A society that transitions from authoritarianism or armed conflict to a democracy needs to address important questions of justice and accountability for past human rights abuses in order to build a stable and peaceful future. In the rapidly maturing field of transitional justice an expanding number of initiatives have taken place providing valuable lessons for »

The current financial crisis has tended to sap the momentum of industrialized countries’ policy steps to address climate change. Given the threat of runaway global warming, adopting a “minimax-regret” strategy is the best policy response: aim to stabilize GHG levels close to present levels. This requires accelerating R&D expenditures targeting technologies that radically reduce marginal »

Africa is the developing region most at risk from the global economic crisis. Its recent strong growth has been interrupted. Already home to the largest number of low-income countries in the world, the region is now likely to experience higher unemployment and poverty; increases in infant mortality; and difficulty coping with longer-lasting effects such as »

One year into the global economic crisis, it has become clear that the paradigm for international development has changed irrevocably. With leadership, moral authority and the capacity of the West in international development diminishing, developing countries’ recovery and future growth will critically hinge on their own initiatives, solutions and leadership. This policy brief summarizes the »

The rapid rise in the overseas investments of Indian and Chinese firms has attracted widespread attention in recent years. To a large extent, the growing internationalization of these emerging economies has been driven by a search for resources, technology and related assets. What are the implications of this for foreign direct investment policy in both »

Many of the world’s poorest countries can be described as “fragile states” wherein governments cannot or will not provide an environment for households to reduce, mitigate or cope with poverty and other risks to well-being. Many of these states are in conflict or just emerging from conflict. The UNU-WIDER project “Fragility and Development” explored state »

Economic development is essential for every country but it is especially crucial for those countries in the aftermath of protracted armed conflict, needing peacebuilding, recovery and reconstruction. Development aid alone cannot transform damaged economies, and it is here that foreign direct investment (FDI) can be a valuable tool to revitalize industries, rebuild infrastructures and eventually »

Global challenges have made the world more difficult to govern today, compared to 20 years ago. In this context, states can no longer govern alone; they need assistance. The role of civil society has gradually changed – from a monitor and corrector of states’ actions to an active co-participant in governance. Are civil society organizations »

Faced with rising costs for producing goods and managing waste products, the competitiveness of firms, countries and even regions is increasingly linked to their ability to ‘eco-innovate’. However, very little is known about the growing global trade in environmentally beneficial goods and services as eco-technologies have been largely neglected in economic statistics. Nor do we »

While globalization brings opportunities for economic growth, international trade creates opportunities for the globalization of unsafe food. As trade liberalization opens the territorial boundaries of nation-states for traded goods and services, frequent and recurring instances of food contamination threaten the health, trust and confidence of consumers. To guarantee sustainability and social responsibility, the implementation and »