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 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 […]
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 fourth year of operation, the GDP Center is proud to present the 2021 Annual Report. The report provides an overview of […]
Do central banks rebalance their currency shares? The answer matters, as the dollar’s predominant role in large official reserve holdings means widespread rebalancing requires central banks to buy (sell) a depreciating (appreciating) dollar, stabilizing its value against other major currencies. In a new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, Menzie D. Chinn, Hiro Ito and Robert N. […]
By Blake Alexander Simmons The United States has joined more than 84 heads of state or government in support of the “30×30” conservation agenda — a global commitment to conserving 30 percent of lands and seas by 2030. Following an executive order in January 2021, the Biden administration recently outlined a vision for achieving this […]
The global conservation community is uniting around a common goal: to protect and conserve 30 percent of the planet by 2030. With 84 heads of state or government pledging their commitment, this “30 × 30” target will likely inform the next decade of international biodiversity policy. In January 2021, US President Joe Biden joined […]
Despite being a 100-year-old medicine, insulin remains inaccessible to millions around the world, owing to limited availability and high cost. Indeed, insulin is manufactured in just 20 countries worldwide, meaning there are 170 countries who are import-dependent for insulin. This limited physical availability of various forms of insulin, and the high cost of what is […]
By Xinyue Ma As more and more countries make concrete domestic decarbonization commitments, it is paramount that national pledges aren’t met by shifting fossil fuel investments overseas. At the G7 Climate and Environment Ministers meeting in May 2021, the group committed “to take concrete steps towards an absolute end to new direct government support for […]
At the June 2021 G7 Summit, leaders made a significant commitment to restrict international investments in coal, but the impact of the commitment was stymied by its exclusion of private finance. There is a misconception that the majority of new funding for overseas coal plants comes from public financing institutions in China, which is partly […]
By Katie Gallogly-Swan For some observers, the recent G7 Summit on June 11-13, 2021 was a revival of multilateralism after an unprecedented year of collective tragedy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tangible evidence of that revival shows indications of a more serious approach from major economies to the multiple crises facing the world. But with commitments […]