About World Development Report

The World Development Report (WDR) has been produced on an annual basis since 1978 and is the World Bank's major analytical publication. The topic of each report is selected by the Bank’s president three years in advance of the book’s publication. As soon as the topic is announced, four major steps occur.

Research is initiated within the Bank’s Development Economics Group (DEC), a “Network” (a group of Bank departments that research and work on several related sectors of development), or other appropriate units to strengthen links between the Bank’s ongoing research program and the WDR.
A director is announced and the WDR team is recruited. A new team is established for each WDR. The team, which falls under the guidance of the Bank chief economist, is led by a senior Bank staff member and comprises staff and consultants from the Networks, Regional departments, World Bank Institute (WBI), and DEC’s Research Group. The team members are seconded to work on the WDR for a 12-month period.
An internal partner group is identified for each WDR. Although the institutional home for each WDR is the DEC group, a partner group is identified early on (such as a thematic Network, WBI, or a Regional department) so that the knowledge created is further developed and actively applied after publication of the report.
A timetable is established for research, writing, review, consultations, presentation to the Board of Directors, editorial and production work, publication, and dissemination.

FORTHCOMING: World Development Report 2013: Jobs

The global economic and financial crisis resulted in massive job losses in emerging and industrial countries alike. The Middle-East up-rise was sparked partly by young skilled workers who were frustrated by the lack of decent work opportunities. Throughout the world, jobs are the link between economic growth at the aggregate level and prosperity at the level of households and communities. Beyond material welfare, gainful employment is an avenue for participation in society.

Short-run measures to provide temporary work are critical components of social safety nets, but complementary measures are needed to address the underlying structural problems. In many developing countries and urban areas, the biggest predicament is low productivity in informal work. Greater labor mobility, including through international migration offers opportunities to reconcile gaps in supply and demand of labor, but also raises concerns for both migrants and workers in recipient countries.

To address these issues, job creation needs to be put at the center of the development strategy. Action is needed to stimulate production of higher value-added goods and services, boosting the demand for labor, to prepare today's youth to become productive members of society, and to ensure an efficient matching of supply and demand of labor. But there is also a need to look beyond the labor market, identifying the complementary policies to support the necessary structural shifts and the supply of needed skills. Infrastructure development, policies for competition and innovation, reforms in educational and training systems to equip tomorrow's workers with the relevant skills and the architecture of social protection have all a bearing on the chances to create more and better jobs. These are the issues the World Development Report 2013: Jobs, will address.

The report is scheduled to be published in early fall 2012.

Terms of Use The Complete World Development Report Online is subject to the Terms of Use for all World Bank Online content. By using The Complete World Development Report Online, you agree to provide attribution to the World Bank and its content providers in the following format: The World Bank: The Complete World Development Report Online: The World Bank authorizes the use of this material subject to the terms and conditions on its website, http://www.worldbank.org/terms
Privacy Policy To view our privacy policy, please visit https://wdronline.worldbank.org/worldbank/p/privacypolicy.