnerable to threats from climate change. Storms, droughts, and floods jeopardize the livelihoods of farmers, while extreme temperatures limit the ability of workers to be outdoors. Insurance is one tool that can help emerging markets adapt to climate change by...

Cities, which are home to half of the world’s population, are on the front lines of climate change. Extreme temperatures, storms, and floods have a higher impact in crowded urban areas. And cities in emerging economies will bear an even greater burden of climate change threats. Given their...

Insurance plays a vital role in protecting people, businesses, and public institutions against shocks, allowing them to transfer risks and purchase security. Insurers in advanced economies even act as financial intermediaries. In many emerging economies, however, insurance is still in a nascent...

Over the last decade African advances in technology, especially in the home-grown mobile banking sector, have shown how innovation can contribute to economic development across the continent. By understanding how the application of changes in technologies take hold globally—from initial...

In fragile settings the challenges of building a business are increased by a legacy of conflict, instability, and loss. Institutions struggle to provide basic services, let alone the complex reforms and public goods necessary for an enabling business environment. Despite these substantial...