By Rachel Thrasher There is an unresolved tension between the network of rules that make up the global trading system, and the needs of the system’s individual countries. Indeed, troubling trends in treaty-making and international jurisprudence suggest global rules increasingly present obstacles to national governments pursuing development and economic expansion aims. Consisting of one multilateral […]
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 […]
Southern-Led Development Finance, a new book edited by Diana Barrowclough, Kevin P. Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright, examines some of the innovative new South-South financial arrangements and institutions that have emerged in recent years, as countries from the Global South seek to transform their economies and shield themselves from global economic turbulence. Even before the COVID-19 […]
By Maureen Heydt In the midst of the COVID-19 shock, further trade liberalization has been presented as a pathway to economic recovery, exemplified by the proposed EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement (FTA). A June 2021 working paper published by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center assessed the prospects of the FTA, finding the agreement may compound economic stagnation and […]
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 […]
The 21st century has seen a surge in interest in development banking, characterized by waves of capital increases in existing banks and the creation of two new regional development banks (RDBs): the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and New Development Bank (NDB). Scholars have noted these banks’ creation was motivated in part by a perceived […]
By Katie Gallogly-Swan On Thursday, July 15, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) hosted a webinar discussion to explore the recently announced “Build Back Better World’” (B3W) Partnership from the G7, billed as a “Green Marshall Plan” to generate improved access to financing […]
By Samantha Igo As the Global South grapples with a deadly pandemic and growing climate concerns, the United Nations Development Program estimates developing countries and emerging economies owe close to $1.1 trillion in debt service payments in 2021 alone. Comprehensive debt relief is needed to avoid this looming crisis, but existing relief structures, such as […]
By Bridgette Lang According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world has added more than 530 GW of newly built hydropower generating capacity from 2000 to 2019, accounting for 40 percent of all capacity the world has built since the 1900s. China is not absent in this worldwide trend, and in fact, has been […]
On July 9-10, 2021, the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBGs) of the G20 gathered in Venice, Italy for their third official meeting under the Italian G20 Presidency. The communique, or readout, summarizes the discussions and agreements the FMCBGs came to during the meeting. While acknowledging that the overall global outlook has improved since […]