Episode 33. How Can Standards Unlock or Block Development?
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Two hundred thousand euros—sometimes more than a firm’s entire annual revenue—just to meet international standards. In this third episode of the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development (WDR25) mini series, we explore how standards can either unlock growth or become costly barriers to trade.
Drawing on Chapters 1–3 of the WDR25 report, we unpack the “vicious circle of low quality,” where weak demand, limited capacity, and high compliance costs reinforce each other. The episode examines how governments can avoid copying overly ambitious rules without enforcement capacity and instead choose the right balance between voluntary and mandatory standards.
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