With rising global health and economic concerns, Vietnam economy is expected to be significantly affected, even though the COVID 19 health crisis has been so far contained, with only 240 cases of infected people and no registered death as of early April. The World Bank's GDP growth forecast for...

COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented shock to the global economy. While Vietnam has shown resilience, the pandemic has resulted in a supply shock as regular work and supply chains are disrupted. It has also caused a demand shock as people cut back their consumption of several services and...

This note provides a set of high-level recommendations that can guide national regulatory and supervisory responses to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and offers an overview of measures taken across jurisdictions to date. The banking sector plays a critical role in mitigating the...

Across the developing world, the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic threatens to cause massive disruptions in food supply chains. The World Food Programme estimates that by the end of 2020, twu hundred and sixty five million will face acute food insecurity - twice as many as before the crisis....

The urgency of effective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reliance of many low-income countries on imports of medical products, requires new approaches to regulation of these products. The challenge will be particularly acute for the new tests to identify infection, drugs to alleviate...

Measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have led to a sharp contraction of the global economy and an even larger decline in trade, with significant implications on the livelihoods of people in Africa. Despite the relatively low number of cases, the region's economy would be hard hit due...

This note looks at the experience countries have had in introducing reforms that improved the business environment. Instead of examining what was done (that is, the content of reforms), the focus is placed on how reform programs came to be successful. The note aims to provide an overview of...

The objective of this ASA was 'to develop policy recommendations for the Russian Federation based on a detailed analysis of the returns to education and identification of feasible pathways for robust growth in Russia's human capital wealth'. The second part of identifying feasible pathways was...

Myanmar is part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a signatory of ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA). These arrangements have a legal obligation which require members to align its overall trade and tariff policies according to the agreement or schedule of commitment. These steps are also...

This policy note assesses Croatia's readiness for increased longevity. It focuses on health and social care services for the elderly, identifying critical gaps, or open questions, in the key areas of services, workforce, financing and governance. The aim is to support reforms that strengthen...