Data collection in fragile states innovations from Africa and beyond

Abstract

Te world is becoming less safe and peaceful. According to the 2018 Global Peace Index prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, 42 countries experienced an increase in the intensity of internal confict over the past decade, twice the number of countries that have improved. While progress is being made in certain areas—military spending declined slightly, for instance—peacefulness deteriorated as the intensity of confict worsened. Confict has major costs, in terms of lives prematurely ended, human sufering and forgone development and economic opportunities. A civil war costs a medium-sized developing country the equivalent of 30 years of GDP growth; it takes 20 years for its trade levels to return to pre-war levels. To mitigate the long-term consequences of confict on growth and poverty reduction, the World Bank Group is paying increasing attention to countries afected by confict and violence. Since 2017, the World Bank Group has doubled its fnancial support for countries facing current or rising risks of fragility, opened special windows for assistance to refugees and host communities, and developed new fnancial instruments to support crisis preparedness and response.