By Rachel Thrasher and Praveena Bandara The consensus around the urgent need for climate policy continues to grow. In a July 2025 address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres lauded this new “moment of opportunity” by launching a technical report that highlights the benefits and inevitability of a global energy transition. The report highlights the rapid progress […]
Advanced economies that have criticized industrial policy in the past, are now increasingly turning to those tools in response to the climate crisis. At the same time, existing trade and investment agreements, negotiated and drafted at a time when countries viewed industrial policies with skepticism, embody a more “hands-off” approach to economic governance. The new […]
Although Africa is responsible for less than 4 percent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and bears the brunt of climate change, all 54 African countries have signed the 2015 Paris Agreement. As of May 2022, 45 African countries had submitted updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions […]
Climate change is a global environmental crisis that has perpetuated economic and fiscal challenges for countries all over the world. Concurrent with the awareness of climate change risks, there is growing unease regarding the disproportionate impact of climate change on less-developed countries, particularly those in Africa. Countries with persistently low per capita growth, such as […]
The Boston University Global Development Policy Center, the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) and Institute of Global Politics (IGP) at Columbia University and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, D.C. will host a workshop on “The Role of SDRs for Global Stability and Sustainable Economic Transformation,” on December 5, 2025. Special Drawing Rights […]
By Janak Raj and Rakesh Mohan India faces a pressing challenge of aligning its developmental aspirations with a sustainable and low-carbon path, necessitating immediate and targeted climate action. Various studies have estimated the climate finance requirements of India in the range of $160-$288 billion annually up to 2030. All these estimates are model-based and have […]
Global CO2 emissions have been on a relentless rise, driven by industrialization, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. India is poised to be one of the most affected nations by climate change due to a combination of geographic, economic and social factors. To address climate risks while maintaining high growth rates, it is becoming […]
Climate vulnerable economies have launched ambitious national plans and strategies to achieve prosperity while mitigating climate shocks, building resilience and powering their economies with clean energy. Resource mobilization will be critical for these efforts. However, members of the Vulnerable Group of 20 (V20), comprising 74 economies vulnerable to climate change, face significant obstacles to resource […]
Gender inequality varies widely between and within countries, despite widespread technological and institutional changes favoring female empowerment. Persistent disparities between genders have prompted a growing number of cultural explanations. Some scholars emphasize deep-rooted historical norms around female work, marriage, familial structures and political behavior that offer novel insights into the modern landscape of gender inequality. […]
At stages of a country’s development when agriculture employs a large share of the population, the characteristics of agricultural production can strongly influence the evolution of the economy. Economists have extensively studied the impact of agricultural productivity on development. The effects of certain types of agricultural products have also attracted considerable interest. In contrast, the […]