Remittances—the money sent from citizens working abroad to families back home—are a crucial source of income in Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (CAPDR) as well as Mexico. Despite an expected decline at the onset of the pandemic, remittances surprisingly increased in 2020, hitting record levels in 2021. IMF...

As inflation continues to be elevated across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the impact on real incomes and purchasing power remains a key challenge, especially for the most vulnerable. EMINE BOZ, ILAN GOLDFAJN, JAIME GUAJARDO, and METODIJ HADZI-VASKOV looked into this challenge from the perspective of smaller economies in...

In spite of being the economic powerhouse of Africa, Nigeria has pockets of systemic and structural socioeconomic vulnerabilities which require the fostering of economy-wide productive capacities and structural economic transformation, write PAUL AKIWUMI and CHUKWUKA ONYEKWENA . Nigeria is the economic powerhouse of Africa. As the largest economy of the...

Some employers can attract a large pool of job applicants without having to offer higher wages. We call such employers with significant labor market power dominant, and they’re prevalent in many parts of the United States, especially rural areas, write  ANASTASIA BURYA, RUI C. MANO, YANNICK TIMMER, and ANKE WEBER...

The toll of extreme weather events on crops underscores the region’s challenges and need for policies to save lives and protect livelihoods, write LAURENT KEMOE, CEDRIC OKOU, PRITHA MITRA and FILIZ UNSAL Climate change is intensifying food insecurity across sub-Saharan Africa, where Russia’s war in Ukraine and the pandemic are...

Digitalization’s importance for developing countries, including the 33 African least developed countries (LDCs) has become increasingly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the growing role of digital technologies since the onset of the pandemic, many African LDCs have not been able to fully benefit from the quick development of the...

Too many women are locked out of economic opportunities, which is not only unfair but also harms growth and resilience for all. We know that in countries with greater gender inequality just closing the gap in women’s labour force participation could increase economic output by an average of 35 per...

High debt and rising interest rates put a premium on improved governance to anchor fiscal policy in EU member states. Given the central role of fiscal policy in addressing both recent crises and future challenges, the call to reform fiscal governance in Europe resonates like never before, write  VITOR GASPAR,...

Vietnam’s upbeat growth outlook is bucking the slowing trend elsewhere in Asia, with relatively subdued inflation that’s also an exception to the general rule in the region, write  ERA DABLA-NORRIS, FEDERICO J. DÍEZ and GIACOMO MAGISTRETTI. The first half of this year saw a swift economic rebound as Vietnam’s pandemic...

Singapore’s impressive recovery from the pandemic is outperforming similar economies, with total output exceeding pre-crisis levels last year, but the rebound has also been uneven, write  KRISHNA SRINIVASAN and LAMIN LEIGH. Decisive policy responses, like the Jobs Support Scheme, helped minimize economic scarring, while rapid vaccinations and long-standing robust economic...