By Samantha Igo In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing climate crisis, it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is an unresolved tension between the network of rules that make up the global trading system, and the needs of that system’s individual countries. The new book by Rachel Thrasher, Constraining Development: the Shrinking Policy […]
By Pamela Icyeza On November 1, 2021, Alden Young, historian of Northeast Africa and Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, gave a talk as part of the 2021 Walter Rodney Seminars at the Boston University African Studies Center co-sponsored by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. In his talk, Young discussed […]
By Emanne Khan Although women have made remarkable strides in the professional world, the gender pay gap stubbornly persists. On average, American women earned 84 cents for every dollar men earned in 2020, a disparity that has remained relatively consistent over the past 15 years, according to the Pew Research Center. Although a substantial body […]
Conserving coral reefs is critical for maintaining marine biodiversity, protecting coastlines and supporting livelihoods in many coastal communities. Climate change threatens coral reefs globally, but researchers have identified a portfolio of bioclimatic units (BCUs), or coral reefs, that are relatively less exposed to climate impacts and connected to other reef systems. These reefs provide a […]
By Rachel Brulé and Nikhar Gaikwad One striking casualty of the global pandemic has been the decline in women’s wealth. This helps to explain two striking features of the slower-than-anticipated COVID-19 “recovery” in the US: the “great resignation” where the labor force continues to shrink despite 7 million US workers losing unemployment benefits as of […]
Many markets have multiple voluntary certification programs that sellers use to signal product or organizational quality. While previous scholarship has emphasized the potential for competition between labels, what happens when labels are viewed as complementary? In a new journal article published in the Strategic Management Journal, Xia Li and Timothy Simcoe argue there can be positive spillovers […]
By Xia Li Certification is used in many industries to solve information problems when product quality or firm behavior is hard to assess. In fact, it is so common that many industries have multiple voluntary certification programs, including the building sector. This is true in China, where there are two widely used certifications for green […]
In September 2021, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced at the 76th United Nations General Assembly that China would increase support for low-carbon energy in developing countries and not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. Since then, much debate has ensued as to the exact policy details of the announcement. In considering the words ‘build’ and […]
The primary purpose of environmental impact assessments (EIA) is to provide insight to decision makers regarding the environmental consequences of their actions. Ideally, they are done to mitigate harm and modify development plans to maintain environmental quality. The use of EIAs is now commonplace in both developed and developing countries, but there are rising concerns over EIA […]
By Arden Caroline Radford As world leaders, researchers and advocates gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), much attention will be focused on the global phase-out of coal-fired power. While the additional climate impacts of coal fired power plants (CFPPs) on the global atmosphere are well documented, […]