The Pension Reform Implementation Support Technical Assistance (PRISTA) is a World Bank- executed US$5.8 million grant to the Government of Iraq (GOI), which was formally launched in February 2010. PRISTA responds to GOIs request for assistance to support pension reforms in Iraq and the...

The Iraqi National Board of Pensions (NBP) has the responsibility of overseeing the oldage and disability pensions of public and private sector workers across the country. For the last several years, the NBP has been implementing an ambitious and far-reaching program of reform and renewal....

This quick note provides an overview of the World Bank report striving for better jobs: the challenge of informality in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The report was completed as a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests swept across the Arab world. Millions of young people...

While Iraq is a middle-income country it faces challenges which are more commonly found in low income countries. These include dependence on one primary commodity (crude oil); significant infrastructure reconstruction and rehabilitation needs; and poorly performing regulatory policies,...

The Middle East North Arica (MENA) region faces no greater challenge than employment generation. An expanding literature on 'gazelles' suggests that a small percentage of fast-growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) generate the majority of new jobs in diverse economies. This paper observes...

The full report on which this Quick Note is based argues that Middle East and North Africa's (MENA's) financial systems contributed significantly to these unsatisfactory outcomes by failing to provide affordable access to finance to large segments of the enterprise and household sectors. The...

The link between sound and well-developed financial systems and economic growth is fundamental. Efficient and prudent allocation of resources by the financial system is critical for increasing productivity, boosting economic development, enhancing equality of opportunity, and reducing poverty....

Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are undergoing a profound transformation. From Bahrain to Yemen, from Tunisia to Egypt, popular movements are calling for political change and a more inclusive development path that will provide ordinary citizens with greater...

The World Bank's 2010 study, Arab Development Assistance: four decades of cooperation, showed that Arab countries have been generous donors over the years, particularly the three Gulf countries - Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which represent over 90 percent of total...

An interesting consequence of the Arab Spring is that it is compelling the West to re-evaluate its understanding of the Middle East. Stereotypes and misconceptions have abounded, but today the region can no longer be grossly dismissed as home only to extremists or the oil-rich. Instead, a more...