A consumption tax reform in Brazil has been recently approved by the House of Representatives, providing a full tax exemption for the yet undefined 'National Basic Basket’ of goods (cesta basica nacional), alongside a cashback scheme that is yet to be determined. This note simulates the...

The proposed diagnostic fills a void between widely available quantitative indicators and detailed diagnostics of the capacity of an NSS. Statistical capacity can readily be ranked across countries using publicly available scoring instruments, like the SPI. However, these indicators are not able...

Consumer price indices are central to monitoring, guiding, and defining a country's economic development path. By capturing how prices change over time, consumer price indices provide a measure of the evolution of the cost of living for households. The impact of price indices on the economy is...

Global poverty monitored by the World Bank for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is reported only at the national level, lacking a breakdown between urban and rural areas. A key challenge to producing globally comparable estimates of urban poverty is the need for consistent definitions of...

In 2019, the Government of Paraguay (GOP) embarked on a comprehensive tax reform to simplify and modernize its tax system. At the request of the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and building on long-standing policy dialogue with the country, the World Bank (WB) Poverty team worked quickly to develop a...

Despite significant recent advances in research on people with disabilities in many developed countries, little is known about their counterparts living in the developing world. With the goal of helping to improve the state of knowledge on disability, the United Nations commissioned the...

Eighty-two percent of respondents in a sample of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries were able to access medical care despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the remaining 18 percent, about one-third reported that the COVID-19 pandemic impaired their access, either due to lockdown restrictions,...

Nepal's transition to a federal system provides new optimism to achieve inclusive development and economic growth. However, the scarcity of locally disaggregated data and lack of capacity to use it stymie evidence-based policy decisions, especially in remote rural areas. This note summarizes our...

Microsimulation modelling has become a powerful tool to analyze the effects of fiscal policy changes. The World Bank’s Equity Policy Lab (EPL) has developed a customizable microsimulation tool to assess the distributional effects of tax, benefits, and other fiscal reforms. This Note explains...

Vulnerability to poverty refers to the likelihood that a household or an individual may fall below the poverty line in the event of a shock. Understanding vulnerability helps design policies to protect households and promote resilience. The World Bank's Equity Policy Lab (EPL) and the Global...