China’s flagship infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is known for being greenhouse gas intensive due to its historically large investments in fossil fuels. Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced in September 2021 that China would stop supporting the buildout of coal-fired power plants overseas, while likewise promising to scale up support for clean […]
By Yudong (Nathan) Liu On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center hosted a webinar discussion with Paulo Esteves, Coordinator of the Socio-Environmental Platform and the Global South Unit for Mediation at the BRICS Policy Center of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and Rebecca Ray, Senior Academic […]
By Emanne Khan The word “infodemic” emerged nearly two decades ago when journalist David Rothkopf wrote in a 2003 Washington Post article about the then-ongoing global SARS outbreak, “A few facts, mixed with fear, speculation and rumor, amplified and relayed swiftly worldwide by modern information technologies, have affected national and international economies, politics and even […]
China has financed electric power plants around the world for several decades through foreign direct investment (FDI) and loans from China’s two policy banks, the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM). What is the status of China’s global power plants? In how many countries are they operating, and what are […]
By Christina Duran In September 2022, Argentina applied for membership in the BRICS group of nations (named for its original five members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). It will become the third Latin American member, after Brazil and Uruguay, which joined in 2021. This news comes as Latin American and Caribbean countries […]
By Amanda Brown The international system is at a crossroads, facing increasingly global challenges and struggling to meet the needs of all countries amid rising levels of unsustainable debt and climate disasters. Against this backdrop, the IMF and World Bank kick off their Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. from October 10-16, 2022. As these institutions […]
By William Kring As a surging US dollar wreaks havoc on emerging market and developing economies already battling high levels of indebtedness, climate change and inflation woes, central bank governors and finance ministers will convene in Washington, D.C. this week for the 2022 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group. […]
The converging roles of women and men in the labor market is one of the most significant economic and social developments of the past century. Nevertheless, gender equality in labor market outcomes has remained elusive, even for the most developed economies in the world. A growing literature documents a sharp divergence in labor market trajectories […]
Over the next few decades, India will undergo a significant energy transition to meet climate goals, with a steady reduction in the share of fossil fuels in its energy portfolio. This transition will have many different impacts, including on government revenues, investments and potential loss of fossil fuel-based assets and employment. A March 2022 study […]
In 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) committed to incorporate climate-related issues into its operations and is in the process of developing frameworks and policies. The IMF’s governance structure will impact the decision-making process on how these frameworks will be developed, with a quota system based on countries’ economic share determining formal voting power. Concurrently, […]