The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
The World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) is The World Bank’s official open access repository for its research outputs and knowledge products.
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Publication Texting parents about early child development: Behavioral changes and unintended social effects(Elsevier, 2026-05-22) Rodríguez, Oscar Barrera; Macours, Karen; Premand, Patrick; Vakis, RenosParenting interventions have the potential to improve early childhood development. Text messages are considered a promising channel to diffuse parenting information at low cost. This paper tests whether sending text messages about parenting practices impacts early childhood development. Households in rural Nicaragua were randomly assigned to receive messages about nutrition, health, stimulation and the home environment. The intervention led to significant changes in self-reported parenting practices. However, it did not improve children’s cognitive development. When local opinion leaders were randomly exposed to the same text message intervention, parental investments declined and children’s outcomes deteriorated. These negative effects were strongest for children of the least educated caregivers. Since interactions between parents and leaders about child development also decreased, the negative effects may have resulted from a crowding-out of efforts by local leaders.Publication Representation in Mobility Data in Emerging Cities(American Economic Association, 2026-05-01) Björkegren, Daniel; Duhaut, Alice; Mbonu, Oluchi; Nagpal, Geetika; Tsivanidis, NickHow people move has implications for many facets of economic activity. Data from mobile phones have enabled much finer tracking of mobility. However, there are multiple ways to measure mobility. Smartphone data may omit many people in emerging economies, and call records include locations only when people actively use their phones. We assess the trade-offs in measuring mobility with different sources using comprehensive mobility data from Lagos, Nigeria.Publication China Economic Update, July 2026: Rebalancing Growth(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2026-07-16) World BankThis edition highlights that China’s economy maintained solid growth at the start of the year, with high-tech investment and exports offsetting subdued consumption. Momentum softened in the second quarter on the heels of the global energy supply shock, though the impact on China’s economy was mitigated by large oil reserves, diversified fuel imports, a high share of renewables, and policy measures. Growth is projected to moderate to 4.4 percent in 2026 amid persistent domestic demand headwinds. Near-term macroeconomic policy will need to remain supportive of growth while structural reforms are phased in to address the deeper drivers of weak domestic demand and accelerate rebalancing. The Economic Update also examines how China’s low-carbon transition is reshaping its labor market. Demand for green technical skills and transferable competencies such as systems thinking and adaptive learning is expanding beyond narrowly defined low-carbon sectors. These skills are associated with sizable wage premiums of around 22 to 25 percent, yet skill mismatches are constraining inclusive employment gains. Realizing the full employment benefits of the transition will require a proactive, coordinated approach to workforce development on two tracks: in the short term, strengthening on-the-job training, reskilling, and labor mobility support; and over the longer term, reforming education curricula and strengthening labor market institutions.Publication The Costs of Large-Scale Assessments in Sub-Saharan Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2026-04-30) Yanez, Karina Diaz; Cloutier, Marie-Helene; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Sidibé, Modibo; Luna-Bazaldua, DiegoThis report presents a systematic analysis of costs and financing for large-scale learning assessments in five Sub-Saharan African countries (Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, and Tanzania) and discusses their trade-offs, design choices, and policy implications. Using a standardized costing tool and a common activity framework, the report (i) documents cost structures and key drivers; (ii) compares per-student and total costs across assessment models and countries; (iii) examines how financing and implementation arrangements—such as government-financed versus development partner-funded, and nationally managed versus internationally coordinated—affect sustainability and capacity building; and (iv) identifies actionable policy directions to improve cost efficiency and long-term institutionalization.Publication Health Taxes in the Middle East and North Africa Region(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-05-31) Blecher, Evan; Ozer, CerenTobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are significant and increasing contributors to premature mortality and morbidity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Health taxes are excise taxes applied to tobacco, alcohol, and SSBs that correct for the negative externalities and internalities their consumption generates. When well-designed, increases in health taxes result in price increases, leading to declining consumption, mortality and morbidity, and leading to long run enhancements in human capital and generating meaningful tax revenues. Increases in health taxes are progressive and welfare-increasing as poorer households enjoy larger benefits from reductions in medical expenditures and increased labor productivity. Most MENA countries implement tobacco taxes, and a growing number apply SSB taxes, however there are significant gaps in utilization and implementation, with scope for reforms that will generate meaningful health and tax revenue gains. This includes tobacco tax increases, implementation of tobacco taxes in countries that do not apply them, reforming tax structures with a focus on specific and uniform taxes, and additional attention to waterpipe smoking and vaping. SSB taxes are conservatively design with many countries implementing ad valorem taxes with a broad scope that often includes lower sugar and healthier substitutes. MENA countries face challenges implementing health taxes, including tax administration and illicit trade in tobacco. These should not deter countries from action, as there is a wide range of support and tools are available to improve tax administration, allowing countries to prioritize strengthening both tax policy and tax administration.