The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) is pleased to announce the fellows for the 2026 PhD Summer Fieldwork award to advance innovative, policy-oriented research and support PhD student-led projects that bridge evidence and policy to improve human capital outcomes globally. This fellowship engages PhD candidates currently advised by HCI Faculty Affiliates and provides summer funding to […]
By early 2025, debt servicing pressures had intensified. Interest payments exceed 10 percent of government revenues in 56 developing countries—double the level a decade earlier—and surpass 20 percent in 17 countries. Without substantial relief, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns of a potential “lost decade” for development. Rising debt distress has renewed concerns over […]
China has committed over US$1 trillion in overseas financing, much of it directed toward productive public assets that have helped close infrastructure gaps and stimulate economic growth. Nevertheless, a series of external shocks—largely unrelated to Chinese financing—have left many countries struggling to pay external debts or borrow at affordable terms. As the Belt and Road […]
By Yan Wang The global economy in early 2026 is confronted with an escalating war in the Middle East causing humanitarian disasters and energy crises. On the economic front, although there is a consensus that the global imbalance is widening, solid evidence for the root causes of this imbalance is lacking. The IMF’s 2025 Article […]
China’s development finance institutions (DFIs), primarily the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export–Import Bank of China (CHEXIM), have become central players in global infrastructure development. At the same time, China’s overseas infrastructure projects have come under scrutiny for their climate impact. A new report by Hanjie Wang, Cecilia Springer and Ali Hasanbeigi puts this […]
Latin America’s wealth of transition minerals positions it as a key supplier of the raw materials necessary for renewable energy generation. However, despite GDP growth due to commodity exports, past resource cycles in Latin America have resulted in environmental degradation, social conflict and economic fragility rather than broad-based development. Therefore, a just energy transition in […]
By Julie Radomski As petroleum prices reach historic highs while solar and wind prices reach historic lows, the future of the global energy transition appears resilient. This trend continues in large part thanks to China, which leads the world in solar and wind power generation as well as low-carbon technology manufacturing and exports. Meanwhile, Latin […]
By Xia Li A new power plant can look like a straightforward win for a fast-growing economy. It means more electricity for homes, hospitals, factories and schools. But our new study suggests the story is far more complicated. Today, every major energy investment is increasingly shaped by two climate realities at once. First, there’s the […]
By Hanjie Wang While trade tensions continue to dominate international headlines, the rapid growth of electric vehicle (EV) industry has attracted less attention. Yet this transformation is already having a ripple effect in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). As governments race to decarbonize economies, the EV sector has become one of the most competitive […]
Carbon pricing is widely regarded as the most efficient instrument for climate mitigation, and the carbon prices of individual countries are often used as the primary indicator of climate policy strength. However, in practice, both advanced and developing countries implement a combination of carbon pricing and non-pricing measures to reduce carbon emissions. Many countries, especially […]