The 2015 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) Report and Scorecard evaluate access to and usage of affordable financial services across 21 geographically and economically diverse countries. The 2015 FDIP Report and Scorecard seek to answer a set of fundamental questions about today's global financial inclusion efforts, including: 1) Do country commitments make a difference in progress toward financial inclusion?; 2) To what extent do mobile and other digital technologies advance financial inclusion?; and 3) What legal, policy, and regulatory approaches promote financial inclusion? John D. Villasenor, Darrell M. West, and Robin J. Lewis analyzed the financial inclusion landscape in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and Zambia. Countries received scores and rankings based on 33 indicators spanning four dimensions: country commitment, mobile capacity, regulatory environment, and adoption of traditional and digital financial services. The authors' analysis provides several takeaways with respect to expanding financial inclusion across diverse cultural, economic, and political contexts: · Country commitment is fundamental. · Movement toward digital financial services will accelerate financial inclusion. · Geography generally matters less than policy, legal, and regulatory changes, although some regional trends in terms of financial services provision are evident. · Central banks, ministries of finance, ministries of communications, banks, nonbank financial providers, and mobile network operators play major roles in achieving greater financial inclusion. · Full financial inclusion cannot be achieved without addressing the financial inclusion gender gap. This year's Report and Scorecard are the first of a series of publications intended to provide policymakers, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and the general public with information that can help improve financial inclusion in these countries and around the world.

The 2015 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) Report and Scorecard evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services across 21 geographically and economically diverse countries. The Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underserved people across 21 countries. The 2015 FDIP Report and Scorecard evaluate and rank these countries based on four dimensions of financial inclusion: country commitment, mobile capacity, regulatory environment, and adoption of traditional and digital financial services. The 2015 Report and Scorecard are the first in a series of publications intended to provide policymakers, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the general public with information that can help improve financial inclusion in these countries and around the world.-- publisher's web site.

Central banks occupy a unique space in their national governments and in the global economy. The study of central banking however, has too often been dominated by an abstract theoretical approach that fails to grasp central banks’ institutional nuances. This comprehensive and insightful Handbook, takes a wider angle on central banks and central banking, focusing on the institutions of central banking. By 'institutions', Peter Conti-Brown and Rosa Lastra refer to the laws, traditions, norms, and rules used to structure central bank organisations. The Research Handbook on Central Banking’s institutional approach is one of the most interdisciplinary efforts to consider its topic, and includes chapters from leading and rising central bankers, economists, lawyers, legal scholars, political scientists, historians, and others.

A broad vision for economic progress in Africa A more peaceful and prosperous Africa is in everyone’s interest. Such an Africa would translate into more trade and investment, more jobs, and more security for all. Africa is now at a crossroads and the right path, if taken, could lead the continent closer to reaching its growth and human development objectives. As one banker recently said, it is no longer a matter of “Why Africa?” but “How Africa?” Using economic policy analysis, this book examines the vision for achieving this idea of “How Africa?” through the cooperative actions of the African Union, Africa’s private sector, civil society, women, and youth. It looks at the continent’s progress in delivering on this vision, specifically its ability and progress in maintaining momentum, sharing the benefits of growth, and financing its development. The book also looks at risks and opportunities that are part of this vision—such as population growth, urbanization, and technological changes, and the role that countries such as the United States and China, as well as institutional and private sector partners, can play in achieving Africa’s vision. This book offers a vision of Africa that puts together all the pieces of the puzzle to help inform policymakers from all disciplines. Policymakers and political commentators in the United States and elsewhere typically look at Africa through discrete lenses that focus on specific elements of what is happening on the continent, from security concerns to trade disputes to humanitarian crises. This tendency to focus narrowly, however, gives a fragmented and incomplete vision of the continent. A broader economic lens helps refocus the vision of Africa and is necessary if one wants to have a meaningful impact on policies to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The book takes care to understand and study the vision that Africans themselves have of their continent. It is also forward looking in its focus on trends and risks such as population growth, rapid urbanization, and technological change.

Analyses of the international security environment typically provide somber overviews of the various drivers and manifestations of conflict and instability around the world. Recent developments such as the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and elsewhere, a Middle East in flames, a resurgent Russia, incessant violence in West Africa or turmoil in South China Sea only reinforce this view. By framing our analysis of the security environment in these terms, debates about how to anticipate and respond to these current and future threats invariably focus on those forces of instability and conflict: how to identify threats and enemies and then eliminate them. This report is based on the premise that this conflict-centric mindset has led to portfolio choices in terms of strategies (‘what do we do and how do we do it?’), capabilities (‘what do we do it with?’), and partners (‘who do we do it with?’) that have been excessively onesided. This report argues that there is an alternative, complementary way of framing security that is equally real and equally actionable for defense and security organizations (DSOs4 ): a resilience-centric one.

This book examines how credit and finance schemes affect the financial lives of vulnerable people around the world. These schemes include payday lending, matched savings, and financial literacy in the Global North, and micro-credit and mobile banking in the Global South. Buckland sets these schemes within the context of financialization and seeks to identify strengths, weaknesses, and ways to enhance the well-being of vulnerable people. This book’s coverage of a wide range of financial products and geographic regions makes for a unique and innovative perspective on this topic. It presents a balanced critique of credit and finance schemes under the assumption that reform is the most practical means to improve human well-being.

This book examines the nature of retail financial transaction infrastructures. Contributions assume a long-term outlook in their exploration of the key financial processes and systems that support a global transition to a cashless economy. The volume offers both modern and historic accounts that demonstrate the constantly changing role of payment instruments. It brings together different theoretical approaches to the study, re-examining and forecasting changes in retail payment systems. Chapters explore a global transition to a cashless society and contemplate future alternatives to cash, cheques and plastic, featuring the perspectives of academics from different disciplines in conversation and industry participants from six continents. Readers are invited to discover the innovation in payment systems and how it co-evolves with changes in society and organisations through personal, corporate and governmental processes.