Entrepreneurship

With over a billion young people set to enter the global workforce in the next decade, policymakers must prioritize education and jobs for young women to advance prosperity.

Data and interview results show how information and communication technologies are empowering women in Senegal’s informal economy.

Rapidly aging populations and falling birthrates create fiscal and economic headwinds that even advanced economies struggle to manage. Some middle-income countries are approaching the same “demographic cliff” at an even faster clip, while many lower-income countries face the opposite problem. Policymakers in all cases must be prepared to make politically tough decisions—and soon.

Emerging markets’ sovereign and corporate bonds are under strain, largely driven by erratic fiscal and trade policy signals from Washington.

The fate of the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs may be unclear—announced and immediately suspended in early April; now set to take effect in July—but it is reasonably clear what emerging and developing economies should do: Resist protectionism, strengthen macroeconomic resilience, and attract foreign investment to navigate rising US trade barriers and uncertainty.

Access to credit is vital for SMEs, yet barriers like high collateral and discriminatory lending hinder growth, especially for women-led firms. Data shows freer economies reduce borrower discouragement. Legal protections, economic deregulation, and gender-sensitive policies improve access. Case studies from New Zealand, Singapore, and Kenya highlight how strategic reforms bridge credit gaps and drive growth.