News
Three Human Capital Gaps Holding Back Jobs in Europe and Central Asia
6+ hour, 36+ min ago (172+ words) If countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) were to catch up to the human capital levels of the region's more advanced economies, wages could rise on average by more than 30 percent. Unfinished foundations. Although many countries perform well on…...
More than childcare: What preschool means for working mothers in the Kyrgyz Republic
1+ day, 8+ hour ago (530+ words) More than childcare: What preschool means for working mothers in the Kyrgyz Republic'World Bank Blogs More than childcare: What preschool means for working mothers in the Kyrgyz Republic In 2024, 53% of working-age women in the Kyrgyz Republic were in the workforce,…...
From marriage penalties to child penalties: how development reshapes women’s work
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (362+ words) Like many new parents, I now know that working from home can mean very different things depending on whether a baby is involved. An email drafted while said baby tries to play with the keyboard. A meeting attended on mute…...
Jobs that grow back: how investing in resilience and nature creates work across Latin America and the Caribbean
6+ day, 9+ hour ago (179+ words) This plays out in cities, along coastlines, and in rural communities across the region. In Medell'n, Colombia, the Green Corridors program expanded urban tree cover to reduce extreme heat by more than 3C. Employment was central to the model: the city…...
From ideas to impact: Building human capital where it matters in Sierra Leone
1+ week, 9+ hour ago (161+ words) In February 2026, I joined global leaders and practitioners at the World Bank to reflect on a question that is both timely and central to Sierra Leone's reform agenda: How do we move from ambitious human capital strategies to measurable improvements…...
The Binding Constraint on AI in Education Is Not Technology. It’s Organizational Culture
2+ week, 6+ day ago (233+ words) But what if the problem is not lack of infrastructure, but lack of organization? Something We Saw Firsthand Working in a country in Latin America, we faced a universal problem: teachers need to know not just'which'students are behind,'but'what'and'why. That…...
Weekly links March 12: LLMs for papers and lessons from using them for DiD, uncovering economic trends in places without much data, UBIs vs job guarantees, and more…
3+ week, 1+ hour ago (614+ words) Weekly links March 12: LLMs for papers and lessons from using them for DiD, uncovering economic trends in places without much data, UBIs vs job guarantees, and more'World Bank Blogs Weekly links March 12: LLMs for papers and lessons from using them…...
School meals keep girls learning and boost women’s earnings
4+ week, 1+ hour ago (625+ words) Independent evaluations from 13 organizations, including the World Bank, found that school feeding has the strongest evidence of inclusion for girls and women. The Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard, which offers the latest and crucial data on food crises before…...
Five ways evidence is unlocking women’s economic participation
4+ week, 7+ hour ago (829+ words) Five ways evidence is unlocking women's economic participation'World Bank Blogs Five ways evidence is unlocking women's economic participation Countries can only reach their full potential when everyone can contribute. Globally, women's labor force participation remains just over 50 percent, compared to…...
In the Kingdom of Eswatini, a new approach is helping prepare students for STEM careers
4+ week, 8+ hour ago (781+ words) Through its Strengthening Early Childhood Development and Basic Education Systems Project, the World Bank is supporting the rollout of the Progressive Mathematics and Science Initiative (PMI/PSI) in Eswatini, combining digital tools with gender-responsive teacher training to improve STEM learning…...