Boston University Global Development Policy Center

The Global Development Policy Center advances policy-oriented research for financial stability, human well-being + environmental sustainability across the globe

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

With #COP31 underway in Antalya, Türkiye, discussions of how the world can build resilience to climate impacts are central to the agenda.

The latest technical paper from the Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture led by @FahmidaKcpd, Afrin Mahbub and Anindita Islam of @cpdbd1993 evaluates how investing in climate-resilient infrastructure can help 🇧🇩Bangladesh manage trade costs.

Read more in the technical paper and blog ➡️ https://t.co/WC0RVe7oRI

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Join us and @SDPIPakistan at #COP31 for a panel discussion, “Innovative Transition Finance: Towards a Phased and Just Energy Transition.”

GDP Center Senior Academic Researcher @rishirbhandary will join other experts - Dr. Ignacio F. Lara from @AsuntosDelSur, Ms. Mary Claire Miranda from @icsc_ph, Prof. Kevin Jianjun Tu from @PKU1898, Ms. Yingjie Chen from @GreenovationHub, Ms. Meng Meng from Macao International Carbon Emission Exchange + Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri and Dr. Khalid Waleed from @SDPIPakistan.

📍 Pakistan Pavilion, Blue Zone
🗓️ 10 November 2026
🕘 9:30am to 10:30am Türkiye time

#COP31Türkiye #EnergyTransition #GreenFinance #JustTransition

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Check out the latest episode from GDP Podcast! https://t.co/ja9TjoNNPk

[Yan Liang @YanLian31677392]

A podcast to accompany the working paper on Global Imbalances Reconsidered.

https://t.co/PJwtH45pwX

https://t.co/nNLLSpcIz8

Global imbalances reconsidered - we upacked the root causes of the imbalances, the risks and the remedies. Comments are welcomed!

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The @WorldBankGroup predicts that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will increase global real income by 0.7% by 2030.

A new study by GDP Center Senior Academic Researcher @ywang2005b + co-authors Xiaolin Wang and Yuan Chang measures the relationship between BRI participation and regional economic development, focusing on Asia—a region with high concentration of developing economies which can offer a rich lens to BRI's impact.

The authors find that BRI participation in Asia is associated with a significant increase in local economic activity, and China's outward infrastructure investment has been a key driver of the effect.

Read more: https://t.co/0CiSyBOrFP

#BRI #BeltAndRoad #InfrastructureDevelopment #China #Asia

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Global imbalances are back, and the conventional diagnosis may be wrong.

Conventional analysis by the International Monetary Fund, G7 + OECD traces the imbalances to domestic saving–investment gaps, pointing to "excess saving in China and the EU, and too little saving in the United States."

In a new working paper, GDP Center Non-Resident Senior Fellow @YanLian31677392 + Center Director @KevinPGallagher argue that the root cause of the imbalances is in fact the financial imbalances generated by the international monetary and financial system (IMFS) itself. Dollar dominance and the lack of a credible global lender of last resort push countries to self-insure.

For this month's T20 Summit in New York, the authors contribute to a policy brief ahead of the December G20 Leaders' Summit. They present two priorities for G20 discussions on imbalances:

📍 Strengthening the global financial safety net (GFSN)
📍 Accelerating multilateral development bank (MDB) reform

The goal is to make these systems "not just bigger, but better."

📄 Read the working paper: https://t.co/pcGGPECG2R
📄 Read the T20 policy brief: https://t.co/PonN5ZqftG

#G20 #IMF #OECD #T20 #GFSN #GlobalImbalances

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The Think 20 (T20) is an engagement group of the #G20 convening think tanks and research centers to provide evidence-based research to support policymaker decisions in the G20.

A new T20 policy note coauthored by @KevinPGallagher calls for maximizing complementarities between multilateral development banks and national development banks to support EMDEs in pursuing low-carbon, socially equitable and resilient growth paths.

Read more: https://t.co/jGzEOg4stX

@StimsonCenter @QuincyInst @BrookingsInst

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

New GDP Center study reveals findings that challenge a common assumption about infrastructure finance + deforestation.

Although previous studies show substantial overlap between Chinese-financed projects and environmentally sensitive areas, those results do not measure realized environmental change.

Using the GDP Center's China’s Overseas Development Finance (CODF) Database, the new paper shows no support of meaningful differences when comparing project-timed forest change between Chinese-financed and other infrastructure projects.

Simply, Chinese overseas infrastructure finance does not exacerbate forest loss.

Read more: https://t.co/TxTW8RiSHB

#COP17Armenia #Biodiversity #Nature #China #CBDCOP17

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Meet the 2026-27 GDP Center Pre- and Post-doctoral Research Fellows!

9️⃣ outstanding scholars join us from a multitude of universities, including @BU_Tweets, @UofIllinois and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.

Get to know each fellow and learn about the exciting projects they are working on: https://t.co/AUNpC3MEY1

Interested in joining the 2027-28 cohort? Learn more and apply today: https://t.co/EHEppDuC0H

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Last week, the GDP Center joined policymakers, academics and civil society organizations in Bangkok, Thailand for the 2026 Annual Meetings of the @WorldBankGroup and @IMFNews.

From the need for stronger ambition from the Bretton Woods Institutions to the urgency of designing creative solutions beyond established frameworks, our experts shared evidence-backed recommendations for reforming the international financial architecture to support development.

#2026AnnualMeetings #AM2026Thailand

@KevinPGallagher @rishirbhandary @MarinaZucker

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

We're recruiting pre- and post-doctoral fellows for the 2027-2028 GDP Center Fellowship Program.

The program trains the next generation of thought leaders to advance policy-oriented, interdisciplinary research on global economic governance and sustainable development. The program includes the Global China Fellows Program, which supports policy-oriented research on China’s overseas economic activities and its engagement with international institutions and the Global South.

Learn more + apply: https://t.co/EHEppDuC0H

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The GDP Center is on the ground in Bangkok for the #2026AnnualMeetings of the #IMF and #WorldBank, bringing research to policy dialogues to push for a bigger, more effective, and more inclusive global financial system that is adapted to the complex crises countries are facing today.

However, the IMF and World Bank are not meeting this moment.

More from GDP Center Director @KevinPGallagher on how we’re turning evidence into action at #AM2026Thailand ⬇️

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The GDP Center mourns the loss of Perry Mehrling, an economist and distinguished scholar with long-lasting contributions to the economics field.

As a professor at @BUPardeeSchool and a core faculty member of the GDP Center, Dr. Mehrling's impact was prolific. He developed and named the "money view" that helped economists, policymakers and students understand how global financial system works.

Perry Mehrling was a valued member of the BU community and beyond. He will be sorely missed, but his highly influential body of work and reputation will ensure his legacy endures.

Read more: https://t.co/pn9nfFVL54

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation #FOCAC has been the main diplomatic channel through which China and 53 African countries set the agenda for their partnership.

With the next FOCAC summit set for 2027, a policy brief outlines priorities for China-Africa energy and climate cooperation. The authors identify where African countries hold negotiating leverage and define what success should look like at the summit.

Read more: https://t.co/3DWbXEqwct

#China #Africa #SouthSouthCooperation #Energy #Climate

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

There is no single media narrative about #China's economy, and those differences may matter more than we think.

A new study from the GDP Center reveals that Chinese- and English- language media can portray China's economy differently, even when reporting on the same underlying realities. The research identifies a growing "perception gap" and finds that differences in media sentiment are linked to how financial markets and policymakers respond to economic developments.

Understanding these differing narratives and their real-world implications is increasingly important for economists, policymakers, and global leaders to understand China's role in the #GlobalEconomy.

Read more: https://t.co/qkd97r9kIK

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

🗓️ Next week on the sidelines of the @IMFNews/@WorldBankGroup Annual Meetings in Bangkok, the Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture will convene a high-level in-person event to explore how the Global South is reshaping the international financial architecture.

RSVP: https://t.co/USUwKRg8WS

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Over the last year, 10 parties have signed on to Agreements on Reciprocal Trade (ARTs) with the US, a novel form of trade agreement with implications for countries in the Global South.

As countries weigh their options, a new blog by @Thrasher_Rachel and @TimH_B advocates for prioritizing the preservation of policy space for development as much as possible.

Read more: https://t.co/odAI5gCnV5

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Across 4️⃣ case studies spanning Europe, South Korea and beyond, @TimH_B's International Investment Pushes blog series explored past large-scale mobilizations of finance that both rivaled the scale of climate and development finance needed today and were relatively successful at meeting their goals.

The final installment synthesizing and concluding the blog series draws 3️⃣ key lessons applicable to the present: https://t.co/KhEfArNBkI

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

The GDP Center believes that international collaboration is essential to advancing development research that places Global South perspectives at its core.

Since 2017, the Center has partnered with 87 organizations across 26 countries and globally, including academic institutions, think tanks, civil society organizations and multilateral institutions.

Read more about our partnerships in our FY26 Annual Report: https://t.co/zAdf8uAFHM

[Economics in Context Initiative @ECI_BU]

⚡️Amid rising energy costs, how can communities gain more control over their energy system? A new ECI blog explores Local Power Networks as a cleaner, more resilient, community-centered solution: https://t.co/ynW9hRawOI
#CleanEnergy #CommunityEnergy #LPNs

[Boston University Global Development Policy Center @GDP_Center]

Early retirement of the coal-fired power plants in Pakistan 🇵🇰 has benefits beyond climate and environmental goals.

A new report with @SDPIPakistan reveals that a strategic coal transition can simultaneously improve fiscal sustainability, strengthen energy security and reduce emissions.

The study analyzes seven Chinese-financed coal plants developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which account for 90 percent of Pakistan’s installed coal capacity. While these plants played a decisive role in improving energy security by adding around 6,600 MW of generation capacity since 2017, the report proposes a new path forward for both #Pakistan 🇵🇰 and #China 🇨🇳.

Read more: https://t.co/4XfpZhEq1t

#EnergyTransition #coalphaseout #sustainability #climateaction