The world is falling behind on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a situation exacerbated by recent geopolitical disruptions and challenges to international cooperation. This policy brief, based on a virtual roundtable in the context of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) with...

Two phenomena are increasingly reshaping the world economy. One is the growing and well-documented importance of climate transition policies that differ across countries. The other is the stark rise of geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF) concerns. While differences in climate transition policies are...

This paper examines the current state of international cooperation in the area of financial inclusion, highlighting key achievements, the diverse roles of international organizations, recent developments in international cooperation, and the continuing barriers to full inclusion. International...

This open access book discusses three areas in which Germany has long-standing experience and solutions that are valuable for other countries—care education, care insurance and standards for age-friendly city neighborhoods. It introduces the development background, application and shortcomings...

The international environment is characterised by a dynamic nature, a steady trend towards quantitative growth and qualitative development, which necessitates a more cautious and balanced approach to the choice of foreign economic policy, given the complexity of the structure of the world...

This Discussion Paper makes the case for universality in United Nations (UN) development work. So far, the UN development pillar has largely remained wedded to a 20th-century approach to development cooperation that centres on two groups of states and a one-way relationship between them: rich...

A review is presented of the macroeconomics of climate change and policy. The review starts with a tractable workhorse model of the macroeconomics of climate and carbon pricing. It then discusses extensions to multiple countries. A discussion of the effects of macroeconomic and climate...

Five years after the bloody military coup and amid a civil war, elections have taken place in Myanmar. They were neither free nor fair, nor was any attempt made to keep up an appearance of even minimum democratic standards. From the outset, the main purpose of the elections was not political...

We use global tariffs to reveal the weights that nations implicitly place on the welfare of their trading partners relative to their own. Our estimated welfare weights suggest that formal and informal rules of the world trading system make countries internalize the impact of their policies onto...

We study the sustainability of international trading rules in a multipolar world. A rules-based equilibrium is shaped by three forces. A static temptation to exploit market power undermines cooperation, while two dynamic forces support it: the efficiency gains from rules and the cost of...

We use global tariffs to reveal the weights that nations implicitly place on the welfare of their trading partners relative to their own. Our estimated welfare weights suggest that formal and informal rules of the world trading system make countries internalize the impact of their policies onto...

Energy-sector challenges have shaped international relations since early history, making energy a key component of geopolitics. Understanding current global and regional energy and economic trends is therefore essential. Armenia, like many European Union countries, faces significant challenges...

Green hydrogen – produced with renewable energy – is indispensable for the decarbonisation of economies, especially concerning “hard-to-abate” activities such as the production of steel, cement and fertilisers as well as maritime transport and aviation. The demand for green hydrogen is...

This paper explores the policies of the United Nations and specialized institutions concerning the coordination of international community efforts to combat terrorist threats. Terrorism remains a significant threat to international security, despite the war in Ukraine taking priority in terms of...

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was born out of the need felt by newly emerging post-colonial nations not to be compelled to be part of any single political or military bloc during the Cold War. As the international community finds itself once again in the midst of heightened geo-political...

The World Health Organization (WHO) should act as the directing and coordinating authority in global health but it has been steadily marginalized over time by design, through criticism as an inefficient organization, the reduction of assessed contributions and consequent impoverishment, and the...

The intensifying global race in Artificial Intelligence (AI) forces nations to walk a tightrope, balancing the drive for rapid innovation against the imperatives of fairness, safety and inclusivity. This tension is reflected in recent high-level international summits and the diverging regulatory...

In recent IR literature, the term “regime complexity” has described the phenomenon that international regimes are increasingly overlapping, involving more institutions and actors. Pandemic prevention using a One Health approach represents one example of regime complexity as health threats...

The world is falling behind on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a situation exacerbated by recent geopolitical disruptions and challenges to international cooperation. This policy brief, based on a virtual roundtable in the context of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) with...

Two phenomena are increasingly reshaping the world economy. One is the growing and well-documented importance of climate transition policies that differ across countries. The other is the stark rise of geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF) concerns. While differences in climate transition policies are...

Industrial policy has returned to the centre of global economic debate. Once dismissed as inefficient, government intervention is now seen as vital for addressing climate change, technological competition and supply chain vulnerabilities. Yet the rise in uncoordinated national strategies risks...

This empirical qualitative research explores the texts of 14 free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded by Arab Gulf countries individually or as block. The objective is to evaluate if these documents are gender-responsive using an internationally recognised framework that qualitatively measures if...

Since the entry into force of the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) in 2009, European Union Member States may use the so-called cooperation mechanisms (statistical transfers, joint projects and joint support schemes) to meet their renewable energy targets cost-effectively, contributing to...

This publication looks at how EU countries investigate abuse and ill-treatment at their borders. While more incidents are now raised with judicial authorities, convictions remain rare. Covering incidents up to the end of 2024 - including serious cases and shipwrecks - it also highlights the role...

This publication looks at how EU countries investigate abuse and ill-treatment at their borders. While more incidents are now raised with judicial authorities, convictions remain rare. Covering incidents up to the end of 2024 - including serious cases and shipwrecks - it also highlights the role...

How do shifts in the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of alignment-based “hegemonic globalization”, built on two central premises: countries differ in their preferences over policies (such as the rule of law or regulatory frameworks) and trade between any...