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BTI Transformation Insights

29 November 2019

Analysis and research on governance, political regimes and economic policies from the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI).
 

Climate Change Conference

Domestic Divisions Overshadow Climate Prospects

Tackling climate change numbers among the most pressing issues for governments worldwide. But after the United Nations struggled to even find a host for its upcoming international climate meeting, will domestic politics limit its success? read more
 

Natural Resource Governance

Untold Billions, Too Little Change

Energy policy is a crucial and often underappreciated cause for public discontent. Most severe irregularities occur in opaque upstream deals. The EITI multistakeholder initiative has significant unrealized potential to inform the public about irregularities around energy governance. read more
 

Caucasus Politics

Why the Conflict Over Nagorno-Karabakh Could Heat Up Again

The honeymoon is over for Armenia’s popular prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan. In addition to a series of problems at home, he has no choice but to deal with a perennial headache: the three-decades-old conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which dates back to the last years of the Soviet Union in 1988. read more
 

November 1989-2019

New Walls

The fall of the Berlin Wall sparked hopes of a new, borderless and peaceful global society. Many developments since then fostered this dream, ranging from European integration and digital knowledge sharing to the rise of low- and middle-income countries into the ranks of leading world economies. 30 years later, we have witnessed not only the construction of new physical barriers, but also new divides like digital censorship, social media taxes, and protectionist trade policies. By barring goods, ideas and aspirations from spreading freely across countries, “new borders” contribute to unequal access to public goods, regional disintegration, disinformation, and disrespect for human rights. We ought to get to know them better – in our article series “New walls”.

 

New Walls I

Militarizing Borders in Europe

What has become of the hope for freedom in a borderless world, thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Instead of disappearing, more and more hard border fortifications arise. read more
 

New Walls II

The Great Firewall of China

China’s so-called “Great Firewall” blocks citizens’ access to the outside world and to each other. But in the end, the virtual blockade might undermine the communist party’s own goals. read more
 

New Walls III

Internet Shutdowns in Africa

While the Berlin Wall was toppled thirty years ago, new walls have continued to crop up around the world – virtual ones, blocking or limiting internet access to avert political dissent. read more
 

New Walls IV

The Developing World and the Rise of Protectionism

The rising use of restrictive trade measures around the world and political incidents like the trade disputes between China and the US show that the world order, which has been predominantly liberal over the last decades, is currently shifting towards protectionism. In this post, we discuss the role of restrictive trade policies and the possible economic consequences of increasing protectionism for developing countries. read more
 
 
 

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The BTI Team is looking forward to your questions, feedback and ideas:

 

Sabine Donner, Hauke Hartmann and Sebastian Plate

 

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