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Climate Energy Environment Featured World

China can decarbonise the world – but even that won’t fix its overcapacity problem

China is on track to meet global green-tech demand but needs to pivot from manufacturing to infrastructure. China is crucial role to the world’s green transition for two contrasting reasons: it is the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter – over 30 percent of the global total – and it is the world’s largest producer of […]

Finance Banking Business Featured

Budgeting in uncertain times: making every penny count

Governments everywhere are facing significant fiscal challenges due to rising debt, ageing populations trend in some parts of the world such as Asia, Europe and Northern America, climate shocks, and heightened geopolitical tensions. As citizens expect more from their governments—better healthcare, stronger safety nets, faster disaster response—available budget resources are shrinking. Ministries of finance must now focus on deploying […]

Education Asia poverty public policy

Delivering at scale: Six principles to tackle learning poverty

Most children in low-and middle-income countries lack foundational skills. An estimated 70% of 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand a simple story, despite increased access to school. Tackling this learning crisis requires more than pilot programs – it demands systemic solutions that can be delivered at scale. Education systems struggle to deliver big results despite […]

Healthcare Economy News World

Public policy can encourage physicians to practice in underserved areas

Many communities in the US, especially those in rural areas, have limited access to healthcare. For example, some areas have significantly fewer doctors per capita than others, which might contribute to geographic inequities in health outcomes. This column discusses new research that shows how government designations of Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas – and […]

World Innovation News Productivity

Detecting potentially harmful workplace practice

Businesses use checklists to exercise managerial control and ensure quality, but excessive bureaucracy can frustrate skilled workers and reduce morale. This column presents a randomised control trial in a German bakery chain that removed two time-consuming, non-essential checklists in selected stores. After abolishing the checklists, sales rose by 2.7%, customer ratings improved, and qualified workers […]

Economy Featured Finance News World

A Three-Pronged Strategy Can Help Developing Economies Attract FDI and Unlock its Full Potential

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a critical role in the world economy. Global FDI flows averaged almost $2 trillion per year during the past decade, up to one-half of which have been directed to emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) in recent years (figure 1.A). FDI inflows are an important source of private capital, especially for […]

Healthcare Economy Featured News World

Fentanyl: The transnational vector of violence

Since 2013, synthetic opioid overdoses have surged in the US, claiming over 70,000 lives each year. This crisis has had international spillovers, reigniting drug-related violence in Mexico, where a new wave of cartel warfare erupted after 2013. This column shows that the geography of this second wave is closely tied to fentanyl trafficking routes. Exploiting […]

Featured Business Economy Energy World

India’s soyoil imports set for record high, palm oil at five-year low

Higher soyoil imports will lift India’s total edible oil imports in the year by 1% to 16.1 million tons, dealers estimated. India’s soyoil imports are poised to surge 60% year-on-year to a record high in 2024/25, as refiners boost purchases due to cheaper prices compared with rival palm oil, shipments of which are set to […]

Agriculture Climate Featured News World

Can everyone afford to eat healthy? New data show progress, but not everywhere

Low-income countries and Sub-Saharan Africa are being left behind in global progress toward affordable healthy diets. Around 2.6 billion people – 32% of the global population – could not afford a healthy diet in 2024 The latest estimates of the Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet (CoAHD), published in the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition […]

Agriculture Environment Featured News World

From farm to fork: boosting food security by fixing border bottlenecks

Imagine a truckload of fresh mangoes grown by smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka. The fruit is ripe, fragrant, and ready for export. But instead of heading straight to market, it sits at the border waiting for inspections, test results, and paper certifications. Hours turn into days. By the time the mangoes reach their destination, some […]