Indonesia remains one of the world’s largest producers of coal, both for export and domestic energy generation. A reliance on coal-fired power plants can have negative impacts on public health and increase risks of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and even mortality. If a group of new and large (> 1,000 MW) […]
By Rebecca Ray and Jörg Haas Without a stepwise injection of capital into developing countries, meaningful progress on addressing climate change and meeting the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement targets will remain out of reach. The Group of 20 (G20) Independent Experts Group estimates that emerging market and developing […]
Overlapping global shocks faced by African countries have caused severe liquidity challenges in recent years. Many countries are currently experiencing low real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, higher inflation, exchange rate instability, balance of payments crisis and a high risk of debt distress. The most critical is the increasing disruption that climate change risks pose […]
By Daniella Luna and Samantha Igo The Spring 2024 Global Economic Governance Book Talk Series brought together four distinguished scholars with recent books, spanning India’s economic history to social protection and austerity in International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs. Ashoka Mody opened the series with a discussion on the economic history of India through the lens […]
By Rachel Thrasher On Tuesday, May 7, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) hosted Alexandros Kentikelenis and Thomas Stubbs, co-authors of the new book, “A Thousand Cuts: Social Protection in the Age of Austerity,” as part of the Spring 2024 Global Economic Governance Initiative Book Talk Series. Kentikelenis is Associate Professor of […]
By Yan Wang and Yinyin Xu Infrastructure investment is an indispensable driver of development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and many other developing regions, especially amid weak and uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and several rounds of capital flight associated with monetary tightening in advanced countries. Over the past two decades, China has become the […]
Amid a weak and uneven economic recovery in the Global South, regional development and infrastructure investment seem to be critical to sustainable development. In particular, infrastructure provision is seen as an “unmissable driver for development” in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. Aside from institutional reasons, physical infrastructure is critical in facilitating market integration and freeing […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams On May 8, the Human Capital Initiative hosted Orazio Attanasio for the final session of the Human Capital Initiative Spring Research Seminar Series with a presentation on “Parental Beliefs and Parental Investment: Evidence from Colombia.” Attanasio discussed his published paper, which analyzed the results of a parenting stimulation program implemented in Colombia. […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) is excited to announce the first winners of its inaugural Incubation Grant. Solomon Owusu and David Lagakos will be conducting their project, “Why are measured hours of work so low for agricultural workers?” through the grant’s support. “We are thrilled to see this project get started and […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns In March, New York lawmakers submitted the “Sovereign Debt Stability Act” to the New York State Assembly with the goal of “providing effective mechanisms for restructuring sovereign and subnational debt.” Proponents of the bill will seek to move it through both chambers of the legislature and receive a signature from the governor […]