Sustainable Growth Newswire
EPF compiles a selection of policy oriented-research from around the globe pertaining to its policy initiatives. To receive a weekly email of the newswire, please subscribe to our newsletter
Executive Summary of the Disaster and Climate Risk Assessment Methodology for IDB Projects: A Technical Reference for IDB Project Teams
The effects of climate change and disasters triggered by natural hazards pose a significant threat to sustainable development in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. According to the Bank’s Technical Note What is Sustainable Infrastructure, “the region is one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. In 2017 it experienced severe losses from natural events, including floods in Peru that cost US$3.1 billion and floods in Colombia that resulted in 329 fatalities (MunichRE NatCatService, 2017).…
The Three Revolutions Economics Needs
The silence of most economists on the underlying causes of the political ructions erupting throughout the West – and on what, if anything, can be done to restore economic vigor – has been deafening. And it provides further evidence of the profession's refusal to acknowledge the need for change. Project Syndicate| The Three Revolutions Economics Needs
Blockchain: Opportunities for Private Enterprises in Emerging Markets
Over the course of two years, IFC worked with key influencers and experts in the worlds of distributed ledgers and digital finance to create a series of nine papers examining the potential and perils of blockchain. An initial report with six chapters was published October 2017. Since then, three additional in-depth notes have been added to broaden and deepen our understanding of this burgeoning technology, its enormous potential, and its many challenges. These documents collectively examine the general contours and…
When the Cycle Becomes the Trend : The Emerging Market Experience with Fiscal Policy during the Last Commodity Super Cycle
Fiscal buffers have shrunk across the world. This paper argues that limited fiscal room in emerging market economies today is partly due to the commodity super cycle of 2000-15. The super cycle created the mirage that economic performance had structurally improved, mistaking a long, commodity-fueled uptick in the business cycle for higher trend growth. This thinking supported fiscal expansions. When the commodity boom ended, it became apparent that countries had saved less than they should have, and that fiscal policy…
A New Circular Vision for Electronics, Time for a Global Reboot
Rapid innovation and lowering costs have dramatically increased access to electronic products and digital technology, with many benefits. This has led to an increase in the use of electronic devices and equipment. The unintended consequence of this is a steep growth of electronic and electrical waste: e-waste. E-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. It is estimated this waste stream reached 48.5 million tonnes in 2018. Globally, society only deals with 20% of e-waste appropriately and there…
Innovation with a Purpose: Improving Traceability in Food Value Chains through Technology Innovations
Technology innovations, and their supporting enabling environment, have the potential to support positive food system transformation. This report, developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, focuses on the potential of emerging technologies to improve traceability in food value chains. The report explores the powerful opportunity for traceability to improve information about the provenance, safety, efficiency and sustainability of food and food supplies. It also emphasises that simply applying new technologies for traceability within food systems…
Globalization in transition: The future of trade and value chains
In 2014, the McKinsey Global Institute proposed a new way of looking at globalization: by measuring global flows of goods, services, finance, and people. In 2016, they returned to the topic, highlighting the contrast between flattening trade in physical goods and soaring cross-border data flows. That report described a more digital form of globalization that has opened the door to new participants, created new sources of value, and introduced new opportunities and risks. McKinsey & Company| Globalization in transition: The future…
Blockchain and Associated Legal Issues for Emerging Markets
Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), is a tamper-evident and tamper-resistant digital ledger implemented in a distributed fashion.This emerging technology, which enables direct transactions within a ledger without need for a central authority or trusted intermediary, has the potential to re-engineer economic models and enable the creation of markets and products previously unavailable or unprofitableacross emerging markets. However, in considering the potential benefits of blockchain, organizationmust also consider the associated risks and how they can be managed.These risks include jurisdictional…