The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Global economic prospects have darkened. Financing conditions have tightened, industrial production has moderated, and trade tensions remain elevated. The recovery in emerging market and developing economies has stalled, and some countries have experienced significant financial stress. Downside risks have increased, including the possibility of disorderly financial market movements and escalating …
This study assesses the economywide impact of promoting renewable power generation by targeting a 50 percent share of renewables in energy production by 2040. Using a novel approach by linking a bottom-up energy model with a top-down economywide model, found that increasing the share of renewables in the power sector …
Bhutan has a strong track record of reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity, primarily supported by the state, which has played a large role in the country's development accomplishments.Growth has been driven mainly by the public sector through hydropower development. State dominance is also reflected in the existence of a …
Malawi currently faces an environmental cycle of decline and degradation. The challenges it faces are complex and interrelated, but there are two underlying drivers behind this decline. Population growth places huge demands on natural systems with more land being converted to agriculture and more forests being harvested for the wood …
The Global Green Growth Institute’s G20 Background Paper: Green Growth to achieve the Paris Agreement outlines the necessity of an accelerated transition to a green and circular economy that will eradicate poverty, provide decent jobs, and hit climate action targets. The Paper includes GGGI’s top public policy, public finance, and …
Ethiopia’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, while still strong, decelerated to 7.7 percent in FY2018. A slowdown in industrial growth, mainly driven by lower growth in construction due to foreign exchange shortages and higher prices of imported construction materials, coupled with weaker performance of the manufacturing and the agriculture …
This report explores the relationship between inclusive industrialization and sustainable human development in fostering decent jobs for women and youth, addressing informality and promoting sustainable urbanization. The slow pace of structural transformation could be counteracted by investing in industrial growth. For economic transformation to enhance human development will require the …
Climate change mitigation scenarios are important instruments for developing pathways towards a climate-friendly world. They form the basis for political and social negotiations regarding the climate protection measures to be adopted. Unfortunately, current mitigation scenarios follow a path of economic growth because underlying socioeconomic assumptions assume further economic growth, and …
The progress report on SDGs implementation in Bangladesh has been prepared following a methodological framework. This involves a thorough understanding of the 7th Five Year Plan document, and the documents related to SDGs prepared by General Economics Division of the Bangladesh Planning Commission. Significant efforts were made to gather data …
The Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific lays out new arguments and evidence for the critical and urgent need to increase investment in people, particularly in social protection. Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific only spend about 3.7 per cent of GDP on social protection, compared to the …
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a flagship economic report on Zimbabwe, titled: “Building a new Zimbabwe: Targeted policies for growth and job creation” which aims to support renewal and transformation of the country. Made of eleven easy-to-read chapters, the report results from a one-year extensive research work of …
Real GDP growth rebounded strongly to 6.1 percent in FY17/18, from 3.9 percent the previous year. The rebound was largely driven by a pick-up in investments and exports, and on the back of strengthened credit to the private sector and good weather. Consequently, services, particularly information and communications, sustained strong …
The NITI Aayog on December 19, 2018 released ‘Strategy for New India @75’, its comprehensive national Strategy for New India which defines clear objectives for 2022-23. The Strategy was released by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. It is a detailed account across 41 crucial areas that recognises the progress …
Major oil and gas exporters have weathered many upheavals in recent decades but a renewed commitment to reform and economic diversification will be vital to cope with the changing dynamics of global energy. These include rising production from new sources such as shale, uncertainties over the pace of oil demand …
Food safety hazards are increasingly being recognized as a major public health problem worldwide, yet among developing countries, there is limited understanding of the wider-ranging socio-economic costs of unsafe food and the benefits of remedial or preventative measures. This limited evidence base has led many countries to underinvest in food …
Human capital is recognised as the level of education and health in a population and is considered an important determinant of economic growth. The World Bank has called for measurement and annual reporting of human capital to track and motivate investments in health and education and enhance productivity. We aim …
South Asia remains the fastest-growing region in the world and its performance has strengthened further. The external environment, while remaining conducive, has become more turbulent. Monetary policy is being adjusted accordingly, but fiscal policy is not equally responsive and fiscal deficits remain large. Despite strong demand from advanced economies and …
Africa's Pulse is a biannual publication containing an analysis of the near-term macroeconomic outlook for the region. Each issue also includes a section focusing upon a topic that represents a particular development challenge for the continent. It is produced by the Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region …
India has attained much economic success in the past three decades. Yet an economic deceleration in recent years has generated worried commentaries about the country's growth outlook. This paper offers a long-term perspective on India's growth experience. Analyzing the past five decades of data, the paper notes that growth has …
Growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to rebound to an average of 2% in 2018, up from an average 1.4% in 2017. The modest rebound in growth is driven mostly by the recent rise in oil prices, which has benefitted the region’s oil exporters …
