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: 39,507
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Publication Driving Digital Transformation and Inclusion: Fast Payments in Latin America and the Caribbean(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-01) World BankFast payments are transforming digital finance ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by improving the speed, affordability, and user experience of digital payments. This report provides one of the first regionally-focused, cross-country analyses of fast payments data, leveraging a unique dataset derived from a survey of 11 central banks in LAC countries with operational fast payment systems: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. The report analyzes transactional data and information on the FPS design characteristics and governance models. Based on this analysis and the World Bank’s regional and country- level engagements with policy makers and FPS operators, the report also offers several key policy messages.Publication Fostering a Just Transition in the Energy Transition Minerals Sector in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-31) Canpolat, Ezgi; Lokanc, Martin; Bakx, Jara; Baker, Steven; Kaplan, KarenThe study’s primary objective is to assess how manifestations of social exclusion and FCV in ETM value chains are evolving, or are expected to evolve, in response to growing global demand, and what the opportunities are to strengthen inclusion and justice and reduce conflict risks through deliberate policy and programming responses. Anchored in a justice-oriented approach, the analysis explores key social justice considerations that require attention to foster such inclusive and peaceful ETM sector development. It draws on four interrelated justice principles (distributional, procedural, restorative, and recognition justice) to assess how patterns of power, participation, benefit-sharing, and redress shape social dynamics in ETM producing areas. This framing complements existing World Bank frameworks, including the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), the FCV Strategy, and the Extractive Industries Value Chain framework, by offering a lens to better understand the social foundations of equitable and sustainable mineral development.Publication Rethinking Resilience: Adapting to a Changing Climate(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-31) Shilpi, Forhad; Kahn, Matthew E.; Berg, ClaudiaClimate change is accelerating, and harmful weather events—such as extreme storms, droughts, heat waves, or wildfires—are becoming more frequent and severe. Lower-income countries suffer more deaths and lasting losses from disasters than richer countries. Climate shocks push vulnerable households into poverty and cause small businesses to fail, reversing development gains. "Rethinking Resilience" urges developing countries to adopt policies that empower individuals, households, farms, and firms to take proactive measures. Current approaches rely too heavily on government programs and investments, such as subsidies and cash transfers, which are reactive rather than preventive. Developing economies lack the resources of high-income countries, making them more vulnerable. To build resilience, developing countries should focus on raising household incomes, delivering reliable public information, and developing robust insurance markets. Resilience measures should prioritize income growth, reliable information, and private insurance, with infrastructure and public interventions rounding out the package. Utilizing this five-pronged strategy, governments can empower households, farms, and firms to build resilience successfully.Publication October 2025 Update to the Multidimensional Poverty Measure: What’s New(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-24) Lara Ibarra, Gabriel; Nguyen, Minh Cong; Salmeron Gomez, Daylan Alberto; Haddad, Cameron NadimThis note presents the 10th edition of the World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measure (MPM) database, drawing on the latest country data from the Global Monitoring Database (GMD) as of October 2025. The MPM offers a broader view of poverty by examining deprivations along three dimensions of well-being: monetary poverty (measured using the international poverty line at $3.00 per person per day in 2021 PPP), education, and access to basic infrastructure services. This latest edition covers 113 economies for circa 2022, and notably includes India and Nigeria, which drastically increases the population coverage of the MPM globally.Publication When Does a Village Become a Town? Revisiting Pakistan’s Urbanization Using Satellite Data(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-29) Barriga Cabanillas, Oscar; Farooq, Marziya; Meyer, Moritz; Wieser, ChristinaThis study revisits Pakistan’s level of urbanization using satellite imagery and the Degree of Urbanization methodology. While official statistics report that 39 percent of the population resides in urban areas, this analysis reveals that the true figure is closer to 88 percent. The substantial discrepancy arises from Pakistan’s reliance on administrative boundaries that do not reflect actual population density or settlement patterns. The findings indicate that secondary cities and peri-urban areas—not megacities—are the primary drivers of recent urban expansion and are systematically overlooked by the official classifications. The discrepancy between functional and administrative classifications of urban areas has important fiscal and planning implications. Misclassified areas reduce property tax revenues and undermine the planning and provision of critical public services. Moreover, misclassification distorts spatial socioeconomic indicators, masking the true extent of urban-rural disparities and complicating the design of effective, evidence-based public policy.