Economic Development

List of Economic Development articles

Two people sit at a bus stop in front of a billboard that features an image of Tinubu and Shettima with the slogan "The team to reconnect Nigeria."
Two people sit at a bus stop in front of a billboard that features an image of Tinubu and Shettima with the slogan "The team to reconnect Nigeria."

The Revolutionary Potential of the ‘Lagos Model’

Bola Tinubu turned Lagos into a great city. Can he transform all of Nigeria?

Union workers listen to U.S. President Joe Biden speak during a visit to a semiconductor manufacturer in Durham, North Carolina.
Union workers listen to U.S. President Joe Biden speak during a visit to a semiconductor manufacturer in Durham, North Carolina.

Who Will Make the Chips?

The U.S. is betting billions on its semiconductor push, but it needs more people for the factory floors.

People walk past the art installation "The World Turned Upside Down" by Mark Wallinger on September 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.
People walk past the art installation "The World Turned Upside Down" by Mark Wallinger on September 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.

Europe’s Losers Have Become Its Winners Again

The balance of power in Europe is changing—just as it always has.

A woman sleeps beneath a billboard promoting new urban development in Beijing.
A woman sleeps beneath a billboard promoting new urban development in Beijing.

China Is Developing and Developed at the Same Time

The world’s second-largest economy has a historically unique economic status.

Houses are shown on the edge of deep gouges in the land.
Houses are shown on the edge of deep gouges in the land.

U.S. Apathy Paved the Way for China in Africa

Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent.

A G-20 logo is seen on a boat in Dal Lake ahead of the G-20 meeting in Srinagar, India.
A G-20 logo is seen on a boat in Dal Lake ahead of the G-20 meeting in Srinagar, India.

Modi Wants to Bring Tourists Back to Kashmir

India’s government wants to turn the war-torn region into a renewed tourist hot spot.

The LNG Ogun, a gas carrier that sails under the Bermuda flag, is pictured behind some wind turbines on a breakwater, leaving the Port of Bilbao bound for the port of Bonny, in Nigeria
The LNG Ogun, a gas carrier that sails under the Bermuda flag, is pictured behind some wind turbines on a breakwater, leaving the Port of Bilbao bound for the port of Bonny, in Nigeria

Finally, Rich Countries Recognize Africa’s Right to Use Gas

Blanket bans on gas finance stifle development, hurt climate goals, and reek of hypocrisy.

A man passes billboards of Nigerian films at a movie theater in Lagos on Feb. 19, 2019.
A man passes billboards of Nigerian films at a movie theater in Lagos on Feb. 19, 2019.

The Problem With Comparing Africa to Asia

Greater ethnic diversity, debt burdens, and democratized politics have complicated Africa’s path to development.

A Congolese boy looks up toward a sign advertising a commercial center selling Chinese products in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Nov. 3, 2006.
A Congolese boy looks up toward a sign advertising a commercial center selling Chinese products in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Nov. 3, 2006.

Are China and Russia Bad for Africa? That’s the Wrong Question.

Westerners should ask instead what kind of partnerships their own countries offer to the continent.

Lula and Xi walk side by side in front of a military honor guard.
Lula and Xi walk side by side in front of a military honor guard.

Why Lula’s Visit to Beijing Matters More Than Macron’s

The world’s economic dynamism is shifting to the global south.

World Bank Group President David Malpass speaks at a briefing during the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington on April 13.
World Bank Group President David Malpass speaks at a briefing during the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington on April 13.

The World Bank Is Still Failing the Poor

Poverty alleviation in the economically weakest parts of the world will require giving the poor a real seat at the table—which the World Bank has never done.

The United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, Ajay Banga, visits an electricity plant financed by the World Bank in Yopougon, Ivory Coast, on March 7.
The United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, Ajay Banga, visits an electricity plant financed by the World Bank in Yopougon, Ivory Coast, on March 7.

The World Bank Won’t Succeed Until the West Pulls Its Weight

The development bank doesn’t have enough money to achieve its goals—unless it gets more creative with its balance sheet.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina attend a ceremony marking the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 26.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina attend a ceremony marking the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 26.

What Taiwan Can Learn from Honduras’s Switch to China

Taipei’s last diplomatic stand may well be in the Americas.

Ajay Banga, the United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, speaks during an interview in Nairobi on March 8.
Ajay Banga, the United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, speaks during an interview in Nairobi on March 8.

The World Bank Must Do More With Less

The organization’s next president will have to tackle a growing range of issues with a shrinking capital base.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with dignitaries and employees at U.S. technology company ViaSat in Carlsbad, California, on Nov. 4, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with dignitaries and employees at U.S. technology company ViaSat in Carlsbad, California, on Nov. 4, 2022.

The Risks of the CHIPS Act No One’s Talking About

Governments are almost endlessly prone to throwing good money after bad.

Adani crisis in India
Adani crisis in India

The Adani Crisis Is Exactly What India Needs

The scandal may rattle India’s elite just enough to jump-start long-neglected reforms.

Rickshaws drive past a campaign billboard for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and other party candidates along a road in Kano, northwestern Nigeria, on Feb. 8.
Rickshaws drive past a campaign billboard for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and other party candidates along a road in Kano, northwestern Nigeria, on Feb. 8.

What Nigeria’s Next President Can Learn From China

The country’s hope lies in the example of a rapidly reforming China at the turn of the 1980s.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening session of the 20th Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 16, 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening session of the 20th Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 16, 2022.

China’s Checkbook Diplomacy Has Bounced

China can make friends or break legs. It can’t do both.

Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.
Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.

China’s Belt and Road to Nowhere

Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy is a “shadow of its former self.”

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