Development Research Group

Resilience to climate change is often framed in defensive and reactive terms, focusing on top-down measures that treat individuals as passive victims unable to anticipate or protect themselves from shocks. This narrow approach overlooks a critical aspect: the capacity of firms, farms, and households to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to disruptions. True resilience is about enabling people to take proactive measures—preparing for disruptions, recovering from shocks, and adapting to changing circumstances. 

This perspective is at the heart of the World Bank’s new Policy Research Report, Rethinking Resilience: How Policies Can Help People to Prepare, Recover, and Adapt. This seminar will delve into the report’s findings and explore their application at the country level.

A new report from the World Bank Group, Financing Firm Growth: The Role of Capital Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, explores the surge in capital market financing in low- and middle-income countries from 1990 to 2022. Drawing on data from nearly 80,000 firms worldwide, the study shows how capital markets have been a key driver of investment and job creation in developing countries.

The accompanying Capital Markets Portal enables users to compare capital market financing at country, regional, or income levels against selected benchmarks through dynamic graphs and maps.

The 9th Urbanization and Development Conference on Urban Economics in Action: Addressing African Cities' Challenges will bring together academics, policy makers, and development practitioners to discuss how economics research can help inform urban policy decisions and the allocation of scarce resources to build productive, livable, and sustainable cities in Africa.

Preregistration for the event is now open. Taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on June 11-12, 2025, this annual event is a key global forum for stakeholders working on urbanization—don't miss it! 

With International Women’s Day serving as a reminder of the progress made —and the challenges that remain— in advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment, this edition of Research Insights highlights new evidence on how to expand women’s access to economic opportunities.

Research Insights aims to bridge the gap between complex research and practical application, fostering informed decision-making and effective policy design.