Finance sector development, Governance and public sector management

Systemic power imbalances in responsible investments

Systemic power imbalances in responsible investments
The recent surge of interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments has brought with it closer scrutiny of the way in which ESG factors are evaluated as conditions before an investment can be categorized as such. Environmental factors have been receiving a lion’s share of the attention in these investments, which have been riding on the institutional clout lent unto them by green growth.

Governance and public sector management, Industry and trade, Information and Communications Technology, Private sector development

The value creation potential of platforms

The value creation potential of platforms
The rapid success of modern platforms is a testament to their ability to scale efficiently to the needs of many while providing an undeniable and significant advantage over the older methods that had so far dominated value exchanges. Powered by the public Internet and robust local connectivity, digital platforms rose to the challenge of developing newer, more efficient alternatives in their respective focus areas.

Economics

Macroeconomic stabilization in the digital age: What should policy makers be aware of?

Macroeconomic stabilization in the digital age: What should policy makers be aware of?
The rise of the digital age has created challenges for policy makers around the globe in managing their economies. Early work on this issue by Cecchetti (2002) noted that macroeconomic management becomes more complex in an environment of digitalization given shifting trend productivity and difficulties in estimating potential output.

Finance sector development, Information and Communications Technology

Closing the gender gap in peer-to-peer lending

Closing the gender gap in peer-to-peer lending
Financial inclusion for women has been embraced by policy makers as an important development priority. However, despite women having lower risk preferences and higher creditworthiness, the gender gap in access to finance is still prevalent in the traditional credit market. This is due to various factors, such as differences in employment opportunities, legal obstacles, cultural norms, and limited access to the guarantee mechanism, among others.

Education, Information and Communications Technology

E-learning to enhance capacities in Asia and the Pacific

E-learning to enhance capacities in Asia and the Pacific
The digital age poses both challenges and opportunities for many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. In recent years, we have seen jobs in various sectors become obsolete. At the same time, we see new economic spaces being created demanding new skills and competencies. This also necessitates finding innovative ways to facilitate learning and to promote knowledge sharing, especially in the context of economic development.

Economics, Energy

Political risks in energy-transporting countries and energy security in the Caspian Basin

Political risks in energy-transporting countries and energy security in the Caspian Basin
Energy security is a crucial issue in contemporary international relations but not a new one. It is usually defined as the reliable and sufficient supply or demand of energy at acceptable prices and is at the top of the agenda for both energy-importing and energy-exporting countries.

Economics, Governance and public sector management, Industry and trade

Land readjustment in Japan: Beyond the myth of Japanese consensus and harmony

Land readjustment in Japan: Beyond the myth of Japanese consensus and harmony
The landscape of Misato City in Japan has changed drastically in the last 35 years. In the 1980s, Shin-Misato Station was the Mushashino marshalling yard for freight services. Most of the land near the station was used for agriculture, but once residential houses increased and more people came to settle in the area the government built a passenger train station.

Economics, Energy

Feed-in tariffs and loans for boosting private investment in renewable energy

Feed-in tariffs and loans for boosting private investment in renewable energy
Investment in renewable energy of $9 trillion is required to meet global energy supply needs by 2040 (International Energy Agency 2016), but investments in fossil fuels still dominate those in renewable energy. Many countries are implementing national energy policies, including fiscal, financial, information and education, institutional support, strategic planning, regulatory, and voluntary measures, to promote greater private investment in renewable energy.

Economics, Finance sector development

What explains the growing global demand for cash?

What explains the growing global demand for cash?
In recent years, cashless payment methods have become increasingly prevalent around the world due to the use of various innovative tools and convenient financial services through mobile phones. This trend is contributing to greater efficiency in our economies and financial systems. Nevertheless, a puzzling phenomenon is that the demand for cash has been rising in many countries. This means that growth in the demand for cash reflects factors other than the transaction motive used for payment. These factors might include opportunity cost, precautionary motives, and other motives such as aging and demand from abroad.

Governance and public sector management, Transport

Thinking beyond the suitability of high-speed railway in India

Thinking beyond the suitability of high-speed railway in India
In India, the project to build the country’s first 500-kilometer high-speed railway (HSR) from Mumbai to Ahmedabad is underway. For comparison, all top 10 economies in the world except the United States have constructed several HSR lines in the past 30 years. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) alone has built nearly 28,000 kilometers of HSR in the past 20 years. Nevertheless, opinion makers in India are expressing contradicting views, questioning whether it is suitable for the country to develop expensive infrastructure such as HSR.