Sustainable Growth Newswire
EPF compiles a selection of policy oriented-research from around the globe pertaining to its policy initiatives. To receive a weekly email of the newswire, please subscribe to our newsletter
Financing development: Fintech in Africa
In many African countries—some of the most unbanked areas in the world—digital banking applications are redefining what it is to bank in economies with shallow penetration of the formal banking sector, representing an innovative force that is breaking new ground in the long-standing challenge of financial inclusion. This brief explores the emerging world of fintech in the context of Africa, outlining why financial technology applications are making waves on the continent. The role of key stakeholders, such as traditional banks…
Leveraging Voluntary Sustainability Standards for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture: A Guide for Development Organizations Based on the Sustainable Development Goals
Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can contribute indirectly to household food security and gender equality in food access through sustainable production practices that contribute to a diverse and nutritional diet, and by potentially contributing to higher incomes generated from certification. Financial supports provided through certification, such as pre-financing or premiums, can contribute to women’s ability to access productive inputs and credit, when producer organizations support these measures enhancing women’s rights to productive agricultures resources. Certification through VSSs can alleviate some of women’s…
Profiting from Parity : Unlocking the Potential of Women’s Business in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with approximately 42 percent of the non-agricultural labor force classified as self-employed or employers. Yet most entrepreneurs are unable to grow their businesses beyond small-scale subsistence operations, impeding their contribution to poverty reduction and shared prosperity. This is particularly so for women. This new report, “Profiting from Parity: Unlocking the Potential of Women’s Businesses in Africa”, produced by the World Bank Group’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab and the Finance,…
Integrating Green and Gray : Creating Next Generation Infrastructure
A new generation of infrastructure projects that harness the power of nature can help achieve development goals, including water security and climate resilience. In this report from the World Bank and World Resources Institute, both organizations are calling for green infrastructure, such as mangroves and wetlands, to play a bigger role in traditional infrastructure planning. Integrating nature into mainstream infrastructure systems can produce lower cost and more resilient services. This report guides developing country service providers and their partners on…
Chongqing 2035 : A Green and Low-Carbon Growth Strategy to Decouple Economic Growth from Resource Use
Chongqing is at a crossroads where its GDP per capita will reach a level at which cities typically decouple economic growth from energy and resource use, as well as associated carbon emissions and pollution. However, decoupling does not happen automatically. It requires cities to adopt= green growth policies. For Chongqing to build a more innovative economy that increases its share of high-value activities, it is critical that it use resources more efficiently. Chongqing Municipality’s energy mix is dominated by coal…
The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Jobs in Africa: A Literature Review
In the past two decades, Africa has experienced a wave of mobile telephony and the early stages of internet connectivity. This paper summarises recent empirical research findings on the impact that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have had on jobs in Africa, be it in creating new jobs, destroying old jobs, or changing the quality of existing jobs in levels of productivity, incomes, or working conditions. The paper discusses various channels in which ICTs can impact jobs: In theory, they…
Towards Green Growth in Emerging Market Economies
This paper provides a cross-country review of progress towards green growth in selected emerging market economies that are members or partners of the OECD. It draws on the country studies conducted within the OECD Environmental Performance Review Programme for Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Turkey between 2013 and 2019. It presents the main achievements in the countries reviewed, along with common trends and policy challenges. It provides insights into the effectiveness and efficiency of green growth…
Governance and Performance in Emerging Markets
In 2016, IFC’s Corporate Governance Group launched an empirical study to explore the link between the quality of IFC portfolio clients’ corporate governance and their financial and economic performance over a four-to-five-year period. Using client surveys and portfolio financial, economic, and development outcome data, IFC tested the hypothesis that better corporate governance is associated with better performance over a defined period. The analysis of collected data showed that investing in companies with better corporate governance at the time of disbursement…