BY HODA EL-ENBABY, DANIEL O. GILLIGAN, NAUREEN KARACHIWALLA, YUMNA KASSIM AND SIKANDRA KURDI Cash transfer programs have become one of the most popular ways to reduce poverty in low-income countries and have made substantial strides in doing so. Recently, attention has turned to the design of these programs, such as whether to target transfers explicitly to women, as well as
BY SWATI MALHOTRA The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted trade of food and farm products, and the agricultural sector is under immense pressure to overcome trade barriers while also responding to climate change. With ongoing tensions between major economies and with current structural impacts in trade and food security, the upcoming (and now twice-postponed due to the pandemic) 12th WTO Ministerial Conference is
BY JESSICA LEIGHT AND NAUREEN KARACHIWALLA Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to prolonged school closures around the world that have disrupted the educational progression of hundreds of millions of students. According to UNESCO, these closures peaked around June 2020, at which point 50% of all students worldwide—more than 800 million—were out of school. Particularly in developing countries, where
BY EUGENIO DÍAZ-BONILLA Article 2 of the Paris Climate Agreement sets out the principal goals of the pact, including holding the increase in the global average temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and increasing adaptability and resilience. It also establishes the additional purpose of “making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.” It is not
BY KATRINA KOSEC AND LUCIA CARRILLO Do ambitious women tend to be more empowered in their households? Our recent study, published in Economics of Transition and Institutional Change (with co-authors Kamiljon Akramov, Bakhrom Mirkasimov, Jie Song, and Hongdi Zhao) suggests that the answer is yes—women with higher aspirations tend to be more involved in intra-household decision-making, and they and their spouses are also more
BY OLIVIER ECKER, TRACY BROWN AND KWAW S. ANDAM Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, largest national economy, leading oil exporter, and largest food producer. Yet it is also a major net food importer and faces widespread food insecurity. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of the population lived below the national poverty line and many experienced food shortages. Lately,
BY KATRINA KOSEC AND LUCIA CARRILLO The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting poor and vulnerable countries the hardest, poverty rates are increasing worldwide, and households are experiencing higher levels of income volatility. According to our new study focusing on Kyrgyzstan, such fluctuations can significantly reduce the health and nutrition status of children under 5. However, there is a silver lining: Income shifts can simultaneously
BY CHANNING ARNDT The recently concluded COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow had a clear topline goal: Secure global net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by midcentury. The phrase “net zero” recognizes that some sectors, such as building, industry, and aviation, are very likely to have positive emissions in 2050. To offset them, at least one other sector must have negative