Development Research Group

As climate shocks intensify, how can people, firms, and governments move beyond coping with disasters to anticipate, prepare for, and reduce the severity of shocks before they occur?

On December 2, World Bank Senior Economist Forhad Shilpi shared insights from the report Rethinking Resilience: Adapting to a Changing Climate, during the last Policy Research Talk of the year.

She presented the report's Five I’s strategy—income, information, insurance, infrastructure, and interventions—which can help countries shift from reactive relief to proactive adaptation, laying the foundation for inclusive growth and long-term prosperity.

In this VoxDev blog, Anja Sautmann, Senior Economist at the Development Research Group, and Mark Dean, Professor at Columbia University, outline how subsidising healthcare for children in Mali substantially increased necessary care-seeking while generating only minimal unnecessary use. A randomized trial found that families receiving subsidies were nearly three times more likely to seek care when needed. While some overuse occurred, underuse remains the bigger challenge: many serious illnesses still go untreated.

The findings highlight cost as a key barrier and call for removing user fees to improve child health.

Development succeeds when people are not just beneficiaries, but partners in shaping change. Yet too often, policies are designed and evaluated from the top down — guided by data and models that miss how people actually live, adapt, and respond.

On November 18, World Bank Lead Economist Vijayendra Rao shared insights from two decades of research on participatory and adaptive approaches to policymaking.

Drawing on examples from India, Malaysia, and South Asia, he explored how engaging citizens can make institutions more accountable, programs more effective, and development more inclusive.

The World Bank, the International Growth Centre, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University invite scholars and practitioners to submit papers on how cities influence jobs, firms, and economic development in developing economies. The deadline for paper submissions is 8 December, 2025 (at 23:59 GMT). 

The policy-focused research event will take place on 30-31 March 2026 in Washington, DC. Pre-registration to attend the conference will open in early 2026.