Category: Front Page

Debt, Development and Gender

Gender equality is a crucial component of successful development, yet austerity puts a disproportionate burden on women, increasing their economic vulnerability and affecting societal outcomes. Conversely, economic growth that leads to increased female labor force participation without compensatory investments in social care provisioning and better distribution of caregiving responsibilities will ultimately compromise investment and growth. […]

The Offshore Dollar and US Policy

Dollar borrowing outside the United States has over generations grown to be very large, with US policy providing some inducement and, in critical episodes, support. In a new paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Policy Hub, Robert N. McCauley highlights three instances where the US Federal Reserve (Fed) has backstopped markets as […]

Health System Lessons From the Global Fund-Supported Procurement and Supply Chain Investments in Zimbabwe: A Mixed Methods Study

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), together with its Zimbabwean national and international stakeholders, has continued to invest in health system strengthening to improve public health in the country. These investments have been guided by system-wide strategic assessments to understand the fundamental challenge facing the Zimbabwean health system. In a […]

Incremental PM2.5 Ambient Concentrations and Mortality Risks from Proposed, Large-scale Coal-fired Power Plants in Indonesia: A Modelling Analysis

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) […]

Africa’s Chronic Liquidity Challenges and the Role of Special Drawing Right Allocations

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 […]

GDP Center Round-Up: Spring 2024 Global Economic Governance Book Talk Series

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 […]

Webinar Summary – A Thousand Cuts: Social Protection in the Age of Austerity

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 […]