PODCAST · society
Development Futures
by Lowy Institute
Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.
Episodes
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Cuts all round: Aid to Southeast Asia hits a decade low
Official development finance to Southeast Asia has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, just as the region faces a run of overlapping economic shocks. Contrary to some expectations, China isn’t stepping into the gap left by retreating traditional donors, such as Japan and the United States. In...
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Southeast Asia’s supply chain squeeze
Southeast Asia has become the connector economy of the global tech race — building the chips, batteries, and clean energy components for which both Washington and Beijing now compete. But as US–China tensions harden into economic security policy, the region’s most valuable supply chains are being...
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179 years to parity: The Indo-Pacific’s gender equality backslide
Global progress on gender equality is stalling, and in some places going backwards. The World Economic Forum estimates that, at current rates, Asia and the Pacific won't reach gender parity for 179 years. In this episode, host Roland Rajah is joined by Grace Stanhope (Lowy Institute) and…
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A multilateral green trade pact?
International trade has faced multiple shocks in recent years, making the need to reform the architecture of global trade more urgent than ever. Aligning new trade rules with global net-zero ambitions will be crucial to providing the necessary incentives for firms and economies to decarbonise.…
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The future of Australian aid
It has been just over a year since the Trump administration's dramatic cuts to America's foreign aid budget and the shuttering of USAID. With other major donors also slashing their aid programs — potentially causing 22 million additional avoidable deaths by 2030 — what does this mean for...
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Development Futures: United Nations’ reform and relevance
The United Nations is facing two simultaneous disruptions: the planned UN80 reforms, timed to refine the organisation’s structure and mandate during its 80th anniversary, and budget cuts led by the Trump administration. Lowy Institute Research Fellow Grace Stanhope speaks with UN financing expert...
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Development Futures: Climate change and the great procrastination
The Institute’s Dr Melanie Pill speaks with Professor Thomas Hale, author of Long Problems: Climate change and the challenge of governing across time, about the difficulty of addressing issues, like climate change, that have such distant consequences. They discuss the barriers to addressing and...
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Development Futures: The 2025 Southeast Asia Aid Map and global aid cuts
As global donors retreat from development finance, Southeast Asia stands to lose billions of dollars in critical support. In this episode, we launch the Lowy Institute’s 2025 Southeast Asia Aid Map and unpack what the wave of US, UK and European aid cuts mean for the region. Roland Rajah…
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Development Futures: Indonesia’s economic policies under Prabowo — new era or same path?
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto campaigned on a promise of continuity and better economic performance. Is Prabowo living up to his campaign promises or taking the country in a new direction? The Lowy Institute's Lead Economist, Roland Rajah, speaks with Dr Eve Warburton, Director of the...
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Lowy Institute Re-Cast — Development Futures: The world’s addiction to GDP
The Lowy Institute Re-Cast series republishes the best podcasts from our archives. In case you missed them the first time around or if you want revisit these engaging conversations, the Re-Cast series has you covered. Can we measure national success beyond economic growth? In August 2024…
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Development Futures: Trump’s tariffs and the rest of us
Donald Trump has moved quickly to impose tariffs on literally every country in the world. Trump’s tariffs against Australia are not only affecting matters of trade; they potentially infringe Australian sovereignty. The Lowy Institute’s Lead Economist Roland Rajah sits down with Dr Jenny Gordon,...
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Development Futures: Aid in Shambles: The dismantling of USAID
The Trump administration is taking an axe to the world’s biggest foreign aid program, dismantling its US Agency for International Development and freezing billions of dollars in foreign assistance. The Lowy Institute’s Lead Economist Roland Rajah is joined by Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific...
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Development Futures: The big picture of aid and international development
The Trump administration’s recent dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and freeze on most US foreign aid has created havoc within the international aid and development sectors. Prior to these major announcements, the Lowy Institute’s Lead Economist Roland Rajah spoke...
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Lowy Institute Re-Cast: Development Futures: Dani Rodrik on hyper-globalisation, geopolitics and the future of development
As part of the Lowy Institute Re-Cast series, we are republishing the best podcasts of 2024. In case you missed them the first time around or if you want revisit these engaging conversations, the Re-Cast series has you covered. As we usher in the new year, the global economy is at a turning…
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Lowy Institute Re-Cast: Development Futures: Bert Hofman on China’s economy
As part of the Lowy Institute Re-Cast series, we are republishing the best podcasts of 2024. In case you missed them the first time around or if you want revisit these engaging conversations, the Re-Cast series has you covered. China is facing many economic problems, at home and abroad. The two…
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Development Futures: Can private investment save the planet?
Trillions of dollars are needed to meet the world’s climate and development goals. Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence, a global blended finance network, speaks with the Lowy Institute’s Roland Rajah about how blended finance, which uses government and philanthropic money to increase private...
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Development Futures: 2024 Pacific Aid Map: Key Findings
Each year, the Lowy Institute updates is Pacific Aid Map – the most comprehensive database tracking aid and development flows to the Pacific Islands region ever assembled. In this episode of Development Futures, lead authors Alexandre Dayant and Riley Duke join Dr Jessica Collins to unpack the…
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Development Futures - What to expect at COP29
In this episode, we explore what might happen at COP29, the upcoming UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. With global emissions at record highs and climate impacts intensifying, this year’s conference will focus on setting a new climate finance goal to drive global climate action. The Lowy...
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Development Futures: The case for an Indo-Pacific Economic Resilience Bank
Eighty years ago, the Bretton Woods agreement shaped the global financial system to build a better world. While its institutions remain vital, they are struggling to meet today’s challenges — climate change, economic insecurity, and a multi-trillion-dollar development financing gap. In this...
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Development Futures: A climate loss and damage fund that works
In this episode, we delve into the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund, the most concrete effort to address restitution for those impacted by climate change. As the recently appointed board begins crafting a global fund to financially support climate victims, much remains unresolved, including...
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Development Futures: The world’s addiction to GDP
Can we measure national success beyond economic growth? Professor Robert Costanza speaks with the Lowy Institute’s Alexandre Dayant about why countries need to move away from gross domestic product as the measure of economic prosperity and factor in other complementary gauges of success. In a…
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Development Futures: Angus Deaton on what economists got wrong
Angus Deaton, the 2015 Nobel Prize-winning economist, has dedicated four decades to studying poverty, inequality, health, wellbeing, and economic development. Recently, he strongly criticised his own profession, arguing that economists have overlooked the power dynamics inherent in capitalism. In...
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Development Futures: Bert Hofman on China’s economy
China is facing many economic problems, at home and abroad. The two are connected. Weak demand at home has contributed to a sharp rise in Chinese manufacturing exports, especially in green technologies such as electric vehicles. Surging Chinese exports have in turn prompted a backlash from the...
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Development Futures: Richard Baldwin on how globalisation and robotics will impact developing economies
Today, the dynamic duo of globalisation and robotics, which international economist Richard Baldwin calls “globotics”, is disrupting the service sector and professional jobs faster than ever. Digital technology is empowering “white-collar robots” to take over many service sector and professional...
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Development Futures: Where to next on climate and development?
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges for sustainable development around the world. Large developing economies, particularly in Asia, are now major sources of global emissions but need external assistance to accelerate their transition to clean energy. Meanwhile, many poor and…
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Development Futures: Dani Rodrik on hyper-globalisation, geopolitics and the future of development
As we usher in the new year, the global economy is at a turning point. From confronting an economic development crisis and addressing the good-jobs dilemma, to navigating the climate transition and charting a course towards a more sustainable and equitable form of globalisation, 2024 promises to…
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Development Futures: David Victor on how to make climate policy work
Many of the most economically efficient policies to reduce emissions, such as carbon pricing, have proven difficult to implement. In this episode of Development Futures, the Lowy Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre Research Fellow Michelle Lyons speaks with Professor David Victor from UC...
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Development Futures: Daron Acemoglu on the path to inclusive prosperity
Progress depends on many choices, notably the ones we make about technology. The way in which we structure production and communication can either cater to the exclusive interests of a privileged few or lay the groundwork for widespread prosperity. In this episode of Development Futures…
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Development Futures: Reforming the Multilateral Development Banks
Multilateral institutions and the global financial system are on a transformative journey aimed at confronting the dual challenge of climate change and sustainable development. This multifaceted agenda involves substantial improvements to the governance structures of multilateral development…
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Development Futures: Pat Conroy MP on Australia’s new international development policy
After a decade of foreign aid cuts, deprioritisation, and then securitisation, Australia finally has a new international development policy that aims to return development to the heart of Australia’s international statecraft. Leading that charge is Australia’s Minister for International…
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Development Futures: Towards a more inclusive sovereign debt architecture
The Group of 20 Common Framework was established in October 2020 as stress in sovereign debt levels of low-income countries began to emerge. However, the Framework is yet to substantially deliver on its objective of providing relief to those countries. Mariza Cooray, Senior Economist at the Lowy...
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Development Futures: Revitalising the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund – the largest climate fund in the world – is seeking a new cash injection by donors in October 2023. But it's not all smooth sailing. Alexandre Dayant, the Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Development Centre, discusses a recent Lowy Institute policy brief with two of the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.
HOSTED BY
Lowy Institute
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How many episodes does Development Futures have?
Development Futures currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Development Futures about?
Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.
How often does Development Futures release new episodes?
Development Futures has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Development Futures is created and hosted by Lowy Institute.
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