Issue 4: Africa Growth and Opportunity: Research in Action
Join our upcoming events: Africa Growth and Opportunity: Research in Action
What will it take to unlock Africa’s growth and job potential? Join us live from Palermo, Italy, on November 3-5, as we bring together policymakers, business leaders, experts, partners, and think tanks from Africa and Europe to explore solutions and build partnerships that turn evidence into action. Organized by the Institute for Economic Development, the Bank of Italy, Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, and African partners, AGORA will explore opportunities in energy and agribusiness, Africa’s largest job engines. Mark your calendars to watch the livestream and sign up for updates now! Read more
Intangible Capital for Africa’s Growth: Building Data, Shaping Policy Conference
The Institute for Economic Development, the World Bank Center for Development Data, Luiss Business School, and the World Intellectual Property Organization are pleased to invite you to this conference which will focus on improving the measurement of intangible investment across economies. Join us on October 16, 2025, to learn how better data and collaboration can help unlock the full potential of intangible capital for inclusive growth. Read more
Knowledge Café - Jobs after Shock: Can Crisis Unleash New Growth?
In the wake of crisis, how do we rebuild? Some economies bounce back with new firms, new ideas, and new jobs. Others cling to old habits and the status quo. On October 17, 2025, this Knowledge Café, organized during the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., will explore what drives that difference, how to drive innovation, and what it takes to turn shock into opportunity. Read more
Explore other upcoming events.
News & Updates from our Activities
The latest news from our work and our partners
New Partnerships Across Asia to Advance Development Knowledge
The Institute for Economic Development Tokyo Hub is proud to be building a growing coalition of leading research and policy institutions across Asia. In collaboration with the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, the Institute of Developing Economies at JETRO, the Asian Development Bank Institute, and the Japanese Association for Development Economics, we are co-creating research, exchanging policy insights, and advancing the frontiers of knowledge on critical issues—including resilience, air quality, economic growth, and the future of AI for development. Read more
Improving Air Quality Measurement
How can countries improve air quality? Data, smart tools, and collaboration are key. This was one of the topics at the CLEAN-Air Forum in Kenya, where the Institute for Economic Development contributed with a special session on improving air quality measurement. Participants discussed the critical role of high-quality data, information sharing systems, and strong stakeholder engagement to enhance air quality monitoring. Read more
Call for Papers: Trade, Value Chains, and Financial Linkages in the Global Economy
The Bank of Italy, the European Central Bank, and the World Bank invite submissions for the upcoming Trade, Value Chains, and Financial Linkages in the Global Economy conference. We invite submissions of empirical, methodological, and theoretical contributions with emphasis on the policy-relevant topics described here. Submissions focused on low and middle-income countries or authored by researchers based on these regions are strongly encouraged. Submission deadline: October 27, 2025. Read more
Recent Activities
X Annual Conference in Development Economics
September 15, 2025
The Institute for Economic Development joined this year’s conference organized by SITES and the Fondazione Tor Vergata with a session focused on Africa’s growth and opportunities. The session was followed by a fireside chat between Indermit Gill, World Bank Group Chief Economist & Senior Vice President for Development Economics, and Kevin Chika Urama, African Development Bank Chief Economist. The conversation explored the state of multilateral cooperation, the evolving role of multilateral development banks, and implications for Africa’s growth. Read more
2025 PREDOC Student Research Conference
July 31, 2025
The Institute for Economic Development, in collaboration with Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC), hosted the 2025 PREDOC Student Research Conference in Washington, D.C. At this conference, students presented their original research to fellow undergraduates, faculty, PhD students, and pre-docs. Professional development panels covered topics from graduate school experience to career diversity in the quantitative social sciences. Read more
Growth Academy
July 21, 2025
The Institute for Economic Development, the University of Chicago, and the World Bank organized the 2025 Growth Academy in Chicago with a program that focused on the middle-income trap and the concepts of creative destruction for middle-income economies. Earlier this year, regional Growth Academies for ECA and MENA were organized in Bucharest and Cairo. Read more about the Growth Academy and its regional chapters. Read more
ABCDE Conference 2025
July 22 - 25, 2025
Why is trust eroding in economies that have seen big gains in health, income, and education? The ABCDE Conference in Washington, D.C., explored the roots of rising populism and how development policy can respond. Organized by the World Bank, with support from the Institute for Economic Development, and in conjunction with the Center for Global Development and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the conference brought together leading economic thinkers from around the world. Read more
On Think Tanks Conference 2025
June 17, 2025
What are the main challenges that policy research institutions, particularly in Africa, face when trying to translate research into influence? The Institute for Economic Development organized a workshop as part of the On Think Tanks Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss and connect with regional think tanks. The event provided a platform to explore challenges and opportunities to break barriers and grow stronger partnerships. Read more
Read more news and updates from our activities.
New Research and Data Insights
Our latest curated research, data, and expert insights.
Global Economic Prospects
Rising trade tensions and policy uncertainty are expected to drive global growth down this year to its slowest pace since 2008 outside of outright global recessions. What are the policies and practical actions needed for countries to mobilize domestic revenues, protect vulnerable households, and boost jobs and productivity? Read the main insights from the report and listen to key takeaways in our podcast. Read Policy Messages | Listen to the Podcast
Expert Insights
Sparking the investment miracle developing economies need to create jobs
In this new blog, World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill and Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose explain why coordinated reforms are key to reviving growth in developing economies. Read more
Ukraine’s economy needs to make room for newer, more productive firms
Somik Lall, Senior Adviser in the office of the World Bank Group Chief Economist, and Ufuk Akcigit, the Arnold C. Harberger Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, outline a pathway for Ukraine to restart their economy in a way that encourages new ideas, competitive firms, and stronger growth. Read more
Building debt transparency and resilience across East Asia and the Pacific
Elevated debt levels, inflation, and weakened growth prospects have created a perfect storm of financial pressure. For many nations, this has meant shrinking budgets in vital sectors like health and education. Evis Rucaj, Program Manager for Debt and Financial Statistics, shares why accurate, timely, and comprehensive debt data is more critical than ever. Read more
Read more expert insights.
AI-powered Insights
Explore the latest development research and data with our exclusive AI tools.
Accelerating Development Podcast
An AI-powered, expert-led podcast on policy solutions for today’s biggest development challenges. Subscribe to this podcast series on your favorite platform: Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. Also available in Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Hindi, and Chinese.
- From Investment to Innovation: How to Escape the Middle-Income Trap
- Are we Business Ready? Rethinking the Real Barriers to Growth
- The Changing Nature of Work: Are we adapting to technology-driven transformation?
AVA: AI + Verified Analysis
AVA, our AI research tool, is now available to everyone. AVA taps into a curated library of World Bank reports and select publications to provide reliable summaries, synthesized insights across topics, cited sources, and a built-in writing assistant. Fully multilingual, AVA lets users ask research questions and receive answers in their language of choice — all with verified, traceable sources. Ready to see it in action? Access it now
Learning Opportunities with the Data Academy
Join these online learning events developed in collaboration with the World Bank Group Data Academy.
Documenting Development Data Using Metadata Standards
Available September 25, 2025
Do you want to make your data more effective and AI-ready? Join this self-paced course to learn how to build high-quality metadata that makes data easier to find, reuse, and trust. Course available from September 25. Register here
Manage Successful Field Research
Available October 7, 2025
Sharpen your field research skills, explore best practices, tackle challenges, and discover new tools for effective research implementation. Register for this online, self-paced course and take your research skills to the next level. Available from October 7. Register here
Geographic Considerations in Evaluating Women’s Employment Opportunities
Available October 15, 2025
Learn how geospatial data can be used to evaluate barriers to women’s access to employment. Explore a new framework that incorporates location-specific factors to assess how supportive different environments are for women’s employment. Sign up to this self-paced course now. Register here
Explore additional learning opportunities.
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