"The authors compare the two merger control systems currently employed worldwide: a mandatory system based on merger size threshold and a voluntary system with ex-post monitoring and fines. The voluntary system possesses two informational advantages: (i) the enforcement agency employs more...

This technical note is intended to provide regulators with concrete, practical information on operating price-comparison websites and the strategic considerations necessary to take into account when designing such sites. The technical note examines price-comparison websites operated by public...

Digital technologies, such as digital payments or social media, have the potential to boost business growth; however, female entrepreneurs face barriers to digital adoption. EAPGIL partnered with the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice at the World Bank and the Indonesian...

"Microfinance has been heralded as an effective way to address imperfections in credit markets. But from a theoretical perspective, the success of microfinance contracts has puzzling elements. In particular, the group-based mechanisms often employed are vulnerable to free-riding and collusion,...

"The home equity bias is one of the many puzzles existing in international finance. This puzzle is characterized by the concentration of domestic equity in any investor's portfolio, which is in contradiction with the benchmark of full diversification in a world mutual fund. Based on Admati's...

Good practices reduce costs and produce timely results; poor practices lead to waste and delays and are often the cause for allegations of corruption and Government inefficiency. Enhanced transparency in procurement through voluntary disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act (2005)' is...

From 2001 to 2012, Indonesia enjoyed strong economic growth, averaging 5.6 percent per annum, while the poverty rate halved to 11 percent. The employment rate reached a two-decade record high in 2019, with 67.5 percent of youth and adults in the labor force. However, growth and job creation have...

"This paper explores an empirical methodology to assess the impacts of trade reforms on household behavior in developing countries. It focuses on consumption and income responses: when price reforms take place, households modify consumption and production decisions and local labor markets...

"While there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence on the economic effects of adverse health shocks, there is relatively little hard empirical evidence. The author builds on recent empirical work to explore in the context of postreform Vietnam two related issues: (1) how far household income and...

While Myanmar responded early and decisively to the COVID-19 pandemic thereby limiting adverse health impacts, evidence from the Myanmar COVID-19 Monitoring Platform shows that impacts on households’ welfare were significant. Border movement restrictions starting in February and a complete...