Two phenomena are increasingly reshaping the world economy. One is the growing and well-documented importance of climate transition policies that differ across countries. The other is the stark rise of geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF) concerns. While differences in climate transition policies are...

The world is falling behind on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a situation exacerbated by recent geopolitical disruptions and challenges to international cooperation. This policy brief, based on a virtual roundtable in the context of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) with...

This open access book discusses three areas in which Germany has long-standing experience and solutions that are valuable for other countries—care education, care insurance and standards for age-friendly city neighborhoods. It introduces the development background, application and shortcomings...

This paper examines the current state of international cooperation in the area of financial inclusion, highlighting key achievements, the diverse roles of international organizations, recent developments in international cooperation, and the continuing barriers to full inclusion. International...

This Discussion Paper makes the case for universality in United Nations (UN) development work. So far, the UN development pillar has largely remained wedded to a 20th-century approach to development cooperation that centres on two groups of states and a one-way relationship between them: rich...

The international environment is characterised by a dynamic nature, a steady trend towards quantitative growth and qualitative development, which necessitates a more cautious and balanced approach to the choice of foreign economic policy, given the complexity of the structure of the world...

We use global tariffs to reveal the weights that nations implicitly place on the welfare of their trading partners relative to their own. Our estimated welfare weights suggest that formal and informal rules of the world trading system make countries internalize the impact of their policies onto...

Energy-sector challenges have shaped international relations since early history, making energy a key component of geopolitics. Understanding current global and regional energy and economic trends is therefore essential. Armenia, like many European Union countries, faces significant challenges...

Five years after the bloody military coup and amid a civil war, elections have taken place in Myanmar. They were neither free nor fair, nor was any attempt made to keep up an appearance of even minimum democratic standards. From the outset, the main purpose of the elections was not political...

A review is presented of the macroeconomics of climate change and policy. The review starts with a tractable workhorse model of the macroeconomics of climate and carbon pricing. It then discusses extensions to multiple countries. A discussion of the effects of macroeconomic and climate...

We use global tariffs to reveal the weights that nations implicitly place on the welfare of their trading partners relative to their own. Our estimated welfare weights suggest that formal and informal rules of the world trading system make countries internalize the impact of their policies onto...

We study the sustainability of international trading rules in a multipolar world. A rules-based equilibrium is shaped by three forces. A static temptation to exploit market power undermines cooperation, while two dynamic forces support it: the efficiency gains from rules and the cost of...

As the world approaches global warming tipping points, local climate engagement aims at climate actions that are equitable, effective and aligned with local needs. Strengthening and scaling up these initiatives can amplify impact, though efforts are often fragmented and require strengthened...

This paper explores the policies of the United Nations and specialized institutions concerning the coordination of international community efforts to combat terrorist threats. Terrorism remains a significant threat to international security, despite the war in Ukraine taking priority in terms of...

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was born out of the need felt by newly emerging post-colonial nations not to be compelled to be part of any single political or military bloc during the Cold War. As the international community finds itself once again in the midst of heightened geo-political...

Green hydrogen – produced with renewable energy – is indispensable for the decarbonisation of economies, especially concerning “hard-to-abate” activities such as the production of steel, cement and fertilisers as well as maritime transport and aviation. The demand for green hydrogen is...

The World Health Organization (WHO) should act as the directing and coordinating authority in global health but it has been steadily marginalized over time by design, through criticism as an inefficient organization, the reduction of assessed contributions and consequent impoverishment, and the...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) presents the planned engagement of the World Bank Group (WBG) in Azerbaijan over the next five years (FY25-29). The CPF is guided by the government's strategy for socio-economic development for 2022-26 (SEDS) and the WBG's most recent strategic analysis -...

Armenia, a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with a population of three million, has registered important achievements over the past two decades. Between 2000-2023, Armenia achieved robust economic growth averaging 6.3 percent, above the average for Europe and Central Asia (excluding...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) sets out the World Bank Group's (WBG) priorities in helping Haiti restore governance, sustain essential public services, and resume growth. The CPF covers the period from fiscal year (FY) 2025 to 2029 and responds to priorities that the government...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential contribution of cross-border vocational education and training (VET) exchange partnerships within the context of tandem exchanges between VET institutions in the Rhine-Waal Euregio region in the Netherlands and Germany. These tandem...

Bulgaria has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past three decades. Despite this transformation and although European Union (EU) membership in 2007 raised expectations of living standards rapidly converging to EU levels, progress on a range of development challenges has been uneven....

After decades of volatile low growth and low investment, Pakistan has fallen behind its peers in key metrics of development. It now has an opportunity to durably take another course. The economy is recovering from the recent crisis as the government has launched an ambitious program of fiscal,...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) sets forth the World Bank Group (WBG) strategy for supporting Namibia's goals to reduce poverty and inequality as outlined in its national development plans. Although the WBG has historically had a limited engagement in Namibia, the authorities have...

In response to growing critical raw material demand and increasing instability in global supply chains, the European Union has established Strategic Partnerships with resource-rich third countries. These partnerships aim connect raw material projects in third countries with European industries,...

Since the entry into force of the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) in 2009, European Union Member States may use the so-called cooperation mechanisms (statistical transfers, joint projects and joint support schemes) to meet their renewable energy targets cost-effectively, contributing to...

This study takes a critical look at Franco-German relations in the field of international cooperation along the entire humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) spectrum to better gauge the usefulness of bilateral collaborative action in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Both the corresponding...