International Growth Centre

A decade after the SDGs, multilateralism is at a crossroads.

Crises and geopolitical tensions test global cooperation.

Read Amna Mahmood’s timely analysis in The Dawn:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1967107/multilateralism-is-straining-at-the-seams-is-global-cooperation-in-retreat

#Multilateralism

Why cities are the engine of growth in developing countries Urban areas house half of the world’s population, yet cities receive far less attention than they deserve. Urban investment must become a national priority.

IGC Cities that Work has examined how cities drive growth - from housing & land, to transport.

Yet development policy still sidelines urbanisation.

Our new blog goes back to first principles on why cities matter for sustainable and inclusive growth. 👇

theigc.org/blogs/cities...

Building the Cities Spatial Model: Bridging research and practice in urban policy Discover the Cities Spatial Model, an open-source tool bridging urban economics research and practice to improve citywide planning and policy decisions.

Cities shape growth, but traditional tools miss the ripple effects of policy.

The Cities Spatial Model helps policymakers see how transport, housing & infrastructure reshape a city - now open-source & user-friendly.

Explore: https://www.theigc.org/blogs/cities-spatial-model-urban-policy

Financing economic stability and service delivery in Sierra Leone As Sierra Leone faces rising fiscal pressures, improving domestic revenue mobilisation and public financial management can unlock new pathways to financing.

As donor support declines, #SierraLeone faces growing fiscal pressures.

👩🏿‍💼New insights from the Sierra Leone Policy Conference explore how domestic revenue mobilisation, public financial management, & diversified #financing can support economic stability.

www.theigc.org/blogs/financ...

Key sessions from the Industrial Policy for Africa Conference are now available to watch online.

Held w/ the World Bank, AERC, & @cepr.org , the event brought together researchers & policymakers to discuss jobs, trade, & competitiveness.

🎥: www.wbginstitute.org/events/indus...

For years, #TaxReform in the Commonwealth has been driven by digitalisation.

Now, AI is entering the heart of day-to-day tax administration.

Discover how AI is reshaping tax systems 👇
https://www.theigc.org/blogs/how-ai-transforming-tax-administration-across-commonwealth

Mind the gap: Scaling women-owned enterprises

🚀 Women-led firms drive growth, so why do they struggle to scale?

With #InternationalWomensDay approaching, join us for a timely discussion on unlocking capital & growth for women-owned enterprises.

📍LSE, London | 11 March

👉 Register now
www.theigc.org/events/mind-...

#InclusiveGrowth

Urban policies don't just affect one place, they shape how an entire city functions.

🌇💻The Cities Spatial Model captures this complex system, bringing structural #spatialmodelling into practical policy use.

Read our latest blog: https://www.theigc.org/blogs/cities-spatial-model-urban-policy

Can Zambia harness critical minerals for broad-based development? Zambia’s copper and cobalt boom offers a chance for broad-based development—but success hinges on governance, community safeguards, and sustainable mining.

Zambia sits on vast copper & cobalt reserves, but who truly benefits?

💰Our latest research explores how governance, ownership & community safeguards could turn the critical minerals boom into broad-based development.

#Zambia #EconomicGrowth

🔗 theigc.org/blogs/zambia...

IGC appoints senior advisors on data and AI The International Growth Centre appoints Cosmina Dorobantu and Oliver Chinganya as Senior Advisors on Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Excited to share that we have appointed two Senior Advisors on Data & AI:

Prof Cosmina Dorobantu & Oliver Chinganya

Together, they will help accelerate data-driven policymaking in low- & middle-income countries! 📊 #AI4Policy

https://www.theigc.org/news/igc-appoints-senior-advisors-data-and-ai

Digital VAT enforcement can boost revenue 📈, but small firms often bear the heaviest burden.

Without careful design, digitisation risks harming welfare & formalisation.

Read IGC’s latest insights 👉 https://www.theigc.org/blogs/digital-vat-enforcement-cost

#DigitalTax

India Sustainable Growth Hub (ISGH) webinar series The Centre for Research on the Economics of Climate, Food, Energy and Environment (CECFEE) at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi and IGC at the London School of Economics and Political Scie...

🌍The ISGH launches a new series bringing together researchers & practitioners working on energy & climate.

We kick off w/ “The Macroeconomics of Net Zero” by Neil Mehrotra (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis).

12 Feb 2026 | ⏰ 8:00–9:30 PM IST
🔗 www.theigc.org/events/india...

Our new 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 podcast is now on Spotify!

With big decisions ahead/in the coming months on international development, what factors could influence donor governments around the world?

Listen to the full episode ⬇️ https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VoHVlo7c0mlI6f9mw0VlF

In low-resource hospitals, missing data can slowdown care.🏥💻

Our recent blog shows how AI can strengthen health systems as infrastructure, not just tech.

https://www.theigc.org/blogs/infrastructure-public-health-ai

#PublicHealth #DataForDevelopment

YouTube video by International Growth Centre Transformational Change: Job market challenges in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia's urban areas, 1 in 5 people are unemployed.

We funded research on youth unemployment & labour market frictions.

Using our Transformational Change methodology, we looked at this research's impact.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P_-69TaXdM

India’s clean energy future isn’t just about more solar & wind. It's also about how we use power at home & at work.

A new IGC–Tata Power lab is turning behavioural science into real-world energy solutions.

🔗 www.theigc.org/blogs/consum...

#CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition

Why aren’t fragile countries getting more support to adapt to climate change? Policy economist Amna Mahmood insists that adaptation solutions exist.

🎙️We produced a podcast exploring how countries can strengthen revenue systems and adapt to climate change: www.theigc.org/media-items/...

IGC Ethiopia briefed the UK Foreign Secretary on the economic drivers of migration and what the evidence says about effective policy responses.

Our work highlights the role of jobs, structural transformation and long-term economic opportunity in shaping migration decisions.

Redesign lifeline electricity tariff into hybrid system – Report - MyJoyOnline A research report on electricity pricing has recommended a redesign of Ghana’s lifeline electricity tariff into a hybrid, better-targeted protection system to improve its effectiveness for intended be...

MyJoyOnline covers new research showing Ghana’s lifeline electricity tariff reaching too few households & unevenly across districts.

Recommendations include better targeting, & automatic rebates for near-poor households.

Read more: www.myjoyonline.com/redesign-lif...

#EnergyPolicy #Ghana

How AI is transforming tax administration across the Commonwealth Explore how AI can strengthen tax compliance and revenue mobilisation across the Commonwealth.

For years, #TaxReform across the Commonwealth has focused on digitalisation.

Now, AI is moving into day-to-day tax administration.

Learn how AI is transforming tax administration across the Commonwealth👇
theigc.org/blogs/how-ai...

Billions in climate finance exist, so why aren't they reaching those who need it most?

Twivwe Siwale explains how #countryplatforms could take the investment to low-income countries by giving investors visibility.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast: theigc.org/media-items/...

Hiring in Jordan!

We are looking for 2 Senior Country Economists / Country Economists based in Amman to help drive policy for inclusive & growth.

If you’re an economist passionate about policy impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply by 22 February theigc.org/about/careers

Multilateralism is straining at the seams: Is global cooperation in retreat? A decade after its zenith, multilateralism stands at a crossroads, tested by crises, politics, and the limits of global will.

🌍 Multilateralism is at a crossroads.

Amna Mahmood writes in The Dawn on how SDGs, global crises, and rising nationalism are testing global cooperation, and why it matters now more than ever.

Read: dawn.com/news/1967107...

#Multilateralism #SDGs #GlobalDevelopment

Intelligent taxation and AI: Promises and pitfalls Artificial intelligence is reshaping tax administration, from audit targeting to taxpayer services—yet real gains depend on data, governance, and implementation

Can AI really reshape #tax administration?

Evidence shows algorithms improve audit targeting and fraud detection, but weak data and systems often limit the potential of AI.

How can policymakers manage risks in an AI-based tax system?
👇
Learn more:

Experts call coal repurposing key to fiscal stability, climate commitments ISLAMABAD   -   Minister of State for Climate Change Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal on Sunday stressed that Pakistan’s energy

Nice to see IGC's comments featured in The Nation.

In a @sdpipakistan.bsky.social webinar, experts called coal repurposing key to fiscal stability & climate commitments.

IGC research shows economic rules matter as much as building new megawatts.

nation.com.pk/26-Jan-2026/...

#EnergyTransition

AI is transforming economies & #tax systems.

For tax administrations, the question isn’t if but how to adopt AI effectively.

🎥Twivwe Siwale shares 3 key areas policymakers in developing countries should focus on to harness AI for tax.

📖 theigc.org/publications...

Strengthening the hidden infrastructure of public health through AI How treating AI as infrastructure, rather than isolated tools, can strengthen data systems, decision-making, and service delivery in public health.

In many public hospitals, patients are waiting for data to catch up.

New IGC research argues that treating #AI as infrastructure can strengthen the hidden machinery of public health💻: decision-making, data quality, operational management etc.

Read more: theigc.org/blogs/infras...

🎉 Congratulations to the 2026 Young Urban Economists!

We’re excited to welcome Ignacio Banares-Sanchez, Caterina Soto-Vieira, Jordan Mosqueda Juarez, and Shreya Sarkar, who will present their research at the 10th Urbanization & Development Conference.

#UrbanEconomics

Lessons from Ethiopia’s AGOA suspension amidst US tariff uncertainty Ethiopia’s AGOA suspension slashed US exports, triggered mass layoffs, and exposed trade risks, highlighting the need for strong job-loss support.

Revisiting the blog:
When US trade preferences under AGOA were suspended in 2022, thousands of garment workers lost jobs overnight.

Research shows structured job-loss support can help.

Trade-led growth must go hand in hand with social protection.

Harnessing AI and Data for Tax Administration Webinar The Tax for Growth team invites you to join them on the 21st of January from 2-3 pm GMT for an online webinar on harnessing artificial intelligence and data for tax administration. The session will…

🚀 Webinar this Wednesday | AI & Tax Administration
How can AI boost enforcement & taxpayer services?

21 Jan 2026 | ⏰ 14:00–15:00 GMT
Anders Jensen (Harvard), Saugata Mittra (IGC)

👉 Register: www.theigc.org/events/harne...
#AI