China is now the world’s largest source of bilateral development finance and will likely continue to play a prominent role in sovereign lending through its multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A new journal article published in Nature’s Scientific Data by a team of Boston University Global Development Policy Center researchers introduces major methodological enhancements […]
China has become one of the world’s largest lenders in overseas development finance. Development projects, such as roads, railways and power plants, can often result in biodiversity loss and infringement on Indigenous lands, yet the risks implicit in China’s overseas development finance have until now been poorly understood. In a new journal article published in […]
By Hongbo Yang and Rebecca Ray China is now the world’s largest source of bilateral development finance and will likely continue to play a prominent role in providing sovereign loans to developing countries through its multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. This substantial increase in global development finance could potentially bring major benefits to the world […]
Although the World Health Organization recommends women wait at least two years after a live birth before becoming pregnant again, an estimated 25 percent of birth intervals in low-income countries do not meet this recommendation. As a result, the need for postpartum family planning services (PPFP) that enable women to adequately space births is high, […]
Worldwide, both mortality and fertility rates are on the decline, with the shift occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa a few decades ago. Fertility decline occurs in the latter stages of ‘demographic transitions,’ during which countries experience declining mortality and fertility rates as they develop economically. Demographic transitions have come to be associated with socioeconomic progress, and […]
By Rebecca Ray After eight years of existence, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought significant economic gains to countries around the world by facilitating new investment, linking infrastructure networks and facilitating international trade. In parallel to this growth, China has been developing an environmental management framework to govern outbound investment and finance. To […]
Since its inception eight years ago, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has led to more than 200 cooperation documents with 140 countries and 31 international organizations. Behind the scenes, Chinese policymakers have been developing an environmental management framework to govern their outbound investment and finance to “green” the BRI and help countries achieve the […]
By Rachel Thrasher In 2018, Bangladesh met the necessary criteria for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and is now slated to graduate by 2026. Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry has played a critical role in this possible graduation. Exploring this connection, a new working paper from the Boston University Global Development Policy Center demonstrates the […]
Bangladesh is one of the few Least Developed Countries (LDCs) that has been able to gain a foothold in the global medicines market, which is characterized by significantly high entry barriers compared to other traded goods. Policies implemented by the Bangladesh government have strengthened its pharmaceutical sector, but to what extent would Bangladesh have been […]
By Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rachel Thrasher Severe vaccine inequality continues to undermine efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic, but a focus only on distribution eludes a deeper problem: the world is simply not making enough vaccines. A new policy brief from the Boston University Global Development Policy Center argues meeting the global vaccination challenge will […]