Insights

Japan leads in investment and innovation of care robots due to its aging population and care workforce challenges. Despite government initiatives promoting robotic integration by 2050, current care robots mainly assist with physical tasks like lifting or routine monitoring rather than providing full care. Lab tests contrast with real-world care settings that require emotional support, adaptability, and human interaction—qualities robots lack. While some caregivers welcome robotic help, concerns persist about impersonality and technology accessibility, highlighting ethical and societal implications. Ultimately, robots can complement but not replace human carers, and future care must balance technological aid with preserving human connection and equitable access.
Even in Japan, robots are a long way from being fully‑fledged carers – here’s why
Venture capital funding is biased against women-led startups, with identical business cases by women receiving less financial support and more non-financial support like mentoring compared to those led by men. This disparity is evident among European early-stage investors and results in women entrepreneurs being "over-mentored and under-funded," limiting their growth potential. The bias is systemic, shared across genders, and perpetuated by evaluation frameworks and policy interventions that emphasize training over capital. Gender quotas have mixed effects, increasing investment likelihood mainly among women investors under stringent conditions, while men investors show less responsiveness.
Gender bias in venture capital means identical business cases are evaluated and funded differently
Occupations significantly influence awareness and preferences regarding EU Cohesion Policy, a major regional funding instrument aimed at fostering EU solidarity. Awareness is highest in Eastern Europe and among professionals, managers, farmers, and skilled workers—groups more likely to be involved in or affected by EU-funded projects. Conversely, manual laborers and the unemployed show lower awareness. Preferences for fund allocation reveal egocentric tendencies: farmers favor business-related spending, while workers and unemployed individuals prioritize training and employment support. Nevertheless, broad support exists across all occupations for social spending. Regardless of occupation, citizens consistently prefer local over EU-level decision-making for funding projects, highlighting trust in local governance and informing debates on Cohesion Policy's future administration.
How occupations shape awareness and preferences about European funding
Urban waterways, often degraded by modern urban planning prioritizing infrastructure over ecosystems, play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity and city resilience. Freshwater species populations have dramatically declined, with urban areas central to this loss. Initiatives in cities like Seoul, Christchurch, and Vancouver demonstrate benefits of restoring natural waterways, guided by local and Indigenous knowledge. Effective urban planning that integrates ecological understanding, collaborative approaches with communities, and clear biodiversity standards can help reverse declines. Breaking down disciplinary silos and ensuring knowledge sharing are key to designing cities that sustain freshwater ecosystems alongside human needs.
Financial services
How to build cities for wildlife, not just people – new research
The energy crisis driven by Middle East conflicts is raising fuel, fertilizer, freight, and insurance costs, impacting food security in Asia and the Pacific. Unlike previous crises affecting grain supplies, this shock increases production and transport expenses, squeezing farmers and consumers. Higher fertilizer prices, tied to energy costs, threaten planting decisions and crop yields, especially in import-dependent countries. Immediate actions include securing fertilizer access, agricultural credit, and protecting vulnerable populations before planting seasons. Long-term resilience requires diversifying fertilizer sources, improving usage, enhancing trade logistics, and shifting to sustainable, regenerative agriculture practices that reduce chemical dependence and bolster system stability.
Africa | Financial services
What the Energy Crisis Means for Fertilizer and Food Security
Investing in nature is crucial for Asia and the Pacific, where rich ecosystems support key industries like agriculture, fisheries, and eco-tourism and provide essential services such as disaster protection and carbon storage. Healthy ecosystems underpin sustainable economic growth, with nature-positive investments yielding significant financial returns, job creation, and environmental benefits. Examples from India, Viet Nam, and China show sustainable practices boosting incomes and ecosystem health. Overcoming market failures and improving government policies to value natural capital are essential to scaling investments. Multilateral development banks and other stakeholders play vital roles in promoting nature-based solutions for lasting economic and social benefits.
Financial services
Your Questions Answered: Why Investing in Nature Matters for Asia and the Pacific
Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. rarely agree on facts, complicating political discourse. However, a small subset of scientific papers—only 6.7% of cited works in policy documents—receives bipartisan attention. These shared papers tend to be high-impact, widely cited, and focused on less divisive topics like drug prices and economics. Conversely, contentious issues such as race, gender, and environmental governance see little bipartisan scientific engagement. The bipartisan-cited papers hold outsized influence on policy discussions, suggesting a foundation for common understanding. Promoting such shared scientific ground could improve governance by focusing debates on values and policy trade-offs rather than disputed facts.
Divided in Politics, United in Science?
AI interpretability tools, such as partial dependence plots used to demonstrate model fairness and transparency, can be misleading. These tools often assess models using synthetic data combinations that do not reflect real customer profiles, allowing biased decision-making to persist unnoticed—a phenomenon termed interpretability arbitrage. This creates a risk where governance and regulatory compliance are superficially satisfied without addressing real discrimination in AI outcomes. Organizations relying heavily on these explanations may unknowingly approve unfair models, weakening oversight and exposing themselves to reputational harm. To mitigate these risks, leaders should critically evaluate what interpretability tools measure, prioritize testing model behavior on real data cohorts, and avoid equating explainability with accountability.
When AI Transparency Backfires
Reform UK's first year in local government reveals tensions between its populist rhetoric and neoliberal policies. The party has scaled back climate commitments, aligned with fossil fuel donor interests, and supported controversial fracking despite local opposition. In social care, proposals to close public homes and privatize services faced strong resistance, including from Reform members themselves. Despite promises to cut or freeze council tax, several Reform councils raised it, following mainstream fiscal practices that burden poorer households. These patterns highlight a dissonance between Reform's pro-worker image and its austerity-focused, pro-business agenda.
After a year of Reform UK in local government, the cracks are starting to show
Europe faces a dilemma in meeting its renewable energy targets: relying on cheaper, rapidly delivered Chinese wind turbines or preserving industrial autonomy amid security concerns. Wind power is key to the EU’s goal of 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, but current installation rates fall short. China dominates global wind turbine manufacturing, supplying over 70% of new turbines at 30-40% lower costs. The US shows declining wind energy growth due to political resistance and protectionist policies targeting Chinese technology. While Western tariffs slow Chinese access to Europe and the US, China rapidly expands in developing markets through the Belt and Road Initiative, controlling much of Asia and Africa’s renewable capacity. This shift risks transferring global energy influence to China despite Western efforts to secure their own energy independence.
Africa
Europe’s dilemma – to use China’s turbines to meet its renewable targets or not
Financial markets now factor climate transition risk into sovereign bond yields, rewarding credible governance and green infrastructure rather than climate ambition alone. A study of 31 OECD countries from 2001 to 2020 shows that deteriorating climate resilience leads to higher borrowing costs, with strong governance and economic readiness reducing yields. Social readiness does not lower costs and can increase them. Additionally, green infrastructure investment signals credible transition progress, further lowering yields, but only where energy systems are strong. This creates a feedback loop where climate vulnerability elevates borrowing costs, potentially limiting funds for adaptation and increasing future risks.
Financial services
Climate governance now shapes governments’ borrowing costs
Preparations are underway for a likely meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, though uncertainty surrounds its outcome due to shifting U.S. China policy. Expectations have scaled back from major trade demands to familiar issues like soybeans, aircraft, and energy, with new bilateral trade and investment boards proposed. Trump’s stance has softened, with no recent emphasis on human rights and a temporary hold on Taiwan arms sales. Despite Trump's unpredictability, his approach involves offering strong deals while signaling tough consequences. Internal U.S. administration divisions on China remain evident, reflecting ongoing strategic debates.
Searching for Clues on the Coming Trump-Xi Meeting in Beijing
The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting global oil and gas trade routes, prompting regional actors to seek alternatives. Turkey is swiftly positioning itself as a secure hub for trade, transport, and energy across Eurasia, focusing on three main areas: energy corridors, air connectivity, and the South Caucasus. Key projects include the Southern Gas Corridor delivering non-Russian gas to Europe, the Iraq Development Road Project connecting Gulf energy to Europe, and the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline. Turkey is also expanding its aviation network through Istanbul Airport and reviving flights with Tehran. In the South Caucasus, Turkey is developing transport corridors tied to the Middle Corridor, offering alternatives to Russian routes. While these efforts increase Turkey’s regional influence and offer Europe diversified energy and trade links, political instability in transit countries poses significant risks.
Türkiye
Turkey Capitalises on Hormuz Disruption: Connectivity as a Foreign Policy Strategy
The diplomatic deadlock between Iran and the United States stems from both sides claiming victory after recent hostilities, making compromise politically costly. The U.S. highlights tactical military successes—damaging Iran's naval, air, and missile capabilities—but notes failure to achieve strategic goals like regime change or halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Conversely, Iran views its survival and resilience against superior forces as a political triumph, maintaining key military assets and rallying domestic support despite losses. This stalemate reflects asymmetric conflict dynamics and has shifted the Persian Gulf's power balance, exposing vulnerabilities in regional security and U.S. guarantees.
Iran-United States: Competing Narratives of Victory at the Core of a Diplomatic Deadlock
Digital transformation enables governments to enhance public service delivery and state capacity but risks deepening exclusion and weakening accountability without clear guidelines. Challenges arise mainly from decision-making processes during the design and deployment of GovTech and digital public infrastructure (DPI), rather than the technology itself. The GovTech Compass presents ten practical principles to guide responsible implementation, helping governments and stakeholders manage trade-offs, align incentives, and prioritize public value throughout the GovTech and DPI lifecycle.
Financial services, Education, ICT
The GovTech Compass: Ten Principles for the Responsible Implementation of GovTech and Digital Public Infrastructure
The project investigates cultural heritage protection as a strategy for post-conflict diplomacy in Azerbaijan’s reconstruction of the Karabakh region. It identifies effective international cooperation methods that respect state sovereignty, using a constructivist, qualitative multi-method approach. By comparing heritage reconstruction in Mostar, Dubrovnik, and Bamiyan, key factors for international legitimacy—such as transparency, institutional arrangements, and international participation—were identified. Analysis reveals that international legitimacy stems more from institutional frameworks than practical reconstruction success. Azerbaijan faces a governance gap, with strong internal practices lacking international recognition. A hybrid governance model, including a National Heritage Coordination Council and UNESCO involvement, is recommended to bridge this gap.
Cultural Heritage Protection as Post Conflict Diplomacy: A Framework for International Cooperation in Karabakh’s Reconstruction
Uzbekistan, a double-landlocked country, faces challenges due to its geographic location but has opportunities to boost growth through trade and investment. Although rich in natural resources, its economy relies heavily on a narrow range of low-value exports, making it vulnerable to shocks. Reforms have improved market access, attracted foreign investment mainly in primary sectors, and expanded services, especially digital trade. Enhancing efficiency at borders, refining investment incentives toward export-oriented manufacturing and high-value services, and leveraging digital infrastructure are key strategies to diversify the economy, integrate into global value chains, and reduce trade costs, thus transforming geographic constraints into economic resilience and growth.
Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Türkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Viet Nam
From Landlocked to Linked: How Trade and Investment Can Power Uzbekistan's Growth
Global value chains have significantly contributed to growth, job creation, and poverty reduction in developing Asia and the Pacific by fostering industrialization and market integration. However, success now depends on upgrading roles within these chains to higher-value, resilient activities. Tailored policies and strong regional cooperation are essential for economies at various stages of participation to enhance inclusive and sustainable growth. The report emphasizes coordinated strategies to help firms and workers move up value chains and share benefits more broadly.
Latin America
Global Value Chains and Inclusive Development: Asian Development Policy Report 2026
Global value chain (GVC) participation spurred industrialization in Asia-Pacific, but countries now face challenges moving beyond low-value tasks within these chains. In industries like electric vehicles, high-value activities such as R&D and advanced component manufacturing yield significantly greater returns than basic extraction or assembly. Successful upgrading requires sustained investment, coordination, and capability development, as latecomers struggle to catch up with entrenched first movers. Emerging challenges include automation reducing low-cost labor advantages and geopolitical tensions affecting critical inputs. Development strategies must focus on targeted positioning within GVCs, capability ecosystems, and continuous upgrading to capture higher value and sustainable growth.
Venezuela, Viet Nam | Education
Participation in Global Value Chains Is No Longer Enough
Regional trade is crucial for Central Asia amid global supply chain shifts and market uncertainties, offering resilience, scale, and growth through deeper integration. The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, encompassing 11 countries from Georgia to China, aims to enhance trade, transport, and energy connections, transforming isolated landlocked economies into a connected market. Despite only 4% of $6.4 trillion trade occurring within the region in 2024, investments exceeding $53.7 billion have improved infrastructure and cooperation. Regional trade reduces vulnerabilities, cuts costs, supports SMEs, and fosters jobs by harmonizing regulations and digitalizing procedures. New initiatives like CARTIF promote trade, investment, and supply chain connectivity, positioning Central Asia for stronger economic growth and resilience.
Czech Republic, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan | Financial services
Why Regional Trade Matters More Than Ever for Central Asia

Forum Spaces

© 2026 All rights reserved
Privacy Policy & Terms of Service