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The Indo-Pacific Development Centre

The Indo-Pacific Development Centre (IPDC) is a policy research centre at the Lowy Institute dedicated to generating fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing economic development issues in the Indo-Pacific region. The IPDC focuses on key challenges facing emerging and developing economies in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South Asia as well as the role of more advanced Indo-Pacific economies such as Australia, the United States, Japan, China, and others in helping shape the future economic development of the region.

The work of the IPDC is organised around six key themes:

  • Post-Covid recovery, growth and development
  • Climate finance and decarbonising development
  • Technology and the digital economy
  • Globalisation and regional integration
  • The future of international development finance
  • Geoeconomics and the intersection of development and security

As part of its development finance pillar, the IPDC houses the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map, a digital interactive that tracks all official development finance flows to the Pacific region.

The IPDC has been established with the support of multi-year funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Featured projects

Southeast Asia Aid Map
Southeast Asia Aid Map
New interactive tracking more than 100,000 development projects, the most comprehensive assessment of development flows in Southeast Asia ever undertaken.
Pacific Aid Map 2022
Pacific Aid Map 2022
Updated research shows the unprecedented disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Pacific Islands region caused upheaval in how international donors provide aid.
Experts
Latest publications
News and media
The world energy outlook: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The world energy outlook: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The International Energy Agency has released its annual “World Energy Outlook 2023”, a report that tracks the global transition to net zero emissions. The report contains the…
Measuring the climate cost to Pacific development
Measuring the climate cost to Pacific development
Tropical cyclone Lola slammed into Vanuatu's northern islands last week, the third high intensity storm to hit the island nation in seven months. Lola was also the earliest…
Australia should rejoin the world's largest climate fund
Commentary
Australia should rejoin the world's largest climate fund
Originally published in The Canberra Times, 23 September 2023.
Pursuing Indo-Pacific Growth and Development Amid Superpower Rivalry
Commentary
Pursuing Indo-Pacific Growth and Development Amid Superpower Rivalry
Originally published in Perry World House
Jokowi’s visit to Australia is about much more than electric vehicles
Commentary
Jokowi’s visit to Australia is about much more than electric vehicles
Originally published in Channel News Asia 
Paris Climate Summit: A New Global Financing Pact Takes Shape
Commentary
Paris Climate Summit: A New Global Financing Pact Takes Shape
Originally published in MDB Reform Accelerator
International shipping: a missed opportunity to reduce emissions
Commentary
International shipping: a missed opportunity to reduce emissions
Originally published in the Samoa Observer
Understanding “loss and damage” from climate change across the Indo-Pacific
Commentary
Understanding “loss and damage” from climate change across the Indo-Pacific
Originally published in MDB Reform Accelerator
Pacific Aid Map 2023 - Key Findings Report
Reports
Pacific Aid Map 2023 - Key Findings Report
The annual Pacific Aid Map — launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 — is an analytical tool designed to improve aid and development effectiveness in the Pacific Islands region. It…
Pacific aid enters a new era
Pacific aid enters a new era
Development priorities across the Pacific are changing, with new players and new financial instruments emerging to increase the scope and magnitude of funding required. The latest…
The Australian Financial Review
27 September 2022
ABC Radio National Breakfast
5 July 2022
The Saturday Paper
27 August 2022
ABC Radio National Breakfast
5 July 2022
Business Times Singapore
2 August 2022
Canberra Times
14 December 2021
The Canberra Times
16 November 2021