Blog
RCEP and CPTPP: towards “cooperative mega-regionalism”?
Amid the crisis of multilateral institutions such as the WTO, the role of mega-regionalism in the world economy is rising markedly, driven in particular by the expansion of blocs such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). These two blocs have occasionally been portrayed as being on…
BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting in India: further momentum for South-South cooperation
The meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers in India’s Jaipur concluded on August 7, 2026 with the main focus of discussions directed at WTO reform, supply chain resilience and support for small and medium-sized companies. With respect to the WTO, BRICS members emphasized the importance of the organization as the cornerstone of the international trading system…
Africa’s regional integration framework: a model for the Global South?
The future contours of the evolving BRICS architecture have thus far been viewed largely through the prism of ad hoc decisions taken in the BRICS summits and reflected in the summit’s final declarations. But for the systemic and long-term changes that are decided upon in BRICS on issues such as institutionalization and policy continuity there…
More cooperative impulses in the Southern Hemisphere
Despite the significant escalation in geopolitical risks in the first half of 2026, there are regions in the world economy that are increasingly positioning themselves as “safe havens” focused on building mutual economic ties. The most active in this respect appears to be the region of the South Pacific, where actors such as Indonesia, Chile…
Climate migration: towards a new policy paradigm
With climate change emerging as one of the key vulnerabilities for the global economy, there is a greater emphasis placed by scholars on pro-active and anticipatory policy responses to such challenges. Rather than waiting for further escalation in climate-related risks before launching any palpable relief measures, the anticipatory approach favors ex-ante preparation and modeling of…
FIT Partnership meets in Auckland
On July 16-17, 2026 representatives of the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership met in Auckland, New Zealand, to discuss the pathways to building resilient supply chains and reducing trade barriers. New Zealand, as host, focused particular attention on non-tariff barriers (NTBs), given that the country faces an estimated USD 9 billion in annual…
Harmonizing South-South trade agreements
With protectionist measures in the world economy picking up pace in recent years, the realm of South-South economic cooperation has been seen increasingly by developing economies as a way to compensate for the rising intensity of adverse shocks. The largest economies of the Global South such as China and India have been particularly active in…
Small economies: increasingly FIT as an asset class
Back in 2024 we argued in favor of forming portfolio investment strategies focused on small open economies such as OASES (Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Austria, Switzerland, Emirates (UAE) and Singapore), given that their neutrality in international relations and superior economic policies may deliver lower geopolitical risks premia for sovereign and corporate assets in international markets[1].…
BRICS and the US: a non-conventional take
In 2025-2026 the rhetoric with respect to BRICS coming from President Trump has been increasingly negative, with the new US administration contemplating the possibility of applying trade restrictions to BRICS economies that opt to pursue de-dollarization and a common BRICS currency. The response from the BRICS leaders has been to underscore that the bloc is…
A crucial contribution to ideating the reform of the international monetary system
Despite the generally subdued reaction to the BRICS common currency project coming from the bloc’s official circles, the academic discussions on the subject of a new reserve currency continue and elicit a greater degree of granularity on what needs to be done and importantly how the project could be technically implemented. Such is the crucial…
