When democratic societies hold elections, voters face the task of collecting information on candidates and deciding who to support at the polls. In an ideal world, this system would filter out “bad” candidates, but yet, in India—the world’s most populous democracy—approximately 34 percent of elected national legislators face criminal charges, and nearly ten percent of […]
By Maureen Heydt From October 11-15, 2021, China will host the first phase of the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity, Conference of the Parties (CBD COP15), a major global summit on biodiversity. Signed by 150 government leaders and entered into force on December 29, 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable […]
The Global Development Policy Center’s (GDP Center) mission is to advance policy-oriented research for financial stability, human wellbeing and environmental sustainability. The 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. The ambition of the GDP Center is […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides a global public good when it lends emergency balance of payments support to countries that otherwise could not access such financing at comparable terms. No country borrows from the IMF lightly, and only does so as a last resort in the face of an economic crisis. In exchange for […]
By Katie Gallogly-Swan On Monday, September 27, 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 future of US trade policy under the Biden administration. The discussion was moderated by the GDP Center Researcher Rachel Thrasher and featured Richard […]
By Rachel Thrasher The growth of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector into an economic powerhouse has helped the country meet the necessary criteria for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status. But upon graduation, the country will need to begin bringing its policy landscape into compliance with the trade and intellectual property rules at the World Trade […]
In both the United States and China, opinion has moved from a cautious embrace of the other to a conviction that earlier collaboration was naïve and that a “clear-eyed” analysis discloses the other to be possessed of a fundamentally hostile essence. In Washington, policymakers increasingly view Chinese economic statecraft as an attack on the ideals […]
By Jeronim Capaldo Is the US economy running too hot, such that more spending is bound to drive up inflation with no benefit for growth and employment? Many experts think so. Would more trade be beneficial for economic growth and employment? On this, too, many agree. In answering these and other macroeconomic questions, multiple sources […]
Although the World Health Organization recommends women wait at least two years after a live birth before becoming pregnant again, an estimated 25 percent of birth intervals in low-income countries do not meet this recommendation. As a result, the need for postpartum family planning services (PPFP) that enable women to adequately space births is high, […]
Worldwide, both mortality and fertility rates are on the decline, with the shift occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa a few decades ago. Fertility decline occurs in the latter stages of ‘demographic transitions,’ during which countries experience declining mortality and fertility rates as they develop economically. Demographic transitions have come to be associated with socioeconomic progress, and […]