The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) is The World Bank’s official open access repository for its research outputs and knowledge products.
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Total publications: 39,037
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Publication COVID-19 G2P Cash-Transfer Payments Country Brief: South Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-07) World BankFaced with the devastating impact of the rigorous shutdown from late March, a massive package of R500 billion (10 percent of GDP) was announced on April 21. The main elements included: R200 billion in loan guarantees to companies; R50 billion additional for social grants, including a new program to support people who had lost their jobs but were not covered by other programs; a further R100 billion to support smaller enterprises through loans and guarantees; R70 billion tax relief, including credits for payments to the Solidarity Fund; support for the health sector and for municipalities, and an additional 250,000 food parcels. Of the total, it appears that about half would be in the form of loans and guarantees with the rest consisting of transfers and in-kind assistance. Some R130 billion was to be funded through repurposing the existing budget. The rest would be financed by borrowing, including from the IFIs.Publication Integrated Markets for Resilient Food Systems: Trade Policy and Food and Nutrition Security in an Era of Climate Change(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-07) World BankClimate risks are worsening and threaten food and nutrition security and global food markets. This report explores how shocks, food price policies, and food trade affect Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in an era of changing climate. It aims to guide policy responses to climate change’s projected impacts on FNS by examining the relationship between shocks, food trade, and price volatility from other contexts. The report analyzes the food shock related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to better understand future food security and price shocks driven by climate change. It also assesses the effects of price insulation policies on global and domestic food markets. The report argues that open trade and integrated markets, free from price distorting policies, offer the greatest benefits for FNS and household welfare in a warming world.Publication Trade's Emissions Paradox: Cutting Greenhouse Gases, Raising Air Pollution(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-07) Ebadi, Ebad; Aldaz-Carroll, EnriqueTrade’s impact on emissions is not straightforward. Existing literature on trade and emissions primarily focuses on countries' net export emissions, often neglecting the emissions saved by importing products instead of producing them domestically. The environmental impact from trade is influenced by the balance between emissions generated from exporting goods and emissions avoided by not producing them domestically. This paper investigates the environmental impacts of trade, focusing on the spatial differences in production emissions. Our estimates indicate that direct emissions embodied in exports are significant and rising, accounting for 31 percent of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 25 percent of annual particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in 2021. However, considering the direct emissions saved through imports, trade results in a reduction of global GHG emissions annually by up to 2.2 percent from 2004 to 2021, as it allows countries with high emission intensity to import rather than produce domestically. This reduction is not observed in PM2.5 emissions, where trade leads to an increase of up to 1 percent. These findings highlight the discrepancy in emission intensities between exporting and importing countries, which influences the impact of trade on global emissions.Publication A “Big Push” Through the Finish Line: Evidence from a Composite Scholarship for Ugandan Students(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-07) Lerva, Benedetta; Ferris, Denise; Fornasari, MargheritaSecondary school completion in sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest in the world. Given the multiple constraints households face, the scope of purely demand-side interventions to narrow the completion gap may be large. This paper quantifies this scope by studying how jointly relaxing key demand-side constraints affects learning, graduation, and the labor market entry of talented and economically disadvantaged students in Uganda. The study randomizes access to a “big push” scholarship program covering fees, school placement, school inputs, and a cash transfer equivalent to 50 percent of the adult wage. The program raises test scores and pushes completion rates to high-income country levels; it halves fertility and increases the share of women who work while studying. Students' families of origin also benefit by becoming wealthier and happier. Results show that relaxing demand-side constraints benefits students and doubles as an antipoverty intervention for their households.Publication Syria Macro-Fiscal Assessment(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-07) World BankFourteen years of conflict have devastated Syria’s economy. The assessment takes stock of Syria’s economic trajectory amid ongoing political transition and regional instability. It highlights the severe erosion of Syria’s economic base, chronic fiscal pressures, and the profound impact of sanctions, conflict-driven disruptions, and the rise of informality and illicit economic activities during the past decade. Subject to a high degree of uncertainty, the report projects modest GDP growth of 1.0 percent in 2025, following a contraction of 1.5 percent in 2024, under the assumption of continued security challenges, liquidity constraints, and suspended foreign assistance. Increased regional engagement - especially from Türkiye and some Gulf states - along with the easing of sanctions, could support recovery and investment and provides some upside potential.