Development Research Group

Health systems are central to building human capital, but expanding access alone does not guarantee better health outcomes.

This edition of Research Insights explores why increased coverage—through insurance, subsidies, or digital tools—often fails to translate into meaningful health gains.

Global evidence highlights the importance of provider incentives, quality of care, implementation capacity, and equity, while country-level research in Mali and Madagascar shows that while financial support and program integration can expand children’s access to care, persistent barriers and unequal participation limit impact.

The 10th Urbanization and Development Conference will bring together academics and development practitioners to present and discuss questions relating to jobs, firms, and growth in cities.

The two-day event will take place in Washington, DC. Day 1 (March 30) will take place in the World Bank MC Building and Day 2 (March 31) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center.

Preregistration is for general attendees (non-speakers) who would like to participate in the conference (online or in-person), and attendance is not confirmed until you receive an email from the Conference Organizing Committee.

Standards are the hidden infrastructure of modern economies—and they have never been more important. Developing countries today must contend with a thicket of increasingly stringent international standards, a product of globalization and rapid technological change. Using standards—and shaping them—is now a prerequisite for export growth, technology diffusion, and the efficient delivery of public services.

In this Policy Research Talk, World Development Report Director Xavier Giné will provide a deep dive into the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development, which provides the most comprehensive assessment of the global landscape of standards today and how they can be used to accelerate economic development.

Over the next ten years, an estimated 1.2 billion young people will reach working age in low- and middle-income countries. Policymakers must ensure that labor markets can absorb these new job seekers while also delivering wage and productivity growth.

The March edition of the Research Newsletter takes a look at how the right mix of foundations, policies, and finance can rise to the jobs challenge of the next decade. New research on three pillars of jobs and growth—human and physical infrastructure, business environment and labor market policies, and mobilization of finance—provides fresh insights into how evidence-based policies and strategic investments can meet the aspirations of the next generation.