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Ishac Diwan

Ishac Diwan

27 commentaries

Ishac Diwan is Research Director at the Finance for Development Lab.

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  1. Curbing Debt-Fueled Unrest in Emerging Markets
    songwe14_ TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_kenya debt protest TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images

    Curbing Debt-Fueled Unrest in Emerging Markets

    Aug 14, 2024 Vera Songwe & Ishac Diwan propose a strategy for stabilizing economies that have become illiquid but are not insolvent.

  2. Developing Countries’ Liquidity Crisis Is Not Over
    diwan27_ LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_kenya green energy LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images

    Developing Countries’ Liquidity Crisis Is Not Over

    Apr 16, 2024 Ishac Diwan & Vera Songwe urge global policymakers to prevent mass insolvency and finance urgent climate projects.

  3. Developing Countries Need Debt Relief to Act on Climate Change
    songwe12_FADEL SENNAAFP via Getty Images_climate debt FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

    Developing Countries Need Debt Relief to Act on Climate Change

    Jan 24, 2024 Ishac Diwan & Vera Songwe propose a mechanism for freeing up the fiscal space low-income economies need to invest in green growth.

  4. Bridging the Climate-Development Gap
    rodrik213_James WakibiaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_kenyasolar James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Bridging the Climate-Development Gap

    Sep 26, 2023 Dani Rodrik & Ishac Diwan explain how to free up fiscal space for sustainable development in many low- and middle-income countries.

  5. Growing Out of the Developing-Country Debt Crisis
    diwan23_STEFANI REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images_spring meetinfs STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

    Growing Out of the Developing-Country Debt Crisis

    May 24, 2023 Ishac Diwan & Philippe Le Houérou show how multilateral banks can stave off a cascade of government defaults by scaling up concessional lending.

6 pages
  1. haass150_David Hume KennerlyGetty Images_jimmy carter 2 David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

    Hail to the Fallen Chief

    Richard Haass

    Jimmy Carter suffered from the fate of many one-term presidents, who by being defeated are judged to have been unsuccessful. But Carter accomplished more in four years – from the handover of the Panama Canal to the Camp David Peace Accords – than many presidents do in eight.

    thinks Jimmy Carter's presidency merits much greater appreciation than it has received.
  2. klee23_Per-Anders Pettersson Getty Images_worldbank Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

    Has Escaping the Middle-Income Trap Become Easier?

    Keun Lee urges the World Bank to adopt a more reliable measure of economic development than nominal per capita GDP.
  3. fofack29_eric1513Getty Images_dedollarization eric1513/Getty Images

    Trump Can’t Stop De-Dollarization

    Hippolyte Fofack thinks the benefits of reducing reliance on the greenback will outweigh the costs of retaliatory US tariffs.
  4. yoon32_Han Myung-GuGetty Images_southkoreaimpeachment Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images

    South Korea’s Constitution Needs Fixing

    Yoon Young-kwan argues that breaking the cycle of political crises will require some fundamental reforms.
  5. vbadre2 image Frédéric BAZILLE, Edouard MANET, L’Atelier de Bazille Studio, 1870

    The Lost Art of Collaboration

    Vanessa Badré mines a nineteenth-century painting for insights into trust-building, creativity, and cooperation.
  6. op_aschechter2_BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIAFP via Getty Images_trump Brendam Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

    PS Commentators’ Predictions for 2025

    PS editors

    Among the major issues that will dominate attention in the next 12 months are the future of multilateralism, the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the threats to global stability posed by geopolitical rivalries and Donald Trump’s second presidency. Advances in artificial intelligence, if regulated effectively, offer a glimmer of hope.

    asked PS contributors to identify the national and global trends to look out for in the coming year.
  7. adebajo12_FADEL SENNAAFP via Getty Images_USmilitaryafrica Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images

    What Trump’s Return Means for Africa

    Adekeye Adebajo expects a continuation of America's longstanding attitude of benign neglect toward the continent.
  8. hodgkins1_Ulet IfansastiGetty Images_mine Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
    Free to read

    The False Promise of “Responsible Mining”

    Chelsea Hodgkins lambasts a corporate-led voluntary global standard that would harm communities and pose risks for automakers.
  9. elerian175_Spencer PlattGetty Images_nyse Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    A Baseline Scenario for the Global Economy in 2025

    Mohamed A. El-Erian offers his predictions for the new year while acknowledging that the range of possible outcomes is widening.