Development Research Group

School principals spend about 76% of their time on administrative work instead of on teaching and learning.

El Director Libre (The Liberated Principal) introduces a practical method that uses artificial intelligence ethically and responsibly to help school leaders reduce paperwork and improve instructional leadership. The method translates decades of research into simple tools that free up time to lead learning and improve student outcomes. This is a joint collaboration between LAC EDU (Ezequiel Molina) and DECRG (Carolina Lopez) that combines the World Bank's experience in educational transformation and rigorous research.

📊 Based on surveys of 145,000 adults across 141 economies, the new Global Findex Database 2025: Connectivity and Financial Inclusion in the Digital Economy offers the most comprehensive picture yet of how digital technologies are reshaping financial inclusion worldwide. 

On September 30, Leora Klapper, Founder of the Findex project, presented the latest findings and discussed their implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working to advance inclusive digital finance. She was joined by Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP, and Michel Rogy, Digital Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

What are the main challenges young people face when entering the labor market? And what are the opportunities in today’s global and digital world?

Watch a replay of a conversation between Development Research Group Senior Economist Sandra Rozo and LAC Poverty Senior Economist and Hernan Winkler, as part of the World Bank Annual Meetings. They talked about the importance of job creation, particularly focused in the youth population and the skills crisis. All this in a very important day: the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

For the 15th year, the Development Impact blog invites PhD candidates to share their job market paper through a blog post on empirical development, impact evaluation, or measurement.

Submissions are open until 8pm EST on Wednesday, November 5, with posts published starting November 10. Selected entries will appear as guest posts on Development Impact, offering a platform to showcase your work to a wide audience of researchers and practitioners.