The Development Podcast

Trade can be an effective catalyst for growth and development. However, the growing use of market-distorting subsidies undermines the multi-lateral, rules-based trading system that has promoted trade liberalization and global growth in the past. At a time when the global economy is coping with multiple shocks, including the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supply chain disruptions to food and other goods, governments are increasingly turning to subsidies for relief. But the costs can be very high, in terms of public spending and distorted incentives for investment and consumption. How can international cooperation help create a fairer trading system for countries at all income levels?

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, the heads of the four key global economic policy institutions—the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)—discussed the importance of trade and global cooperation for overcoming current challenges and implications of subsidies for markets and poor countries. They called for more transparency and proactive measures to reduce their harm, especially for the largest and most distortive subsidies. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[02:54] Subsidies, trade, and international cooperation

[06:19] National self-interest vs. globalization

[08:34] The end of an era of globalization?

[11:28] Measurement of agricultural subsidies

[13:40] Subsidy and economic policy in a crisis mode

[18:03] Tackling subsidies: Politically expedient vs sensible things

[24:42] Transparency, access to information, collaboration

[26:34] Closure and thanks for tuning!

• David R. Malpass, President of the World Bank Group: "We need to find a way to have trade that occurs in an efficient way to get the gains for the people around the world. It's going to help the poorest people the most."
• Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund: "I worry most about multiple shocks simultaneously hitting us and our proven, inability to deal with more than one crisis at one time."
• Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization: "This globalization, this multilateral trading system that has been built, it's a global public good. It took time to build it. And it has lifted more than a billion people out of poverty."
• Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: "It is about having a level playing field, making sure that resources are allocated to where they can have the most beneficial economic impact for everyone and subsidies really distorted that greatly."

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Don't miss an episode! Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

Preparing for future crises and strengthening international cooperation are essential to deliver a resilient recovery and a better future for those most in need. At these Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group convened leaders, experts and activists to discuss the impact of these global shocks on the most vulnerable communities.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

By 2030, up to two-thirds of the world's extreme poor could live in fragility, conflict, and violence settings, so without addressing the challenges in these economies, we will not succeed in our mission to eradicate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. The disturbing trend of rising and compounding crises points to an urgent need for the international community to come together and develop new and innovative approaches to support countries facing conflict and fragility.

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we discussed how to stay engaged during times of crisis and meet the challenges in new and innovative ways, along with our partners. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[02:15] The case of Yemen: Crises, challenges, and solutions

[06:03] How Colombia has been addressing the refugee crisis from neighboring Venezuela

[10:15] How the international community can come together to assist the most vulnerable

[19:44] How the private sector can play an essential role

[28:14] Closure and thanks for tuning!

• Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, Prime Minister, Yemen: "Unprecedented times need unprecedented actions. The response of the crisis determine how we can build back better after the crisis. So the response should be unique."
• Alejandra Botero, Director General, Department of Planning, Colombia: "If we're going to promise to give them all the services so that they can be part of the social system, health, schools, everything, you have to have a plan to integrate the migrants at all these sectors."
• Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations, World Bank: "Our estimate shows that extreme poverty will be concentrated in fragility, conflict, and violence settings in the next couple of years; so if we want to stop that trend, we have to invest."
• Hervé Ndoba, Minister of Finance and Budget, Central African Republic: "When we're facing fragility, the fiscal space is very reduced and we have to find solutions in order to increase this fiscal space. We have started the cleanup of the public financing."
• Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF: "Roughly 425 million children right now are living in conflict zones. These children are living in places where the compounding of the challenges requires a compounding of the responses."
• Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, IFC: "We need to be persistent enough to convince the private sector to invest in a fragile country, but also we need to think about how the private sector can help mitigate the risk of working in this context."
• Donald Kaberuka, Chairman and Managing Partner, SouthBridge: "These small businesses, what you call the informal sector, unfortunately are actually the ones able to provide the daily jobs which people need."
• Mary Nazzal-Batayneh, Founder of Landmark Hotels & 17 Ventures: "Looking at the multiple crises that we are facing as humanity, it shows that the public sector and private sector and civil society need to work together within the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goal 17."

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Don't miss an episode! Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

Preparing for future crises and strengthening international cooperation are essential to deliver a resilient recovery and a better future for those most in need. At these Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group convened leaders, experts and activists to discuss the impact of these global shocks on the most vulnerable communities.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The connection between development and climate change is increasingly clear: delivering on these together will require large-scale low-carbon and resilient investments. It will also require approaches that tackle the political economy of the low-carbon transition and help communities build long-lasting resilience to climate change. What are the investments needed to achieve a green, resilient and sustainable future? How can we unlock private finance for climate action? How are countries stepping up to the challenge?

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we explored the actions that are needed to create enabling environments, leverage different pools of capital at the right time, for specific needs, while involving communities and bringing them along in the global low-carbon, resilient transition. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[02:10] COP27 & Egypt: Creating meaningful solutions for the future

[07:56] How to make climate finance tangible and action-oriented

[15:20] Private capital in supporting climate action

[23:27] Transitioning economies, transforming climate

[26:04] Closure and thanks for tuning!

• Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt: "We cannot think about climate as separate from the development process of the country."
• Rhian-Mari Thomas, Chief Executive, Green Finance Institute: "We clearly need that enabling policy and regulatory frameworks in country, as well as the mechanisms to improve credit worthiness so that we can secure both local and international funds."
• Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, London School of Economics: "We have to put in place a big transition and we have to do it now, and of course, exiting coal, moving away from coal. That will involve a great deal of investment, but we're going to have to adapt."
• Mari Pangestu, Managing Director, Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank: "Another realism that we are facing today the Ukraine war and its impact on high energy prices and increased concerns around energy security. How can we move forward to continue accelerating the energy transition?"
• Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, IFC: "We are hearing very much from the private sector about green taxonomy. People want to know when they invest to support a fight against climate change, that is really targeted to activities which are related to that."

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Don't miss an episode! Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

Preparing for future crises and strengthening international cooperation are essential to deliver a resilient recovery and a better future for those most in need. At these Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group convened leaders, experts and activists to discuss the impact of these global shocks on the most vulnerable communities.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The COVID-19 pandemic sent advanced and developing economies into starkly divergent paths—with advanced economies expected to recover fully by 2023 and developing economies expected to lag for years to come. Developing economies have nevertheless embraced innovative digital solutions that are enabling economic transformation and putting them on a path toward green, resilient, and inclusive growth.

Private and public investment in digital solutions is bringing critical services to the poorest, creating jobs, strengthening small and medium businesses, enabling trade and services, and building resilience to shocks. At the same time, more than half the developing world remains digitally unconnected, and risks around privacy and cybersecurity are growing worldwide.

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we explored how countries can boost growth, productivity, inclusion and resilience as they recover by embracing private sector innovation coupled with enabling government policy. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[02:48] The progress in Rwanda’s digital journey

[12:45] Addressing the divides and opening digital opportunities

[26:04] Closure and thanks for tuning!

• Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda: "A major challenge continues to be the insufficient reach of fibre optic cables in rural areas. This means that the majority of Africa's population does not have access to high-speed internet."
• Michael Miebach, Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard: "Where is my data? Is my data safe? Where's my money? Is my money safe? If I have it under the mattress, I can see it, I can feel it. If it's somewhere in an app, I'm not quite sure."
• Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner, TLcom Capital: "Most of these tabletop entrepreneurs, most of these businesses are women, and they have been largely excluded from this digital economy. But there is one way of including them."
• David R. Malpass, President of the World Bank Group: "There are now so many services being provided across the internet, that it pays for the investments that countries are making."

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Don't miss an episode! Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform.

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

Preparing for future crises and strengthening international cooperation are essential to deliver a resilient recovery and a better future for those most in need. At these Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group convened leaders, experts and activists to discuss the impact of these global shocks on the most vulnerable communities.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

Around the world 178 countries either have laws that hinder women’s economic inclusion, or lack laws that foster it. That translates to 2.4 billion women of working age who don’t have equal economic opportunities as men. And while the number of countries that score well in the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law research has risen, on average women globally have just three-quarters of the legal rights of men. What are the obstacles to achieving economic inclusion for women? And where is progress being made? Tea Trumbic, Program Manager for the Women, Business and the Law project in the World Bank’s Development Economics vice-presidency, joins the Development Podcast with the latest. ‘It is shocking that in 2022 we are still seeing so many discriminatory laws that hold women back,’ said Tea Trumbic for The Development Podcast. Listen now this episode!

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[01:13] Background on the 2022 Women, Business and the Law Report

[07:29] The case of Gabon in making progress towards gender equality

[11:07] Economic rights of women vs. men

[12:40] Difference between kind of legal equality and equality and practice

[13:32] The importance of childcare as an indicator

[15:03] The provision of child varying from country to country

[16:43] Ensuring quality of childcare provision

[18:05] The obstacles to childcare

[19:26] Is there a model of childcare provision?

[20:30] The regional scorecard for Sub-Saharan in Africa

[24:03] The expected gap in lifetime earnings between men and women

[25:07] Closure and thanks for tuning!

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

How could crypto technologies change the international development sector? The World Bank’s Global Director of Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation, Jean Pesme, discusses how blockchain could revolutionize aspects of economic development from trade to remittances. Also, we explore the promise and the pitfalls of this increasingly popular technology. ‘The less intermediaries you have, the easier it is to do it. The more the costs are going to go down, the more transparency you could have, using the data mechanism,’ said Jean Pesme on cross-border remittances. Listen now this episode of The Development Podcast!

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[01:04] Basics on crypto technologies: Key definitions and data

[06:41] How crypto technologies are benefiting international development

[07:53] What impact could blockchain technologies have on remittance payments?

[09:40] Fees, transparency, and competition

[11:14] The trade challenges that blockchain could help with

[12:51] How do cryptocurrencies factor into international development?

[16:12] What are the climate implications?

[18:18] Pitfalls that people should be aware of when it comes to cryptocurrency

[20:26] Trustability, identity, and the architecture of the different assets

[21:06] Crypto technologies: the most potential going forward

[22:16] Closure and thanks for tuning!

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

On this edition of the Development Podcast from the World Bank Group, Raka Banerjee and Paul Blake examine one of the biggest challenges facing the global community today: Climate Change.

“If we don’t tackle climate change, over 130 million people will be pushed into poverty over the next 10 years and entire economies will be held hostage to the worst impacts,” says World Bank Manager for Advisory and Operations in the Climate Group, Genevieve Connors.

First up, Raka reviews what we know about climate change and what’s at stake.

We then speak to Carolina Schmidt, Chile’s Minister of the Environment, about the threats her country is facing and what her government is doing to address them.

Finally, we speak to Gen Connors about the World Bank Group’s new agenda on addressing climate adaptation and mitigation over the next decade.

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

"The situation that we see right now is absolutely unacceptable, because a large of the world remains unvaccinated and this is a danger for all of us," so warns Mamta Murthi, the World Bank's Vice President for Human Development.

Why are the poorest countries being left so far behind in the race to vaccinate populations? And what's being done to help? In the latest edition of The Development Podcast, we're examining these questions and more. 

From Addis Ababa, Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, Deputy Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, details how the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded across the African continent, and the steps being taken to increase vaccination rates.

Back in Washington, Murthi joins Raka Banerjee and Paul Blake to talk about global trends and the support that the World Bank Group is giving to countries and partners in the race to vaccinate the world against the coronavirus.

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

Around the world, some 70% of economic activity is taking place in the shadows – and no, we’re not talking about drug smuggling or other illegal commerce. 

In this edition of The Development Podcast, the team takes a deep dive into a new analysis that has revealed that the informal sector – firms and workers outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies – accounts for about a third of GDP and more than 70 percent of employment.    

From Cidade Estrutural – one of the poorest neighborhoods in Brasília, Brazil – we hear from Abadia Teixeira de Jesus, who has spent her life climbing out of the economic shadows and into formal employment – only to be knocked back into informality by COVID-19.   

Back in Washington, Raka and Paul speak with Franziska Ohnsorge, the manager of the World Bank’s Prospects Group, about her new book, The Long Shadow of Informality, and what these stunning datapoints mean for the long-term development goals of emerging market and developing economies.  

About the Development Podcast: 

The World Bank’s Development Podcast takes you on a journey around the world of international development, revealing the latest data, research, and solutions to reduce global poverty and achieve a sustainable future.

In our first episode of 2021, we invited an all star panel of development experts - including UNICEF’s Henrietta Fore, economist and author Dambisa Moyo, Save the Children’s Kevin Watkins, and the World Bank’s Axel van Trotsenburg - to share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s next when it comes to the COVID-19 response.