The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
ISO 37120 establishes definitions and methodologies for a set of city indicators to steer and measure delivery of city services and quality of life. As part of a new series of International Standards being developed for a holistic and integrated approach to sustainable development and resilience, this set of standardized …
While political leaders and workers continue with their high-pitch electioneering in Saran district of Bihar where voting will take place on May 7, no candidate of any major political party in the fray has found it worthwhile to visit Dharmasati Gandaman village where 23 children died last year in the …
This paper explores the potential role of spatial planning in support of more coherent governance of water resources. Water resources throughout the continuum from land to the coast are being degraded with impacts on life supporting ecosystems, including the high seas. Human activities, both upstream in the terrestrial system and …
In a rare example in otherwise high-decibel technology-driven campaign, electioneering in tribal-dominated Surguja constituency in Chhattisgarh stood out because of political parties dumping plastic in a concern to environment. Almost all parties in the fray in this scenic constituency unanimously avoided the use of plastic during the campaign and instead …
Not getting any respite from pollution emanating from unprocessed solid waste being dumped by Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) near Nakravadi village, residents of this village along with the adjoining ones have threatened to boycott the Lok Sabha polls. Besides Nakravadi, the residents of Pipaliya, Nagalpar, Khijadiya, Rajgadh, Sokhda and Hadmatiya …
Fed up with the callousness of government and their elected representatives in dealing with their problems, many villages across India have decided not to vote this time.
Health has been a neglected issue in past Indian general elections. But this year, it has received more recognition by those vying to lead the world’s largest democracy.
BJP released Election Manifesto 2014 after CEC has said there is no bar on manifesto release on poll day. Chief Election Commission has said there is no bar on manifesto release on poll day, but it cannot be publicised in areas where polling is being held. BJP senior BJP leader …
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and party leaders Azam Khan and Ramgopal Yadav released the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on 2 April, 2014. SP Chief while releasing the manifesto tried to woo Muslim voters saying that his …
In 2015, world leaders will gather at the UN General Assembly to agree on a new framework that has the potential to shift the course of global development; a framework that could end extreme poverty within a generation. This framework will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a set …
The Congress released its manifesto titled 'Your voice, our pledge' for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The document, which the Congress called the lengthiest manifesto, focuses on inclusive growth, agriculture, education and health. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said the manifesto reflected the voice of the people.
New hybrid forms of climate change adaptation combining local and nonlocal/scientific knowledge are emerging across the Asian Highlands region. Yet, while local adaptive capacity can be based on place-based knowledge that governments often lack, communities still need assistance from states to better adjust to climate change and socioeconomic impacts. Using …
This working paper presents a holistic approach for how a city can customise its rapid vulnerability assessment in order to understand what is required for building climate resilience. The framework can be used to highlight the potential impact of climate change on urban services arising from the geographical setting of …
This report examines political attitudes in India and is based on 2,464 face-to-face interviews with adults 18 and older, between December 7, 2013 and January 12, 2014. The survey covers 15 of the 17 most populous states (Kerala and Assam were excluded) and the Union Territory of Delhi, which together …
A comparison of the electoral data as per the final publication of summary revision 2014 (released by the Election Commission of India on 14th February, 2014) with that of last four General Elections (from 1998 onwards) shows that the total electorate size of the country grew by 34.45% from 605,880,192 …
The electoral data as per the final publication of summary revision 2014 released by the Election Commission of India on 14 th February, 2014 shows that out of a total of 814,591,184 electors in the country, male electors constitute 52.4%, female electors 47.6% and electors belonging to the category “Others” …
The quest to secure economic growth, after a financial crisis that raised serious questions about capitalism's ability to protect and sustain the wellbeing of populations in rich and poor countries alike, is the overriding political priority for many governments today. And those prospects for growth seem good. The World Bank …
Despite large gains in health over the past few decades, the distribution of health risks worldwide remains extremely and unacceptably uneven. Although the health sector has a crucial role in addressing health inequalities, its efforts often come into conflict with powerful global actors in pursuit of other interests such as …
A new ranking which lists the world’s most innovative companies finds many are leading the way in creating low carbon products, including Nike, Google and Philips. The annual list by The Fast Company ranks companies on their innovation efforts by analyzing their ability to ‘remake an industry, change consumer habits …
