This report from UK think tank RUSI provides an initial scoping review of VCM features that expose them to corruption risk. The Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), designed to channel finance towards environmental preservation and help countries meet net-zero targets through the trading of carbon offsets, are facing significant challenges due to widespread allegations of weak...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at creating an easier trade environment for SME e-commerce exporters. The new government has put increasing economic growth at the heart of its agenda. One way of boosting the UK’s economic performance is by increasing exports. This report presents the best ways to deliver...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at what's holding back European electricity trade. More electricity trade is urgently needed to curtail Europe’s risky dependence on gas imports – from Russia, the US and the Gulf – and to speed the transition to net zero. UK offshore wind will be...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society discusses advancing the US-UK 'special relationship' during the second Trump term. The re-election of President Donald J. Trump, supported by a unified Republican Congress, signals a decisive shift in US foreign policy toward a more consolidated, ideology-driven approach under the “America First” doctrine. For the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Development Studies provides a framing for an inclusive lens on AfT to enable more inclusive policy and programming. In a rapidly evolving global trade and development landscape, addressing trade-related challenges through aid for trade (AfT) remains highly relevant. The World Trade Organization–Organisation for Economic Co-operation and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies investigates the effects of India's termination from the US' GSP. This paper investigates the sudden 2019 termination by the United States Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) of trade with India as a quasi-natural experiment. Given the re-election of Donald Trump and global concerns about...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform examines the challenges Europe faces in the global economic order. Europe is faced with an increasingly challenging global economic environment. Geopolitical rivalries, China’s rise as a manufacturing powerhouse and political changes in the US have destabilised the legal order which underpins global trade. At...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform urges the next German government to rethink its trade and industrial policies. As it heads to the polls, Germany is gripped with fear of deindustrialisation. A new study by the Centre for European Reform (CER), ‘How German industry can survive the second China shock’...

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at navigating clean energy industries and rivalry in decarbonisation. In this research paper, Dan Marks and James Henderson address a series of questions, including how to ensure the security of production networks while simultaneously decarbonising rapidly and affordably, promoting innovation and maximising local economic benefits. They argue...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation asks how should Britain buy and sell in a turbulent world? Recently the UK has faced tough times in trade, juggling twin shocks of Brexit and Covid. While service exports have stayed strong, goods trade has struggled. With a possible further disruption to goods trade around...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should lead industrial decarbonisation by pairing CBAM with actions to support clean industrial investments in least developed and developing countries. With its new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU will impose the same carbon price on both domestic and...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at how meaningful and inclusive dialogue can help secure the country's role in global supply chains. With its rich reserves of copper, Peru is poised to play a key role in global supply chains for projects to reduce carbon emissions and enable the transition to a...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how government can set up public bodies better. As government priorities change, particularly after a general election, there is often a need to set up new institutions to deliver on those priorities. Public bodies can be well placed to do this. If set...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the UK’s role as a financial and trading hub for the mining industry, and a centre of sustainability and international development expertise.. The UK government has emphasised the importance of ‘levelling the playing field’ for responsible companies to mitigate environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks affecting the...

This report from UK think tank Onward looks at how startups can put Britain back in business. Britain can unlock a new generation of entrepreneurs and inspire growth among small businesses with major reforms to tax, regulations and lending. Too many small British businesses are unable to grow, leaving the country reliant on 1% of...

The growth and extent of world trade is staggering. In 1950, trade accounted for just 8.6% of world output (GDP). By 2008 it accounted for an astonishing 60% of world GDP, involving $20 trillion in goods and over $5 trillion in services. Despite setbacks — financial crises, wars (including Trump-style trade wars) and even pandemics...