Views from the Center

The post-2015 development agenda is being shaped as we speak. The United Nations has recently released a report that synthesizes the full range of inputs received from various stakeholders. These inputs, including ones from the World Bank Group, are a substantive contribution to the intergovernmental negotiations in the lead up to the September 2015 Summit that will officially launch the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.

The purchasing-power rates (PPPs) from the 2011 International Comparison Program (ICP) suggest lower inequality and poverty in the world than was thought based on prior ICP data. However, there are some continuing and (as yet) poorly resolved concerns about the data revisions implied by the 2011 ICP. 

When President Obama goes to India to help celebrate Republic Day, he will have two priorities: to further open India’s market to US exporters; and to energize India’s efforts to tackle climate change. 

Amid rising interest in social impact investment, a growing number of social impact bonds, and a persistent interest in how the private sector can be best engaged in addressing global development challenges, Development Impact Bonds (DIBs) have been attracting a lot of attention.