Author: Maureen Heydt

The Dynamics of Women’s Political and Economic Empowerment: Q&A With Rachel Brulé

By Maureen Heydt Rachel Brulé, Associate Director of the Human Capital Initiative (HCI), Associate Professor of Global Development Policy with the Pardee School of Global Studies and 2024-2025 SAGE Sara Miller McCune Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University has been awarded a US National Science Foundation […]

Meet the 2024 GDP Center Faculty Steering Committee

By Maureen Heydt The Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) is a policy-oriented research center working to advance financial stability, human well-being and environmental sustainability across the globe through rigorous interdisciplinary research, policy engagement and strategic communications. There are two aspects that make the GDP Center unique among development-oriented centers across other academic […]

Relative Risk and the Rate of Return: Chinese Loans to Africa Database, 2000-2023

A new update to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2023, Chinese lenders provided 1,306 loans amounting to $182.28 billion to 49 African governments and seven regional borrowers. In 2023, Chinese lenders issued 13 new commitments with a value of $4.61 billion […]

Chinese Ties and Low-carbon Industrialization in Africa

Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000 and the China-Africa Development Fund in 2006, China’s economic ties with Africa have grown and deepened significantly. However, China’s deepening connections and in particular, its foreign direct investment (FDI), in Africa have been the subject of discussion regarding their composition, goals, nature and implications […]

Rhetoric or Reality? Accounting for Diversity at College Career Fairs

By Neha Gondal A college degree pays, but where one goes to college also makes a huge difference to lifetime earnings. Attending elite schools significantly increases one’s chances of obtaining a well-paying job and, hence, economic and social success, which reproduces existing disparities. Accordingly, college career fairs, which expose students to potential employers, serve as […]

The ‘New’ New Development Bank: A Decade Plus in the Making

By Gregory T. Chin When much of the world shut-down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in late 2021, the New Development Bank (NDB) welcomed four nations into its membership, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Egypt. These additions, with Uruguay pending, were the first new members since the creation of the Bank […]

The Evolution of the New Development Bank

 In July 2015, the New Development Bank (NDB), formerly the BRICS Development Bank, was established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Since then, the NDB has built an impressive record of milestones, each one laying the groundwork for careful institutional building.  Nearly a decade since the founding of the […]

Meet the 2024 Summer in the Field Fellows

The Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center is proud to present the 2024 Summer in the Field Fellows. These seven Boston University students are currently pursuing graduate degrees in various disciplines across the University, including social work, economics, public health, international affairs and political science. The GDP Center Summer in the Field Program provides a $6,000-$8,000 […]