March 2021 - Global Americans

The debate over immigration is saying all the wrong things

Immigrants are not coming to the U.S. because they are attracted by President Joe Biden’s inclusive language, and they were not repelled by former President Donald Trump’s use of racist imagery. Such a narrow focus may provide clickbait for media outlets but facilitates no concrete policy progress. Real understanding and positive change in the migration debate can only come by keeping structural factors at the forefront of any discussion.

Greg Weeks March 30, 2021

Is calling Colombia a leader on climate action premature?

Colombia’s ambitious new pledge aims to reduce its emissions by 51 percent compared to projected emissions in 2030 and reduce black carbon or soot emissions by 40 percent compared to 2014. The new target is consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal and has put Colombia on a more promising path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Guy Edwards March 29, 2021

China and El Salvador: An Update

El Salvador’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in August 2018 was the third such change in Latin America following the end of the informal truce that had restrained the PRC’s diplomatic competition with Taiwan between 2008 and 2016.

Evan Ellis March 26, 2021

Developing Social Insurance Schemes for Informal and ‘Gig’ Workers

This briefing, which is published under the Global Economy and Finance Programme’s ‘Rebuilding International Economic Cooperation’ project, highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating economic and social insecurity for more than 2 billion people employed in the informal sector, and adding to global inequality. A radical rethink of the nature of work and social insurance is needed.

Christopher Sabatini March 26, 2021

The IMF’s turn on climate change

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently pledged to put climate change at the heart of its work. A laggard to date, the IMF has to catch up fast to ensure that the world community can meet its climate change and development goals in a manner that doesn’t bring havoc to the global financial system.

Kevin Gallagher March 26, 2021

Hemisphere Weekly: International Women’s Month in Latin America

In Latin America, International Women’s Month focused heavily on issues related to femicide and gender-based violence. On March 8, International Women’s Day saw large, defiant gatherings and protests against gender violence and inequality. In the weeks that followed, continued protests, reports, and court cases capped off a year in which COVID-19 profoundly affected women across the region.

admin March 26, 2021

Countdown to 2022

The beginning of 2021 has brought with it a deepening of the health, economic, and social crises in Brazil. With the 2022 elections on the horizon, political players consider several approaches to lift Brazil from crisis.

admin March 26, 2021

A Global Americans Interview with Dr. Christy Thornton, Author of Revolution in Development: Mexico and the Governance of the Global Economy

Thornton explores the little-known history of Mexico’s role in shaping the institutions that would come to define global economic governance.

admin March 25, 2021

Suriname’s corruption and money laundering challenges

Earlier this month, the findings of Suriname’s National Risk Assessment on anti-money laundering and corruption were released. While the country has made progress, it faces a continued struggle to reshape a history and culture of deep institutional corruption.

Scott B. MacDonald March 24, 2021

Could two wrongs make a right?

Enabling early pension withdrawals proved to be a suboptimal policy in Chile. Yet for other Latin American countries, early pension withdrawals should not be immediately discounted as a viable policy option.

admin March 23, 2021