International Growth Centre

Why do so few 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 hold political leadership positions in Nepal when gender quotas have dramatically increased women’s representation?

🧩New IGC-supported research sheds light on this puzzle. Surveying +1,700 voters across , researchers found that while voters often favour familiar male incumbents when assessing current politicians, women show clear support for female leaders when comparing candidates directly.

The findings raise an important question: are party nomination processes overlooking support for 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀?

As Nepal continues to strengthen its young federal democracy, understanding who gets nominated, and why, may be just as important as understanding who gets elected.

Michael Callen, Stefano Fiorin, Soledad Artiz Prillaman, Rohini Pande
Read the blog below. 👇
https://www.theigc.org/blogs/women-political-leadership-nepal

Understanding voter attitudes toward women's political leadership in Nepal Survey data from Nepal reveal that voters generally favour incumbent male ward chairs, but women show clear support for female leaders.

📢 Call for papers: 𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
Interested in the economics of , energy and the environment?

The IGC, the Economics of Environment and Energy Programme, and the Global School of Sustainability at LSE are inviting submissions for LSE Environment Week 2026, taking place on 21–24 September.

We're looking for full papers from faculty and PhD students across all areas of economics. Whether your work focuses on development, trade, labour, finance, political economy, climate, energy or environmental issues, we'd love to hear from you.

📅 Submit by 28 June 2026 (23:59 BST)
✈️ Travel and accommodation support available for presenters.

Join us for four days of research, discussion and new ideas on some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Submit your paper: https://www.theigc.org/call-papers-lse-environment-week-2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E8d8rtIgQw

Using economics to address the climate crisis: LSE Environment Week Hear from Jonathan Leape (Executive Director, IGC), Rohini Pande (H...

How can economics accelerate climate action?

Join us on 24 June at The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE for 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞, a public event bringing together leading economists and policymakers to discuss the transition away from , forests, carbon markets and climate coalitions ahead of .

💬 Hear from COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, Robin Burgess, José Scheinkman, Rohini Pande, Catherine Wolfram and Juliano Assunção.

The event will also mark the launch of 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 (ECO), a new platform advancing evidence-based climate policy.

📍 LSE Old Theatre & online
🗓️ 24 June, 18:30–20:00
https://www.theigc.org/events/economics-climate

🌍 This World Environment Day, it's worth asking: are we thinking about climate change and jobs too narrowly?

Much of the debate focuses on the creation of "𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀". But in many developing countries, the bigger story is how is reshaping labour markets as a whole.

🏢 From workers moving in search of more resilient livelihoods to businesses adapting to heat, flooding, and supply chain disruptions, climate pressures are already influencing where people work, how firms invest, and which economic activities can thrive.

The challenge for policymakers is not simply to create green jobs, but to support productive, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 that can sustain growth in a warming world.

Read our latest blog by Juliana Oliveira-Cunha and Allegra Saggese: https://www.theigc.org/blogs/green-jobs-climate-change-reshaping-work

Digital trade is becoming a major part of global commerce, but LDCs account for just 0.2% of global exports of digitally delivered services.
In this interview, IGC Policy Economist Nathalie Raschka explores how digital trade can create jobs, support SMEs, and diversify exports.

Read more 👇
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/devel_e/a4t_e/cssta4t-igc_e.htm

Read the policy brief: https://lnkd.in/eMw9WybM

www.wto.org

🎧 What does sound like?

From busy transport networks to waste management systems and access to water, the effects of urban environmental challenges are woven into daily life.

🌎 At this year's exhibition, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁, the IGC's 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 exhibit brings these experiences to life through immersive soundscapes from 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗨𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 and 𝗝𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗻.

Drawing on IGC research, the exhibition explores how communities experience and respond to urban challenges, and what this tells us about the environmental impacts of current systems. It also highlights how evidence-based, climate-friendly policies can help cities become more 🌱sustainable and equitable.

Come and listen to the sounds behind the research: https://www.theigc.org/events/lse-festival-exhibition-sounding-out-climate-friendly-urban-policies

The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE

LSE Festival exhibition: Sounding out climate-friendly urban policies Explore climate-friendly urban policies through immersive soundscapes from Ghana, Uganda and Jordan at the LSE Festival exhibition.

A recurring theme in discussions about 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄- 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 is that the technology’s potential is clear, but its benefits are not guaranteed.

can improve medicine forecasting, provide earlier warnings of disease outbreaks, and give policymakers better visibility of service delivery.
📝 On paper, it promises a step change in how decisions are made.

But these gains are not automatic. Models built primarily on data from high-income countries may perform poorly in other settings, and weak data systems, limited institutional capacity and inadequate safeguards can mean that errors go undetected for too long.

At that point, a difficult question emerges about 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀, and who carries responsibility when a model’s recommendation becomes a policy choice.

📅 Our upcoming closed-door discussion will bring together a group of ministers, senior public officials, technology leaders, researchers, funders and policy experts for a high-level discussion on how AI can be used responsibly, at scale, and in ways that improve public outcomes.

https://www.theigc.org/events/2026/governing-ai-low-and-middle-income-countries-lmics

Governing with AI in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) This invite-only conference brings together policymakers, technology firms, researchers, and funders to address these challenges and opportunities.

What does the future of 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 actually look like?

New research on and motorcycles in Kigali explores the opportunities and barriers to scaling clean transport networks.

🚌 A recent study brought together residents, policymakers, transport operators, and moto drivers to understand what it will take to scale clean transport across the city.

The findings were encouraging: public enthusiasm is high, early pilots are working, and 𝗥𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 has built one of the most ambitious policy frameworks for e-mobility in Africa.

But adoption still depends heavily on practical issues: access to battery swap stations, affordable financing, and the cost of transitioning from existing petrol vehicles.

🔋 What stands out is that Kigali is approaching electrification as part of a broader transport strategy linked to congestion, air quality, and public transport reform, rather than treating EVs as a standalone solution.

Learn more about 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗶: https://www.theigc.org/blogs/electric-mobility-kigali

Electric mobility in Kigali: Building a city-wide clean transport network Electric vehicles can help tackle congestion and air pollution in Kigali if supported by coordinated policy that combines infrastructure and finance.

Last week, as part of the 𝗙𝗖𝗗𝗢 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, the IGC, The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Business Fights Poverty convened the event "Getting Growth Right: a vision for global prosperity in the next decade".

The discussion brought together leaders from government, academia, industry and the multilateral system to explore what it really means to “get right” in a decade shaped by climate risk, AI, geopolitical fragmentation and demographic change.

🎥 If you missed the event, the full recording is now available here: https://businessfightspoverty.org/partnerships-series-2026/

Partnerships Series 2026 Join us across the week, as we bring together people and content from across our community to explore how, by working together, we can remain ambitious in the context of crisis and constraint.