Nearly 90% of global trade is affected by non-tariff measures. Exporters face an average of more than 15 distinct compliance requirements per shipment. What looks like a simple apple on a grocery shelf is governed by a dense web of agrifood standards—covering safety limits, labeling, audits, and certification. As tariffs decline, these standards increasingly determine who can access global markets. This episode explores how regulatory distance shapes trade flows, why small producers face disproportionate compliance costs, and how the “Adapt, Align, Author” framework can help countries turn standards from barriers into springboards for growth. From quality infrastructure gaps to the economic payoff of certification, we unpack what it takes to compete in today’s rule-based food economy. Generated with AI using wondercraft.ai and guided by our experts. Read more at https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2025

45% of global growth. Nearly 60% of income gains for the poorest. 📊 What if education has been one of the most powerful forces reshaping the global economy? This episode explores new evidence from Distributional Growth Accounting: Education and the Reduction of Global Poverty, 1980–2019, showing that schooling explains roughly one-third of the decline in extreme poverty worldwide. We unpack how expanding secondary and tertiary education transformed labor markets, reduced inequality, and moderated skill premiums across 154 countries. Discover why traditional growth models may be underestimating education’s true economic impact—and what this means for policy today. Generated with AI using wondercraft.ai and guided by our experts. Read more at https://amory-gethin.fr/files/pdf/Gethin2025QJE.pdf?deliveryName=DM272505

1.8 billion people today—and 2.6 billion by 2050. Frontier Market Economies are countries that sit between low-income and emerging markets: more developed than the poorest economies, with some access to global financial markets, but still facing significant structural constraints. This episode dives into the world’s biggest jobs challenge, unpacking why slowing investment, volatile capital flows, and rising debt risks are holding these economies back—and what has worked for those that succeeded. Drawing on insights from the Global Economic Prospects 2026, we explore how smart policy choices can turn demographic pressure into a driver of sustainable growth. Generated with AI using wondercraft.ai and guided by our experts.

Read more here at https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a8c9b8ba-4558-4195-9826-1185f0b41283/content