South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2016

Download South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2016 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464809151
Total Pages : 99 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2016 by : World Bank

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2016 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asia by now has consolidated its position as fastest growing developing region in the world. Against the backdrop of relative external stability and some monetary policy space, growth is expected to continue a gradual acceleration on the back of strong investment performance and a return to solid contributions from export growth. India remains the motor of the region and on its way closer to 8 percent real GDP growth, though on a relatively more gradual path than previously anticipated. At the same time, economies across the region will have to tackle fading tailwinds and face ever more binding domestic constraints in the form of persistently high fiscal deficits together with high debt levels as well as some vulnerabilities in the financial sector. The focus section of this report will delve deeper into evaluating the quality of fiscal consolidation and policy, trying to assess short and longer term impact across major South Asian economies.

Stitches to Riches?

Download Stitches to Riches? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464808147
Total Pages : 207 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Stitches to Riches? by : Gladys Lopez-Acevedo

Download or read book Stitches to Riches? written by Gladys Lopez-Acevedo and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-03-28 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asia is in the midst of a demographic transition. For the next three decades, the growth of the region’s working age population will far outpace the growth of dependents. Close to one million individuals will enter the workforce every month. This large, economically active population can increase the region’s capacity to save and make crucial investments in physical capital, job training, and technological advancement. But for South Asia to realize these dividends, it must ensure that its working-age population is productively employed. As one of the most prominent labor-intensive industries in developing countries, apparel manufacturing is a prime contender. With around 4.7 million workers in the formal sector and another estimated 20.3 million informally employed (combined with textiles), apparel already constitutes close to 40 percent of manufacturing employment. And given that much of apparel production continues to be labor-intensive, the potential to create more and better jobs is immense. There is a huge window of opportunity now for South Asia, given that China, the dominant producer for the last ten years, has started to cede some ground due to higher wages. But the region faces strong competition from East Asia—with Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam already pulling ahead. Plus the sector suffers from production inefficiencies and policy bottlenecks that have prevented it from achieving its potential. Against this backdrop, this report hopes to inform the debate by measuring the employment gains that the four most populous countries in South Asia—Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (hereafter `SAR countries’)—can expect in this new environment of increased competition and scrutiny. Its main message is that it is important for South Asian economies to remove existing impediments and facilitate growth in apparel to capture more production and create more employment as wages rise in China. The successful manufacturers will be those who can supply a wide range of quality products to buyers rapidly and reliably—not just offer low costs.

South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2015

Download South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2015 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464806144
Total Pages : 68 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2015 by : World Bank

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2015 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2015-04-30 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The South Asia Economic Focus is a biannual economic update presenting recent economic developments and a near term economic outlook for South Asia. It includes a Focus section presenting more in depth analysis of an economic topic of relevance for stability, growth and prosperity in the region as well as country briefs covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It concludes with a data section providing key economic indicators for South Asia "at a glance". Overall, it aims at providing important background information and timely analysis of key indicators and economic and financial developments of relevance to World Bank Group operations and interaction with counterparts in the region, particularly during annual and spring meeting.

South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2014

Download South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2014 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464802734
Total Pages : 74 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2014 by : World Bank Publications

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2014 written by World Bank Publications and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2014-04-10 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gradual removal of stimulus policies continues as developed economies follow their expected path of slow but sustained recovery. After suffering from international portfolio rebalancing triggered by gradual removal of quantitative easing in the US announced in May 2013, India in particular and South Asia more broadly have managed to reduce external vulnerability. However, growth across the region continues to falter while formidable domestic challenges remain to be tackled. The overall short and medium term outlook for South Asia remains cautiously positive. External vulnerabilities are gradually giving way to domestic downside risks as primary concern for growth and macroeconomic stability. Hence, as previous regional economic updates have argued, any positive development in growth will depend on progress isolating domestic threats to and building buffers for macroeconomic stability, strengthening the investment climate, and removing infrastructure bottlenecks. Over the short and medium run, the economic fortunes of South Asian economies will depend in part on financial sector developments. In the short term the key question is how further monetary contraction in the US will affect them. Over the medium run it will be crucial to achieve more robust and efficient financial intermediation to ensure greater resilience to shocks and that resources are allocated to fund major remaining infrastructure gaps. This edition’s focus section attempts to answer the first question and sheds light on risks in the South Asian banking sector.

South Asia Economic Focus, Spring 2013

Download South Asia Economic Focus, Spring 2013 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 0821399799
Total Pages : 63 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (213 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus, Spring 2013 by :

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus, Spring 2013 written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013-04-19 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asia is regaining its economic momentum, but the recovery in the world’s region with the largest number of poor people could falter in the absence of a stronger investment climate. The combined growth of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka was just 4.7% in 2012, substantially below pre-crisis levels. Much of the recent slowdown in economic growth can be attributed to stagnating investment. Total fixed investment grew by 2.6% in 2012, down from a high of 16.7% in 2010. The performance varies widely across the region. At the same time, the region is now more vulnerable because current account balances have widened, foreign direct investment has slowed, and persistently high inflation has limited the ability for central banks to use monetary policy to counter any economic downturn. Because of rising imports, countries in South Asia are also more vulnerable to increases in commodity prices. Therefore, the outlook remains cautiously optimistic with a relatively large downside risk. A pick-up of growth to 5.5% can be expected in 2013 dependent on ongoing efforts to rebuild policy buffers and boost private investment.

Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia

Download Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000202658
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia by : Sanjay Sehgal

Download or read book Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia written by Sanjay Sehgal and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2020-10-25 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses the current state and potential of economic and financial integration in South Asia, which has emerged as one of the most dynamic regions of the world. It looks at how regional convergences and cooperation would reinforce ties amongst the diverse economies of South Asia in the changing global economic landscape. Drawing on empirical research, the book looks at the degree of economic and financial integration in South Asia, which according to the World Bank includes the least integrated regions in the world, and explores the fundamental factors that drive integration amongst these countries. It offers important insights into the financial landscape of the region, as well as the dynamics of the interlinkages in the banking system, the stock markets, and the debt markets. The book examines the role of bilateral trade in augmenting regional economic ties, the opportunities for growth these will foster, and the major challenges and roadblocks for the leaders of the region. It also provides an overview of China’s role in South Asia’s financial integration and the interdependence of these economies for economic opportunities, macroeconomic and financial stability, jobs, sustainable growth, and inclusive development. Detailed and insightful, this book will be of great interest to investors and regional policymakers. It will also be of interest to researchers and students of economics, public and foreign policy, finance, international relations, and South Asia studies.

South Asia Economic Focus

Download South Asia Economic Focus PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464814074
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus by : World Bank

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-07 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The South Asia Economic Focus is a biannual economic update presenting recent economic developments and a near term economic outlook for South Asia. It includes a Focus section presenting more in depth analysis of an economic topic of relevance for stability, growth and prosperity in the region as well as country briefs covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It concludes with a data section providing key economic indicators for South Asia "at a glance". Overall, it aims at providing important background information and timely analysis of key indicators and economic and financial developments of relevance to World Bank Group operations and interaction with counterparts in the region, particularly during annual and spring meeting.

New Futures for South Asia

Download New Futures for South Asia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000730050
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis New Futures for South Asia by : Adluri Subramanyam Raju

Download or read book New Futures for South Asia written by Adluri Subramanyam Raju and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a comprehensive examination of the society, polity and economy of South Asian countries and their future trajectories. The chapters included in the volume present key insights into the geopolitical dynamics of the region. New Futures for South Asia: draws on case studies from the region to discuss how democracy has fared in terms of state-society linkages, transformational possibilities and the globalization and radicalization of politics; studies possibilities of economic cooperation in South Asia, including common currency, regional imbalances and aid, transport connectivity and electricity consumption; examines the crucial role of SAARC and bilateralism in forging connectivities across the diverse geographies of the region. A major intervention in re-shaping South Asian studies, this book will be a great resource for scholars and researchers of security studies, strategic affairs, international relations, development studies and politics.

Global Economic Prospects, June 2016

Download Global Economic Prospects, June 2016 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464807787
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Global Economic Prospects, June 2016 by : World Bank Group

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects, June 2016 written by World Bank Group and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-07-13 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global growth prospects have deteriorated in 2016. Emerging market and developing economies are facing increased external headwinds, including softer growth in advanced economies. Commodity exporters are struggling with particularly challenging conditions, while commodity importers are thus far showing greater resilience. Global growth is expected to gradually accelerate in 2017-18 but risks to the outlook are increasingly more pronounced. In addition to discussing global and regional economic developments and prospects, this edition of Global Economic Prospects includes two Special Focus essays of critical importance for emerging and developing economies: an analysis of the buildup of private debt in emerging and frontier markets and a quantitative study of uncertainties surrounding global growth. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Global Economic Prospects. The Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that has, since its inception in 1991, examined international economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies. It has also included analytical essays on a wide range of topical macroeconomic, financial, and structural policy challenges faced by these economies. It is published on a semiannual basis (in January and June). The January edition includes in-depth analyses of topical policy challenges, while the June edition contains shorter analytical essays.

Building Sustainable Communities

Download Building Sustainable Communities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9811523932
Total Pages : 883 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (115 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Building Sustainable Communities by : Md. Nurul Momen

Download or read book Building Sustainable Communities written by Md. Nurul Momen and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 883 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book aims to explore South Asian third sector – the nonprofit organizations as provider of social services. The book defines social welfare and describe its relationship to social service programmes and individual well-being; understands the social policy development from the problem identification to policy implementation; describes the range of organization of social service agencies that are responsible for providing social welfare programmes; explores the various roles that professional and non- professional helpers provide in the delivery of social welfare and their influence in promoting change in policy development; and understands the umbrella concept of Child welfare, welfare of people with disability and elderly welfare in welfare policy.

In the Dark

Download In the Dark PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464812896
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis In the Dark by : Fan Zhang

Download or read book In the Dark written by Fan Zhang and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-12-12 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity shortages are among the biggest barriers to South Asia’s development. Some 255 million people—more than a quarter of the world’s off-grid population—live in South Asia, and millions of households and firms that are connected experience frequent and long hours of blackouts. Inefficiencies originating in every link of the electricity supply chain contribute significantly to the power deficit. Three types of distortions lead to most of the inefficiencies: institutional distortions caused by state ownership and weak governance; regulatory distortions resulting from price regulation, subsidies, and cross-subsidies; and social distortions (externalities) causing excessive environmental and health damages from energy use. Using a common analytical framework and covering all stages of power supply, In the Dark identifies and estimates how policy-induced distortions have affected South Asian economies. The book introduces two innovations. First, it goes beyond fiscal costs, evaluating the impact of distortions from a welfare perspective by measuring the impact on consumer wellbeing, producer surplus, and environmental costs. And second, the book adopts a broader definition of the sector that covers the entire power supply chain, including upstream fuel supply and downstream access and reliability. The book finds that the full cost of distortions in the power sector is far greater than previously estimated based on fiscal cost alone: The estimated total economic cost is 4†“7 percent of the gross domestic product in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Some of the largest costs are upstream and downstream. Few other reforms could quickly yield the huge economic gains that power sector reform would produce. By expanding access to electricity and improving the quality of supply, power sector reform would also directly benefit poor households. The highest payoffs are likely to come from institutional reforms, expansion of reliable access, and the appropriate pricing of carbon and local air pollution emissions.

Is South Asia Ready for Take Off?

Download Is South Asia Ready for Take Off? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1513518291
Total Pages : 78 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (135 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Is South Asia Ready for Take Off? by : Mr.Ranil M Salgado

Download or read book Is South Asia Ready for Take Off? written by Mr.Ranil M Salgado and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-11-04 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the mid-1980s, durable reforms coupled with prudent macroeconomic management have brought steady progress to the South Asia region, making it one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Real GDP growth has steadily increased from an average of about 3 percent in the 1970s to 7 percent over the last decade. Although growth trajectories varied across countries, reforms supported strong per capita income growth in the region, lifting over 200 million people out of poverty in the last three decades. Today, South Asia accounts for one-fifth of the world’s population and, thanks to India’s increasing performance, contributes to over 15 percent of global growth. Looking ahead, the authors find that South Asia is poised to play an even bigger role in the global economy, in both relative and absolute terms. India has overtaken China as the fastest growing large economy and South Asia’s contribution to global growth is set to increase, while more mature economies decelerate. Greater economic diversification, with an expansion of the service sector, improvements in education, and a still sizable demographic dividend are among the key elements underpinning this performance. Based on demographic trends, more than 150 million people in the region are expected to enter the labor market by 2030. This young and large workforce can be South Asia’s strength, if supported by a successful high-quality and job-rich growth strategy. Amid a changing global economic landscape, the authors argue that South Asia will need to leverage on all sectors of the economy in a balanced way, supporting improvements in agricultural productivity and a sustainable expansion of manufacturing, while promoting higher-skill services, to achieve this goal.

South Asia Economic Focus, Fall 2015

Download South Asia Economic Focus, Fall 2015 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464807345
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis South Asia Economic Focus, Fall 2015 by : Weltbank

Download or read book South Asia Economic Focus, Fall 2015 written by Weltbank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2015 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The South Asia Economic Focus is a biannual economic update presenting recent economic developments and a near term economic outlook for South Asia. It includes a Focus section presenting more in depth analysis of an economic topic of relevance for stability, growth and prosperity in the region as well as country briefs covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It concludes with a data section providing key economic indicators for South Asia "at a glance". Overall, it aims at providing important background information and timely analysis of key indicators and economic and financial developments of relevance to World Bank Group operations and interaction with counterparts in the region, particularly during annual and spring meeting.

Sustainable Energy Transition In South Asia: Challenges And Opportunities

Download Sustainable Energy Transition In South Asia: Challenges And Opportunities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9811204330
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (112 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sustainable Energy Transition In South Asia: Challenges And Opportunities by : S Narayan

Download or read book Sustainable Energy Transition In South Asia: Challenges And Opportunities written by S Narayan and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2019-07-18 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With South Asia's growing energy demand, governments in the region are facing the short-term pressures of facilitating energy access, while attempting to formulate long-term sustainable strategies. This book explores how the key economies of South Asia are addressing issues such as the diversification of energy consumption profiles and import sources, investments in renewables, enabling universal energy access, challenges to regional energy cooperation, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and the policy changes that can foster bilateral and multilateral action.As governments seek to ensure access to affordable, reliable, secure, sustainable and modern energy, trends and drivers are emerging and shaping the South Asian energy landscape. The first section of the book examines energy trends at the regional level, while the second section focuses on the internal and external challenges faced by India — the largest energy consumer in the region and the third-largest energy consumer in the world.The diverse perspectives in this volume provide a holistic snapshot of South Asia's ongoing low-carbon energy transition, and highlight the importance of the region working collectively to navigate the many obstacles.

Pakistan at Seventy

Download Pakistan at Seventy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429762100
Total Pages : 363 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (297 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Pakistan at Seventy by : Shahid Burki

Download or read book Pakistan at Seventy written by Shahid Burki and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-06-07 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook examines Pakistan’s 70-year history from a number of different perspectives. When Pakistan was born, it did not have a capital, a functioning government or a central bank. The country lacked a skilled workforce. While the state was in the process of being established, eight million Muslim refugees arrived from India, who had to be absorbed into a population of 24 million people. However, within 15 years, Pakistan was the fastest growing and transforming economy in the developing world, although the political evolution of the country during this period was not equally successful. Pakistan has vast agricultural and human resources, and its location promises trade, investment and other opportunities. Chapters in the volume, written by experts in the field, examine government and politics, economics, foreign policy and environmental issues, as well as social aspects of Pakistan’s development, including the media, technology, gender and education. Shahid Javed Burki is an economist who has been a member of the faculty at Harvard University, USA, and Chief Economist, Planning and Development Department, Government of the Punjab. He has also served as Minister of Finance in the Government of Pakistan, and has written a number of books, and journal and newspaper articles. He joined the World Bank in 1974 as a senior economist and went on to serve in several senior positions. He was the (first) Director of the China Department (1987–94) and served as the Regional Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean during 1994–99. He is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Shahid Javed Burki Institute of Public Policy at NetSol (BIPP) in Lahore. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is a career Bangladeshi diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Bangladesh (2007–08). He has a PhD in international relations from the Australian National University, Canberra. He began his career as a member of the civil service of Pakistan in 1969. Dr Chowdhury has held senior diplomatic positions in the course of his career, including as Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York (2001–07) and in Geneva (1996–2001), and was ambassador to Qatar, Chile, Peru and the Vatican. He is currently a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. Asad Ejaz Butt is the Director of the Burki Institute of Public Policy, Lahore, Pakistan.

Exports to Jobs

Download Exports to Jobs PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464812497
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Exports to Jobs by : Erhan Artuc

Download or read book Exports to Jobs written by Erhan Artuc and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-02-25 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asia has grown rapidly with significant reductions in poverty, but it has not been able to match the fast-growing working age population, leading to lingering concerns about jobless growth and poor job quality. Could export growth in South Asia result in better labor market outcomes? The answer is yes, according to our study, which rigorously estimates—using a new methodology—the potential impact from higher South Asian exports per worker on wages and employment over a 10-year period. Our study shows the positive side of trade. It finds that increasing exports per worker would result in higher wages—mainly for better-off groups, like more educated workers, males, and more-experienced workers—although less-skilled workers would see the largest reduction in informality. How can the benefits be spread more widely? Our study suggests that scaling up exports in labor-intensive industries could significantly lower informality for groups like rural and less-educated workers in the region. Also, increasing skills, and participation of women and young workers in the labor force could make an even bigger dent in informal employment. The region could achieve these gains by: (i) boosting and connecting exports to people (e.g., removing trade barriers and investment in infrastructure); (ii) eliminating distortions in production (e.g., by more efficient allocation of inputs); and (iii) protecting workers (e.g., by investing in education and skills).

Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2023

Download Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2023 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464819823
Total Pages : 122 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2023 by : Ivailo Izvorski

Download or read book Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2023 written by Ivailo Izvorski and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2023-04-06 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic growth slowed sharply last year in Europe and Central Asia, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a surge in inflation, and the sharp tightening of monetary policy and financing conditions hit private consumption, investment, and trade. The marked increase in food and energy prices boosted inflation to a pace not seen in 20 years. The burden of inflation was spread unevenly across households. The poorest households faced inflation that was more than 2 percentage points higher than the inflation faced by the richest households, with this difference exceeding 5 percentage points in some countries. Poverty and inequality rates derived from household-specific inflation rates differ from those based on the standard consumer price index (CPI) approach. These differences have important policy implications, because many programs use CPI†“based inflation adjustments, which do not accurately capture changes in the cost of living of targeted populations. Output growth in the region is projected to remain little changed in 2023 but better than projected in January 2023, largely reflecting upgrades to the pace of expansion in Poland, Russia, and Türkiye.