Author: Development Matters

New social contract

How to make gender equality work for everyone

By Laura Parry-Davies, Digital Communications Officer, OECD Development Centre

The pandemic has set equal rights for women and girls back significantly. What can the international community do to reverse this trend and put social, economic and physical equality back on track? 

Experts from UN Women, London School of Economics and Political Science, MenCare Global Fatherhood Campaign, and the OECD gathered to discuss next steps for empowering young women and girls as part of the OECD Development Centre’s 60th Anniversary Dialogues. 

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New social contract

The fourth Industrial Revolution and the reskilling challenge: a view from the Global South

By Ramiro Albrieu, Senior Researcher and Megan Ballesty, Project Co-ordinator, Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (CIPPEC-Argentina, member of the Southern Voice network)

The fourth industrial revolution is redefining the role of people in the workplace and, consequently, challenging 20th century education systems.
Many of the breakthroughs in the field of applied artificial intelligence and related technologies enable the automation of “codifiable” or repetitive tasks, representing hard-to-beat competition for workers performing them. Societies are therefore making efforts to redirect human capital investments away from learning goals associated with performing routine and repetitive tasks. Although this goal is clear, the specific features of policy frameworks to achieve it are hard to design, as they are highly context-dependent. A few examples follow.

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Green transition

Accelerating the green energy transition in emerging markets in times of crisis

By Maurizio Bezzeccheri, Head Latin America region, Enel; Francesco Ciaccia, Manager, Eni; and Marta Martinez, Climate Change and Alliances, Iberdrola 1

The world is in the midst of an unprecedented and complex global energy crisis. Governments across emerging markets face two apparently conflicting priorities: ensuring immediate energy security and accelerating the energy transition to address the longer-term challenge of climate change. But are these priorities truly conflicting? And what can the private sector do to change the calculus by accelerating the green transition in times of crisis?

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Digital public infrastructure concept
Reviving multilateralism

G20 – a unique opportunity to advance digital public infrastructure

By Liv Marte Nordhaug, Co-Lead, Digital Public Goods Alliance

Faced with recurrent shocks and crises, countries everywhere are looking to build more resilient and inclusive digital foundations for public and private service delivery. As they enter this next stage of their digital journeys, advanced and emerging economies alike should apply an infrastructure mindset that drives inclusion, empowerment, and innovation. India’s G20 presidency offers a unique opportunity to convene the international community around advancing this agenda.

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New social contract

Migration is accelerating – How can everyone benefit?

By Laura Parry-Davies, Digital Communications Officer, OECD Development Centre

The number of migrants in the world has increased by more than 46% in the last 30 years. Yet, global development agendas have, up-to-this-point, failed to adequately integrate the role of human mobility into country strategies for growth and wellbeing. What needs to change?
Experts from the World Bank, African Union, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research and the OECD Development Centre discussed – drawing on related work and insights – as part of the OECD Development Centre’s 60th Anniversary Dialogues.

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Debt relief in developing countries
Reviving multilateralism

It is time to give highly indebted countries a fresh start

By Rachid Bouhia, Economist, and Patrick Kacmarczyk, Consultant, UNCTAD[1]

Fast deterioration of financial conditions in the Global South

Sustained investments are a prerequisite for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without stable financial conditions, however, these investments are not possible. Roller coaster capital markets prevent investors in the real economy from predicting their rate of return, leaving only financial speculators in the game.   

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Green transition

The Energy Transition or Development – Will Developing Countries Need to Choose?

By Laura Parry-Davies, Digital Communications Officer, OECD Development Centre

Countries with low access to energy and minimal contributions to greenhouse gas emissions are being asked to prioritise the low-carbon transition over economic growth.

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Development finance
Reviving multilateralism

Four ways to make development finance fairer and more effective

By Harald Hirschhofer, Senior Advisor, TCX

Low-income country debts are mostly owed to multilateral and bilateral official lenders. Unfortunately, these development institutions’ default practice is to lend – from a borrower’s perspective – in foreign currency, i.e. USD, Euros or Yen. As they are risk conservative, they put the currency risk on the shoulders of low-income country borrowers. Although on concessional terms, such hard-currency development finance frequently turns out to be more expensive than borrowers can afford. The true costs of borrowing are hidden behind a veil of currency risk.  

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Building resilience

How to build global resilience in a multi-crisis world

By Laura Parry-Davies, Digital Communications Officer, OECD Development Centre

From climate change to COVID-19 to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the world is weathering a series of multiple, cascading crises. How can we – the international community – scale-up our response?

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