Many African nations are well endowed with natural resources. Botswana, for example, has massive diamond deposits — but also a border with South Africa. Which is the greater blessing for long term-growth? Meanwhile, India is well-known for its high-tech hubs — but how far do digital technologies assist in public-funded education; and in what ways do they improve the learning environment? Finally, almost half of all girls married before age 18 worldwide come from South Asia. Why does ...
Growth has long played a key role in poverty reduction — but how does inequality affect growth? Could inequality even derail the UN goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030? Meanwhile, cooperation in Research and Development (R&D) has long been a core aspect of innovation strategies. But how important are cross-border, inter-firm agreements in our globalised economy? Finally, when it comes to trade and the protection of domestic Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), most studies focus on ...
A joint post by Prof. Carlo Pietrobelli and Beatriz Calzada. Since the mid-1990s, Latin American countries have become an attractive destination for foreign mining investment — largely thanks to established regulatory frameworks that provide legal stability and security of mining ownership, as well as incentives for exploration and exploitation. This process led to major investments in the metals sector, mainly by international firms. However, despite this growth in mining activity, there ...
Destructive creation defines the digital age. But when it comes to frontier technologies like biotech and infotech what should be the priority: influencing policy, reforming institutions, or supporting citizens? Meanwhile, migrants in Greece often hold strong preferences for certain destination countries. How much should policymakers incorporate migrant preferences in (re)distribution schemes? And the Great Recession of 2008 was a crisis for many countries, including Ireland. But how far did fin...
A thread runs through education, innovation, and productivity. But how do these links play out in the Gulf States of Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates? Meanwhile, many top African researchers are completing their PhDs at British or American universities. Should African policymakers therefore change their assessment systems and give more incentives to homegrown talent? Finally, in order to grow, firms have to nurture their reputations. But what are the pros and cons of domestic cer...
The EU’s innovation performance continues to improve, but further efforts are needed to ensure Europe’s global competitiveness. That is, according to the 2018 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), co-authored by Hugo Hollanders and Nordine Es-Sadki. This year’s edition reveals a positive trend in the majority of EU countries – most notably in Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain, with Sweden remaining the EU innovation leader. Watch the launch event recording here (25 June 2018)....
Across Europe, there has been clear progress in environmental policy over the last 40 years. But will EU nations really achieve their vision of ‘living well, within the limits of our planet’ by 2050? Throughout West Africa, innovation has long been a reliable driver of development. But what specific policy challenges remain for the region and how much can partnerships address these concerns? Globally, mass redundancies may follow the rise of machine learning, robotisation, and artif...
Latin American countries have long been major exporters of mineral resources and are therefore some of the main recipients of mining investments. It is no surprise, then, that the region showed strong economic performance during the last commodity boom super-cycle. However, there are few world-class, highly-innovative mining firms in the region – as are found in Australia and Canada. Against this backdrop, UNU-MERIT and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are researching how Latin American...
Women and young people in Tunisia are more empowered than ever in legal terms. But do legal protections equal everyday empowerment? En route to Europe, men and women face various kinds of corruption. But is sextortion more prevalent in patriarchal cultures? Investment flows in various ways to the Global South. But do bilateral treaties increase foreign direct investment; and if so, by how much? These are just a few of the questions tackled by our researchers in April 2018 — in five journal artic...
In 2017, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the end of net neutrality in the USA. The decision was taken unilaterally by FCC Chairman Commissioner, Ajit Pai, and other unelected board members, without consulting key actors from civil society. This decision was and is still being criticised even from within the Commission where the vote repealing net neutrality was extremely tight: just three votes to two. The move was also criticised by NGOs and international org...