Latin American and Caribbean countries are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to their varied geography, dependence on economic sectors that will be adversely impacted by changes in hydrometeorological conditions and entrenched structural weaknesses. At the same time, the region lacks the fiscal space to ramp up public policies to mitigate climate […]
By Rachel Thrasher and Samantha Igo Established in 2018, the Working Group on Trade Treaties and Access to Medicines was convened by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) to advance an evidence-based understanding of the impacts of trade and investment treaties on access to medicines. The goal of the Working Group—which was comprised […]
By Fahmida Khatun, Syed Yusuf Saadat, Afrin Mahbub and Zazeeba Waziha Saleh Following the conclusion of the 2025 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., the fiscal constraints faced by least developed countries (LDCs) in meeting their external debt obligations are a key topic of conversation, alongside the growing impacts of […]
Bangladesh’s external debt servicing record has historically been stellar as a least developed country. The country has comfortably met its external debt servicing obligations, largely thanks to its strong export performance. However, Bangladesh has taken on a large volume of foreign debt to finance multiple infrastructure mega-projects. The country has struggled with macroeconomic management in […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns With the 2025 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Annual Meetings underway in Washington, D.C. from October 13-18, the agenda is noticeably light. At the meetings, the World Bank will continue to focus on its jobs strategy. At the Spring Meetings in April, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on the IMF […]
By Kevin P. Gallagher and Gregory T. Chin More than any time since their founding in 1944, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, known as the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), are undergoing important changes. China has played a significant role in driving those changes such that a new global economic order may […]
The multilateral system is falling short in mobilizing the level and composition of capital flows necessary for countries in the Global South to raise living standards and avoid the catastrophic costs of climate change. Rather than channeling a stepwise increase in resources, net capital flows to emerging market and developing countries have turned negative. This […]
By Rebecca Ray By 2030, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) other than China must mobilize an ambitious $3 trillion annually to meet their development needs and avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. Further complicating this challenge is the fact that development finance has slowed dramatically in the last few years. A new working paper […]
There is a vanishing window to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meeting this urgent challenge will require a tremendous mobilization of resources for a major investment push toward new economic growth paths that are low-carbon, socially inclusive and climate- resilient. This challenge is all the more urgent given that intersecting crises of the […]
By Marina Zucker-Marques, Laurissa Mühlich, and Barbara Fritz In a world beset by lower growth prospects, unprecedented uncertainty in international trade and high debt service pressures, access to timely financial resources is essential for central banks and governments in order to stabilize their economies without compromising spending on domestic priorities. This crisis financing comes from […]