Macroeconomics

What are the latest economic developments and growth prospects in South Asia? What opportunities does a stabilizing global economy create for the region? What challenges remain as countries still feel the impacts of major global and regional shocks? How can South Asia ensure more equitable growth? The latest edition of the World Bank’s South Asia Economic Focus explores the current economic landscape and provides growth projections for the region, with a focus on inequality of opportunity and intergenerational mobility in South Asia. Join experts from the region for a live discussion on how South Asian economies can expand opportunities and unlock progress.

The State of the Africa Region event will take stock of global headwinds affecting the region and provide a timely overview of macro-economic trends, given the slowing GDP, high debt, and historically high food and energy prices. The discussion will specifically focus on measures that can deliver big wins for food security on the continent, such as better targeted public spending, investments in food transformation and resilient food systems, and stronger intra-regional trade.

A ministerial roundtable took place on Wednesday, October 12th, co-chaired by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, and the IMF to discuss Ukraine’s financing needs, priorities for sustaining essential services during wartime, as well as priority recovery and reconstruction projects that can be quickly initiated.

Overlapping global crises have stalled progress in eliminating poverty and clouded the outlook for growth. Watch a discussion exploring economic policy actions that can support inclusive growth and get poverty reduction goals back on track. 

As the world grapples with multiple crises, how can we ensure prioritization of shared development goals for a resilient recovery? Watch the conversation with World Bank Group President David Malpass and Bank leadership. 

This World Bank event brings together a diverse panel of experts to discuss lessons from previous energy price shocks, prospects for energy and metal markets, and policy options to accelerate transition away from fossil fuels while shielding vulnerable groups from damaging disruptions.

As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 crisis, economic developments have been both encouraging and troubling. This conversation between World Bank Group President David Malpass and PIIE President Adam Posen will explore the global economic outlook. They will discuss three main themes from the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report: unprecedented macroeconomic imbalances, rising income inequality and exceptional uncertainty.

A panel of high-level experts explores actionable policy insights to support inclusive growth in developing economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in the global economy that could have lasting adverse effects. If history is any guide, the global economy is heading for a decade of growth disappointments. Uncertainty about the post-pandemic economic landscape and policies has discouraged investment; disruptions to education have slowed human capital accumulation; concerns about the viability of global value chains and the course of the pandemic have weighed on trade and tourism. In the context of weak fiscal positions and elevated debt, institutional reforms to spur growth will be particularly important. A comprehensive policy effort is needed to rekindle robust, sustainable, and equitable growth. A package of reforms to increase investment in human and physical capital and raise female labor force participation could help reverse the expected impact of the pandemic on potential growth in emerging markets and developing economies over the next decade. Join this key discussion on the reforms needed to spur growth following the economic damage caused ...

Ahead of the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management hosted World Bank Group President David Malpass who discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and the challenge of building a resilient and inclusive global recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the global economy into its deepest recession since the Second World War. The pandemic is likely to leave lasting scars ranging from lower investment to the erosion of human capital. Ultimately, this may lower productivity and limit income growth. Conversely, the pandemic also raises the possibility of large structural changes to the global economy, some of which may be productivity-enhancing. How will longer-term growth prospects in emerging markets be affected? What policies should be enacted to limit the damage from COVID-19? At this event, esteemed experts in economics will discuss these questions in light of a new World Bank Group report, Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies. Panelists will consider many possible outcomes for emerging market economies and discuss how they can boost productivity by taking advantage of structural economic changes.  

Covid-19 has caused widespread economic damage, with long-term implications for global supply chains, productivity growth, and sovereign debt. What does the post-pandemic future look like? Join this conversation between World Bank group Vice President Ceyla Pazarbasioglu and Financial Times Chief Economics Commentator Martin Wolf.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a global economic shock of enormous magnitude, leading to steep recessions that will leave lasting scars in many developing countries. What are the likely long-term consequences? What can policymakers in these countries do mitigate the risks? What can they do to ensure that countries emerge in better shape than they went in? This panel discussion brings together some of the world’s leading experts to assess the long-term challenges and potential solutions for developing countries, building upon the findings of the World Bank Group’s latest Global Economic Prospects report.

The world is in a crisis without parallel in modern times—a high-fatality pandemic that is causing an economic contraction on a scale unseen since World War II. Having brought advanced economies to a standstill, the COVID-19 pandemic is now making its mark on emerging and developing economies. How can the damage be contained? What can be done to ensure a strong and durable recovery? This panel brings together some of the world’s leading thinkers to assess the way forward for emerging and developing economies, building upon the findings of the World Bank Group’s latest Global Economic Prospects report.

Join us for the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) COVID-19 (coronavirus) response. World Bank Group President David Malpass and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will hold a press conference to address the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus. 

Global growth has slowed despite low interest rates and bond yields. Meanwhile, debt is reaching record levels in major markets and economic outlooks remain uncertain. Join World Bank Group President David Malpass and former United States Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen at the Bipartisan Policy Center for a conversation moderated by Kai Ryssdal. 

Figuring out how to deal with today’s critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical breakthrough, what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life as we have known it. Immigration and inequality, globalization and technological disruption, slowing growth and accelerating climate change — these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, D.C. The resources to address these challenges are there-what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. If we succeed, history will remember our era with gratitude; if we fail, the potential losses are incalculable. In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics ...

We did it! 24 hours of non-stop discussions on development economics. Thanks for watching and engaging! Want to learn more about the economics behind international development? How can we stimulate economic growth, reduce poverty and help people in developing countries?  We went live for a 24-hour “Econothon” where experts from the World Bank Group and beyond engaged a global audience on the development challenges facing the world today. Economic growth, jobs, inequality climate change -- these development issues never sleep. Click here to watch all the replays  

  Featured Speaker   (May 6, 2019)   Eliana La Ferrara   Bocconi University Aspirations, Stereotypes and Educational Choices About this Lecture How do negatively stereotyped groups make educational choices? How do the stereotypes of teachers and peers impact their performance? The talk will bring evidence from different countries and contexts to speak to the above questions. First, it will show that high-achieving immigrant children in Italy’s tracked school system under-aspire compared to native students and will discuss the impact of a large-scale, randomized intervention providing tutoring and career counseling to high-ability immigrant students. Second, it will analyze the role played by teachers’ bias and show that making teachers aware of their negative stereotypes towards immigrants leads to a change in their grading policy. Finally, it will discuss the role of peers’ racial stereotypes in South Africa, and discuss how inter-group contact affects stereotypes and educational performance of different groups. 2018/2019 DEC Lectures VIEW THE REPLAY: Tuesday, February 12, 2019: Seema Jayachandran, Northwestern University VIEW THE REPLAY: Wednesday, ...

World Bank Group President David Malpass will address the press during the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund 2019 Spring Meetings. The Spring Meetings are attended by approximately 2,800 delegates from our member countries, 350 observer organization representatives and 800 members of the press. Approximately 550 accredited civil society members also participate in the Meetings.  The Meetings and related ancillary events will be held from April 9 - 14, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The meetings are comprised of events open to all attendees, ministerial-level invitation-only sessions, closed bilateral meetings, and events open only to the Press. 

The World Bank will host a joint event with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) on the World Development Report and the changing nature of work. The central theme of the event will be how technology is rapidly changing the workplace and whether concerns over AI replacing employees, of all occupation types in the EU, are justified. Panelists will also discuss the opportunities and challenges for firms in the technological age to adopt innovative production techniques, expand into new markets, and whether this will pave the way for new jobs, increased productivity, and effective public services. The discussion will also touch upon issues around investing in human capital and enhancing social protections to ensure safeguards for citizens. Panel speakers:  Daniel Gros, Director at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Chief Economist, World Bank Simeon Djankov, Director and Co-Author, World Development Report 2019, World Bank Guntram Wolff, Director of Bruegel Moderator: Oliver Joy, EU Communications, World Bank ...

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim addresses the press during the World Bank’s 2018 Annual Meetings in Bali Indonesia.

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde speak at the October 12th plenary session of the Annual Meetings in Bali, Indonesia.

As part of our Annual Meetings 2017 Interview Series, we will be meeting with Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, to discuss Poland’s economic development. Join us live on Saturday, October 14th, 9:00 am. Leave your questions in the comments below.

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will address the press during the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund 2017 Annual Meetings.

As part of our Annual Meetings 2017 Interview Series, we will be speaking with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim about what countries need to do to prepare for the future. Join us live on Wednesday, October 11 at 2:15 PM. Have a question for Jim Kim? Ask in the comments!

This event looked at how policymakers must go beyond GDP to get the whole picture of the economic health and sustainability of a country. The event kicked off with opening comments by Laura Tuck, Vice President of Sustainable Development at the World Bank. In her brief remarks, she shared details of an upcoming report called “The Changing Wealth of Nations” which will be released in December. This report looks at natural, produced, and human capital in addition to net financial assets in 141 countries over a time span of 20 years. Oxford University Professor Paul Collier gave a keynote address in which he spoke of the “fiction” of flow data and called for a change in how total wealth is estimated. Moderated by the Financial Times Africa Editor, David Pilling, a panel then delved deeper into the issue. The panel comprised Chola Chabala, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning in Zambia; David McCauley, VP of the World Wildlife Foundation and Roberta ...

World Bank Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean Carlos Végh said on Wednesday that after six years of growth deceleration, 2017 would constitute the first year with an increase in growth. The improvement was mainly driven by a strong recovery in Argentina and a more tepid one in Brazil. However, the region will not have the benefits of favorable external factors such as a buoyant global economy or a great demand of raw materials. This means that Latin America must boost its own growth and put its house in order - in some cases with difficult public spending and money management decisions. This was acknowledged by Végh during the presentation of the report "Between a rock and a hard place: the monetary policy dilemma in Latin America and the Caribbean”. This commodity-exporting emerging markets face a critical monetary policy dilemma each time there is an external shock, for example a sudden fall in commodity prices. How should ...

The seminar will discuss key challenges and opportunities facing Africa amid a weak and volatile regional and global economic environment. A special focus will be on investing in Africa in uncertain times, outlining national and regional policies and possible coordination mechanisms with the international development community to boost and sustain quality investment in the continent. 

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will address the press during the World Bank’s 2017 Spring Meetings.

Twenty years ago, Sudhir Shetty was the World Bank’s Senior Country Economist for the nation formerly known as Burma. This week, Sudhir Shetty is back in Yangon as the World Bank’s Chief Economist for the East Asia and Pacific region, and is seeing a very different country with cranes dotting the commercial capital’s skyline, imported cars filling the city’s streets, and growing tourism. During this event, Sudhir will give a presentation on recent economic developments in East Asia and Myanmar, followed by a panel discussion featuring business leaders in Myanmar to discuss their perspectives on Myanmar’s economic policy priorities.

The State of the Africa Region seminar provides an opportunity to reflect on the main trends shaping the economic development of the region. The seminar will discuss key challenges and opportunities facing Africa in an increasingly turbulent global economic environment.

This seminar will discuss key challenges facing Africa amid a weak and volatile global economic environment, including the implications of the region’s continuing dependence on oil and other commodities. But the current environment also presents an opportunity to move forward on the economic diversification and transformation that the region needs to achieve sustained growth and development.

Bridging the infrastructure gap is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At the Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa, 193 nations agreed to establish a forum on infrastructure to build and enhance multilateral collaborative mechanisms. The goal is to better align coordination among the full suite of infrastructure actors, including the private sector. This forum will allow for a greater range of voices as we bridge infrastructure and capacity gaps, particularly in challenging environments. Furthermore, it will highlight opportunities for investment and cooperation that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. The Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 is jointly organized by key development partners in infrastructure and the multilateral development banks (MDBs). Related Links: A global conversation about collaborating for better infrastructure delivery It’s time to change the way we talk about the “Infrastructure Gap” 3 lessons on collaboration from the Global Infrastructure Facility World Bank Group PPP Topic Site PPP Knowledge Lab The Private Participation in Infrastructure Database The Public Private ...

Emerging markets and the developing world are at the center of the current slowdown in global growth. How are low commodity prices and slowing trade affecting countries and the effort to reduce poverty? Join us as the World Bank’s chief economists describe current conditions and the outlook for each developing region.