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 […]
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, […]
By Rebecca Ray On Thursday, October 28, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center hosted a webinar book launch with Brazilian economist, Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr, for his latest book, The BRICS and the Financing Mechanisms They Created: Progress and Shortcomings, available through Anthem Press. Nogueira Batista holds the Celso Furtado Chair of Macroeconomics […]
Rapid climate change is impacting biodiversity, ecosystem function and human well-being. Though the magnitude and trajectory of climate change are becoming clearer, understanding of how these changes reshape terrestrial life zones — distinct biogeographic units characterized by bio-temperature, precipitation and aridity representing broad-scale ecosystem types — has been limited. To address this gap, a new […]
In November 2020, Zambia became the first African country to default on its Eurobonds during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the country’s debt distress into headlines around the world. Bondholders’ refusal to provide debt suspension rested largely on fears that Zambia was not disclosing significant liabilities to Chinese creditors. In August 2021, national elections led to […]
By Bridgette Lang On Wednesday, September 22nd, Ying Qian, former advisor to the Asian Development Bank, joined the Fall 2021 Global China Research Colloquium for a discussion on Brady bonds and the potential for debt restructuring in the post-pandemic era. Discussing the findings of his recent working paper, Qian explained why Brady-bond-like instruments have the […]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 saw the sharpest economic downturn since the Great Depression. In 2021, the world economy is showing signs of a broad, albeit uneven recovery. The existing gaps of vaccination rollouts, economic fundamentals, and varying monetary and fiscal responses in different countries pose challenges in the areas of financial […]
The Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center is a university-wide research center in partnership with the Frederick S. Pardee School for Global Studies and the Office of Research at Boston University. In its first year of operation, the GDP Center is proud to present the 2018 Annual Report. The report provides an overview of the […]
By Jake Werner In both Beijing and Washington, the recent history of mutual gain in the US–China relationship is increasingly seen as an exercise in self-deceit. Where shared benefits were once recognized, elites on both sides now perceive the national interests and even the national character of the other to be incompatible with their own. […]