Of the more than
70.8 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide, around 41 million are people who have been displaced from their homes but remain in their home country and nearly 25.9 million are refugees who have fled their countries.
One surprising fact:
Guest post by Gedeon Lim 
This is the thirteenth in this year’s series of posts by PhD students on the job market
Much of modern development efforts are channelled through local government structures. In 2020, for example, 248,160 Gram Panchayats in India will receive transfers of $8.3 billion; 41,913 Barangays in the Philippines will receive $2.5 billion; and in Indonesia, 74,000 rural villages have received annual transfers of $5.1 billion since 2014. Yet, despite the amount of resources devolved to local government, chief executives – Sarpanch (Gram Panchayat heads), Barangay captains, or village chiefs – are rarely paid a living wage for their time as local leaders.
For most children, turning 10 is an exciting moment. They’re learning more about the 
world and expanding their horizons. But too many children – more than half of all 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries – cannot read and understand a simple story. That is unacceptable.
Guest post by M.R. Sharan
This is the thirteenth in this year’s series of posts by students on the job market.
Earlier this year, we interviewed Mr Manjhi, an elected representative in rural Bihar (India) from an extremely marginalized caste group. He described his struggles with his prejudiced superior – an elected representative from a high caste – who refused to release funds to build public goods in Mr Manjhi’s ward. In his desperation, Mr Manjhi appealed to the higher state via a new mechanism he had only recently heard of – a formal complaints system. Over the next month and more, Mr Manjhi was called for “hearings” featuring his high-caste superior and a dispute-resolution officer of the higher bureaucracy. After scrutinizing the evidence and hearing both sides, the officer awarded the complaint in favour of Mr Manjhi and directed his superior to release funds immediately. Mr Manjhi used the funds to deliver piped water to all his constituents.
If you can read this, then you are already doing better than 53% of children in low- and 
middle-income countries, who can’t read a simple text by age 10. Being able to read is fundamental for children to be able to learn other subjects like science and history. It also creates opportunities and opens more doors for them as they get older.
When people talk about biodiversity, it is often through the lens of conservation and the
survival of animal and plant species. But the value drawn from a healthy biosphere is much more than that – it delivers a steady supply of food, water, jobs and livelihoods and helps to regulate climate.
Our oceans are overfished and polluted with plastic; 1 million plant and animal species (out of 8 million) face extinction within decades, according to the latest scientific assessments, and deforestation and soil degradation have reached epic levels.
STOCKHOLM, December 13, 2019 — A global coalition of development partners announced today their commitment to maintain momentum in the fight against extreme poverty, with $82 billion for the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest. The financing, which includes more than $53 billion for Africa, will help countries invest in the needs of their people, boost economic growth, and bolster resilience to climate shocks and natural disasters.
Deadline: 16-Jan-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Assignment objective: Disaster risks need to be understood and mapped in more detail in specific watersheds within large interconnected production and conservation forest landscapes, inhabited by thousands of communities, to be able to better develop, target and converge investments from a number of sectors and stakeholders.
Deadline: 13-Jan-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) 
There will be key criteria for the development of the deliverables:
1. Gender Gaps: A focus on gender equality priorities across the categories policy, leadership, employment, is expected.
2. Client Focus: The focus will be on providing relevant content and recommendations( strategies/remedial actions, activities and programmes) to the WB and KenGen which will be focused in the energy sector and other sectors such as education etc.
3. Partnerships: The consultant will be expected to map out feasible partnerships with e.g. like minded companies and institutions professional associations, universities and NGOs as part of the outputs delivered.
4. Budget and Sustainability: Key will be mapping costs and timelines of the interventions proposed in the gender options analysis. This is essential for sustainability.
5. Key Performance Indicators. What will be the success factors
6. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Define how to measure success
In observance of the International Migrants Day, Dec 18
Chart 1: Ratio of working-age adults per retirement-age person
Immigration has a positive influence on the social and cultural fabric in host countries. In addition to its economic benefits which are well discussed in the World Bank Group Report, migration has a wide range of non-economic benefits for receiving countries. In host countries, immigration can help reverse or at least delay demographic decline and population aging due declining fertility. According to the US Census Bureau (2018),the ratio of working age adults to retirement-age persons is projected to decline to 2.5 by 2060, from 3.5 in 2020 (Chart 1). However, projections indicate that US population growth will be primarily driven by immigration after 2030 (See Chart 2).
