Emerging market and developed countries must meet their shared climate and development goals to avoid the catastrophic costs of inaction. Yet, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that 26 low-income countries are in debt distress or default, and new academic research estimates say this number will double if countries mobilize the level of investment needed […]
By Daniel Bradlow, Marina Zucker-Marques and Kevin P. Gallagher Many developing countries are experiencing what the World Bank has termed the “silent” sovereign debt crisis. It is silent because the international community has seemingly been hoping the creeping crisis will resolve itself on its own without ambitious intervention. Fifty-four countries are spending more than 10 […]
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has one of the highest solar irradiation and great wind energy potential in sub-Saharan Africa. The falling costs of both solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy technologies and the discovery of transition minerals essential for the shift to low carbon economies in several SADC countries makes the region a […]
China’s full integration into the Bretton Woods System (BWS) since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001 raised questions about exactly how China relates to the BW institutions and the international economic order that they support. Existing studies debate whether China is supporting the BWS institutions and the order as a ‘responsible’ […]
The year 2023 is coming to a close as emerging market and developing economies continue to experience economic headwinds in the form of higher-for-longer interest rates, the ongoing ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine and accelerating climate change. In reflecting on the end of the year and the start of another, […]
By Nabil Haque On Wednesday October 4, 2023, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center hosted a webinar discussion ahead of the 2023 International Monetary Fund/World Bank Group Annual Meetings on reforming and strengthening multilateral development banks (MDBs) to meet shared climate and development goals. The webinar was moderated by Kevin P. Gallagher, Director […]
Editor’s Note: Below is an excerpt of input submitted by Kyla Tienhaara, Rachel Thrasher and Kevin P. Gallagher to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) at the United Nations in June 2023 to inform the OHCHR’s report on “Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms and the right to a clean, healthy and […]
Southeast Asia is one of the regions with the world’s highest species richness and endemism. Its tropical ecosystems are characterized by rich biodiversity and complex biotic interactions among their species. Unfortunately, today, this region exhibits the world’s highest vertebrate extinction rates, primarily due to severe habitat loss. The countries in this region have seen deforestation […]
Last week, China commemorated the tenth anniversary of its flagship global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), by hosting the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. International leaders flocked to the Forum, at which Chinese leader Xi Jinping outlined China’s vision for an open, inclusive and interconnected world for […]
By Ishana Ratan On Thursday, October 12, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) hosted a webinar discussion on the impacts and implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in its 10 years of shaping global development. Oyintarelado Moses, Data Analyst and Database Manager, and Rebecca Ray, Senior Academic Researcher, presented key […]