Development

Durable inequalities both within and between nations, present the most significant obstacle to promoting democratic, inclusive, and sustainable development. The Institute's research in development includes the study of racial, ethnic, and class inequality, national and sub-national governance, urban transformation, democracy and civil society, and social provisioning.  The relationship between development and globalization is also an area of focus and includes work on international aid and finance, transnational movements, comparative development and global governance.

Research Briefs

Peter Andreas recently published "The Illicit Global Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know," a new book that explores the unauthorized cross-border flows of goods, people and money shaping global trade and politics.
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A new Climate Solutions Lab white paper highlights the rapid rise of green banks in the U.S. over the past decade as a vital tool for financing the green energy transition.
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Mark Blyth co-authored a paper for Review of International Political Economy as part of a special issue on macrofinance and the green transformation, titled "Macrofinance and the green transformation: nudging, attracting, and coercing capital towards decarbonization."
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News

The Watson Institute’s Policy Labs — created with the goal of turbo-charging research on critical policy issues by bringing together students and researchers — were highly productive during their first year of operation. The Civil Conflict and Democratic Erosion Policy Lab, the Justice Policy Lab, and the Realizing Rights Lab created cutting-edge social science research while enhancing student research skills.
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The Watson Institute's Africa Initiative is the only U.S. partner in the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), an organization dedicated to building a vibrant multidisciplinary African academy that produces world-class research.
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