Working Group on Development Banks in the Andean Amazon
Working Group Members
Research
Standardizing Sustainable Development: Development Banks in the Andean Amazon
The Andean Amazon is experiencing a surge of infrastructure investment financed by development banks often headquartered thousands of miles away. Regardless of the environmental and social risk management (ESRM) systems deployed by these projects, the surge has been associated with furthering environmental degradation and triggering social conflict in areas that can scarce afford it. The overall lack of effective ESRM frameworks is not only inconsistent with the goal of calibrating development bank finance toward the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement; such shortcomings also pose a number of costly risks to development banks, as well.
These are the findings of a new report, a multi-year, interdisciplinary study carried out by economists, political scientists, ecologists, geographers and engineers from the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru; the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales in Quito, Ecuador; and the Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Desarrollo in La Paz, Bolivia. Through cross-cutting statistical analyses and country studies in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, the report collectively examines the extent to which international development finance institutions, host country governments and civil society deploy ESRM frameworks to ensure infrastructure projects bring shared economic benefits to nations while mitigating risks to ecosystems and communities.
Read the ReportDevelopment Banks and Sustainability in the Andean Amazon
A new book, Development Banks and Sustainability in the Andean Amazon, edited by Rebecca Ray, Kevin P. Gallagher and Cynthia A. Sanborn explores what development banks, governments and communities have learned in the last decade of careful negotiation between social and environmental protections in the Andean Amazon, and the pressures of a surging infrastructure and development boom.
While mega-dams, highways and ports are filling up the pipelines of planners, the national governments of Andean and Amazon-basin countries and major development banks have enacted ambitious social and environmental protections. The book traces the development of social and environmental protections after years of struggle by affected communities, going beyond official policies to discover how these reforms work in practice, and ultimately, whether they are enough to stem the risks of infrastructure mega-projects. As Chinese public banks play an increasingly important role in the region, the book also demonstrates that there is a risk of governments undercutting their own standards. By contrast, this book shows that making infrastructure work for everyone involved requires mutually reinforcing networks of support and accountability among communities, governments and development banks.
This book, led by an expert multi-disciplinary, international team, will be of considerable interest to researchers in the fields of development and development economics, geography, anthropology and ecology, as well as practitioners in development banks and government regulatory and foreign aid agencies.
Read the BookLatest News and Publications
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The Role of Development Banks in Catalyzing the Infrastructure of South America in the 21st Century
March 21, 2024While Asia continues to grow, South America remains stagnant. There are multiple reasons for this, but one major obstacle is the lack of investment in infrastructure. Development bank support for infrastructure investments in South America could unlock unlimited growth and... [ More ]
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The Global Domain of the Dollar: Eight Questions
February 09, 2021Since the late 1950s, the world has come to use the US dollar to an extent that justifies speaking of the dollar’s global domain. In a new journal article published in the Atlantic Economic Journal, Global Development Policy Center Non-Resident... [ More ]
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Safeguards Amid Surging Infrastructure: Development Banks and Sustainability in the Andean Amazon
February 02, 2021By Kehan Wang During the COVID-19 pandemic, Latin America has suffered from one of the most acute economic downturns in the region’s history. More than ever, Latin American countries need help from the international community in the forms of liquidity, debt... [ More ]
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Development Finance Innovations and Conditioning Factors: The Case of the Brazilian Development Bank and Sustainable Industries
January 14, 2021Sustainable, competitive and inclusive development trajectories for nations are crucial. However, there are uncertainties embedded in the emergence of green-related industries - in politics, technology, production and others. Amid this uncertainty, it is the mission of public institutions to foster... [ More ]
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Sovereign Debt Through the Lens of Asset Management: Implications for SADC Countries
November 17, 2020In a new working paper, the Director of the Global Development Policy Center, Kevin P. Gallagher, and Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow, Yan Wang discuss debt sustainability in the Southern Africa region and the role of China as a lending partner... [ More ]