20 Jan 2026
A rearview mirror on America’s year of foreign aid cuts
The ripple effects of global USAID cuts will be generational – and everyone will lose.
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8 Dec 2025
The Marshall Islands’ experiment with a universal basic income
The scheme tests whether microstates can sustain widespread cash transfers, with the Pacific watching on. -
13 Oct 2025
COP30: Is the bioeconomy the answer to equitable prosperity?
The Brazil meeting will need to confront old tropes of competition and control over the world’s natural resources. -
26 Sep 2025
Show or substance? The African Union’s G20 test
Under this year’s South African presidency of the global forum, it’s more important than ever for the Union to speak as one. -
15 Sep 2025
Ethiopia’s grand projects fail the human capital test
Despite immense infrastructure success, a neglected education sector risks turning concrete wealth into a hollow monument. -
21 Jul 2025
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill: A domestic deal with Indo-Pacific consequences
America’s new act reinforces the reality that internal choices are rarely contained within borders. -
13 Jun 2025
The upside of the world’s downgrade in foreign aid
Australia has an opportunity to fill the gap left by the US and Europe – and it’s good for democracy, too. -
15 Nov 2024
Economics as history: Assessing the 2024 Nobel Prize
Rich country or poor country? Why a chain of causation proposed by this year’s winners is so controversial. -
8 Mar 2024
Gender equality financing: Spotlight on Southeast Asia
A discrepancy in data collection for gender-led funding is skewing the stats on development support in the region. -
14 Feb 2024
Global poverty is still a massive problem – no matter how you count it
Progress is at risk unless the world redoubles efforts at poverty eradication. -
16 Jan 2024
Global economic prospects are the worst in decades but investing in the future could be the answer
The World Bank reports on why global growth and poverty reduction are slowing but points to investment as a way forward. -
7 Jul 2023
Timor-Leste: Breaking free from temptation of easy money
The Gusmão-led government has a raft of development challenges and cannot afford to rely solely on oil and gas. -
30 Jun 2023
Globalisation promised growth. Now emerging economies need a new path
Rising trade barriers and financial stress has upended the idea that a free and open world economy will bring prosperity. -
9 Jun 2023
East Asia’s low welfare spending model fails to tackle inequality
A historical reliance on family has allowed governments to put the economic onus on those who can least afford it. -
26 Jul 2022
“Silver lining”: Covid‑19 accelerates progress on financial inclusion
Access to financial services can be a key to poverty reduction and increased digitisation during lockdowns has helped. -
11 May 2022
Mapping Southeast Asian development assistance
A new measure of foreign aid impact in countries hit by Covid and infrastructure failure is set to fill the gap. -
8 Mar 2021
Food security and Covid-19: Recognising women’s leadership
Over half the world’s farmers and food producers are women. A study will look at their experiences in the covid crisis. -
14 Aug 2020
World order in the time of coronavirus
Blame China and Russia. But the real cause of breakdown in the “rules-based international order” lies with the West.