Past Events
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Fighting Inequality, Poverty, and Welfare: The Role of Tax Systems Friday 14, 2025. Rome, Italy. Organized by The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT), Oxfam Italy, and NENS. In Italy, as across the world, inequity is on the rise. In theory, there should be a check on that inequity: Article 53 of the Constitution establishes progressivity as a cornerstone of the tax system. However, the wealthiest taxpayers still end up paying lower effective rates than the rest of the population. During this conference, international and national experts discussed the role of tax systems in battling inequities, addressing poverty, and shaping welfare policies. Jayati Ghosh (University of Massachusetts, Amherst); Martín Guzmán (IPD; Columbia), Joseph E. Stiglitz (IPD; Columbia) participated in a panel titled “The Role of Tax Systems: International Perspective.’’ Tax Justice: Toward an Inclusive and Sustainable Common Home February 13, 2025. Vatican City. Hosted by The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) and The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT). |
During the first-ever event about tax justice held at the Vatican, PASS and ICRICT brought together distinguished speakers including Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa; Amina Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal and member of the Madrid Club; Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate and ICRICT Co-Chair; Gabriel Zucman, ICRICT Commissioner and Director of the EU Tax Observatory. This event took place as the ultra-rich are shaping political decisions and undermining international cooperation for tax reform and Pope Francis, who has long championed tax justice, is making more calls for international financial justice. Discussions focused on taxing multinational corporations and the super-rich, combating climate change, and financing sustainable development.
Martín Guzmán (IPD; Columbia) chaired the session “The rise of global inequality and the role of taxation,” which provided an introductory framing for the event’s discussion by asking where inequality comes from and why that inequality and tax unfairness put democracies at risk. Lead speakers for the panel were Joseph E. Stiglitz (IPD; Columbia); Jayati Ghosh (University of Massachusetts, Amherst); Gerrassimos Thomas (Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission); Winnie Byanyima (UNAIDS); Abigail Disney (Patriotic Millionaires).
Martín Guzmán at the Council on Foreign Relations
February 4, 2025. New York, New York. Hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
Martín Guzmán and Ben Steil (from the left).
At a Roundtable titled “The Future of the Argentine Economy,” Martín Guzmán was in conversation with Ben Steil, senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. Guzmán and Steil discussed the country’s economic situation, the relationship with the IMF, fiscal policies, and today’s political climate.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP): 2025 Dialogue on Public Finance and SDGs
January 29—31, 2025. Columbia University, New York. Hosted by the Government of Finland, the Government of Norway, UNDP, Columbia University, and partners.
Martín Guzmán speaking during Session 1: Keynote “Developmental Outcomes Focused Approaches to Fiscal Policies.”
The global community faces unprecedented challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing countries have historically struggled to fund the SDGs in a sustainable way, while elites have captured the benefits of growth, which has exacerbated inequality and left many citizens feeling disempowered. During this conference, participants had the opportunity to attend sessions related to urgent issues related to public financing.
The financing landscape has become increasingly precarious. Developing countries face growing debt servicing costs, projected to surge by over 50% from $26 billion in 2022 to $40 billion by 2025. With only 17% of assessable SDG targets on track, achieving sustainable development requires a fundamental transformation of approach.
In that context, the 2025 Dialogue on Public Finance and SDGs addressed the interconnections between public finance and development outcomes by focusing on these main objectives: 1) Identifying innovative public finance approaches to accelerate SDR progress. 2) Facilitating knowledge exchange on integrated public finance strategies for sustainable development. 3) Developing recommendations for the upcoming Finance for Development conference. 4) Fostering new partnerships among governments, international organizations, and stakeholders to enhance effectiveness. These conversations provide opportunities for transformative action.
Joseph E. Stiglitz delivered a keynote address. Martín Guzmán participated in a panel about public financing moderated by Anya Schiffrin (Columbia University, SIPA), alongside Arthur Grimes (Victoria University of Wellington), Elina Pylkkänen, (Under Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Finland), Caren Grown (Brookings Institution).
Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) and Center for Political Economy (CPE) Research Workshop
January 24—25, 2025. The Forum at Columbia University. Hosted by IPD and CPE.
During this workshop, participants presented and discussed their research on a wide range of themes. There were eight sessions, during which researchers delivered talks and papers on Microeconomics: Competition and Market Power; Innovation and Structural Change; Climate; Reforming Global Financial and Tax Agenda; Sovereign Debt; Credit Markets; Networks; Macroeconomics; Inequality; Labor Markets; Austerity.
Participants included Bilge Erten (Northeastern University) presenting “The Impact of FDI Liberalization on Structural Transformation and Demographic Change”; José Antonio Ocampo (Columbia University, SIPA) presenting “Reforming the Global Financial and Tax Agenda”; Kevin Gallagher (Boston University) presenting “Earth to the IMF: Climate Change, Financial Stability, and Development”; Cristián Cuevas (Columbia University) presenting “The Economics of Comparability of Treatment in Sovereign Debt Restructurings”; Martín Guzmán (IPD; Columbia University, SIPA) presenting “International Financial Architecture Reform and Sovereign Debt Sustainability.” Joseph E. Stiglitz delivered closing remarks.
Bilge Erten (Northeastern University) presenting “The Impact of FDI Liberalization on Structural Transformation and Demographic Change.”
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José Antonio Ocampo (Columbia University, SIPA) presenting “Reforming the Global Financial and Tax Agenda.”
IPD Team
IPD is pleased to announce that Professor Mahmoud Mohieldin will join us as a Research Fellow. He will contribute to IPD’s work on the international financial architecture and global policy for sustainable financing.
Professor Mahmoud Mohieldin is an economist with over 30 years of experience in international finance and development. He is a key figure in global policy, serving currently as the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and leading a group of prominent experts appointed by the United Nations Secretary General to promote solutions for resolving the debt crisis. In addition, Professor Mohieldin is a Global Ambassador to the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns for the High-Level Climate Champions and was the UN Climate Change High-Level Championfor COP27.
During his distinguished career, Professor Mohieldin was the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund from November 2020 through 2024 and has had leadership roles at the World Bank Group from 2010 to2020, including Senior Vice President, and Managing Director. He served as the first Minister of Investment of Egypt from 2004 to 2010. Professor Mohieldin has authored books, papers and reports, and is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the Cairo University and has visiting professorships at several universities and academic institutions in Korea, UAE, UK and USA. IPD is thrilled to welcome him to Columbia University this year.
Recent Publications, Op-Eds and Papers
Recent publications by IPD team members and partners.
The End of Progress by Joseph E. Stiglitz for Project Syndicate
How New York State Lawmakers Can Help Address Debt Crises in the Global South by Martín Guzmán and Joseph E. Stiglitz for Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) and Institute of Global Politics (IGP)
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Kevin Gallagher (Boston University) delivering his talk “Earth to the IMF: Climate Change, Financial Stability, and Development.” |
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Select Recent Media Appearances
The Journal of Globalization and Development Volume 15 Issue 2
Special Issue on Climate Change and Development
Guest Editors: Aasheerwad Dwivedi & Abede Shimeles
- An Analysis of the IMF’s International Carbon Price Floor by Xiaobei He, Fan Zhai, and Jun Ma
- India’s Energy and Fiscal Transition by Laveesh Bhandari and Aasheerwad Dwivedi
- Macroeconomic and Fiscal Consequences of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean by Daniel Titelman, Michael Hanni, and Noel Pérez Benítez
Symposia Articles
- Sovereign Debt and Climate Change in Argentina – The Catalytic Role of the IMF by Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky and Francisco Cantamutto
- Climate Change Risks and Consequences on Growth and Debt-Sustainability in Africa by John Asafu-Adjaye, Njuguna Ndung’u, and Abebe Shimeles
Policy Analysis
- Gaps and Fiscal Adjustment for Debt Stability in Climate-Vulnerable Developing Countries: How Large and by How Much?
- Toby Melissa Monsod, Justin Matibag Muyot, Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista
These papers are available online via open access.
For more information or to submit a paper to JGD, click here.
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Trump’s Tariffs: Another Disaster for the Families Who’ve Lost Everything by Michael Mechanic for Mother Jones U.S. aid cuts make New York legal reforms “essential”, Stiglitz says by Duncan Miriri and Rodrigo Campos for Reuters Martín Guzmán on Fixing Global Debt on New Economic Thinking Trump policies make US ‘scary place to invest’ and risk staglation, says Stiglitz by Heather Stewart for The Guardian |
The Journal of Globalization and Development (JGD) |
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The Journal of Globalization and Development (JGD) publishes academic research and policy analysis on globalization, development, and in particular the complex interactions between them. Editors: Kevin Gallagher, Professor, Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies; Director, Boston University Global Development Policy Center and Jeronim Capaldo, Senior Economist, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Senior Scholar, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University (BU). Managing Editor: Gabriela Plump, Director, Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), Columbia University. |
The Journal of Globalization and Development Volume 15 Issue 1
- Reforming the IMF Surcharge Rate Policy to Avoid Procyclical Lending by Kevin Gallagher, Martin Guzman, Joseph Stiglitz, Marilou Uy
- Grassroots Organizations and Women’s Empowerment in a Post-Conflict Region: Evidence from Women Organizations in Northern Uganda by Lupe Davidson, Firat Demir, and John Harris
- Income Inequality and External Wealth of Nations by Jorge Carrera, Gabriel Montes-Rojas, Demian Panigo, Fernando Toledo
- Analyzing the Impact of Informal Labor Sector Regulation in the Context of International Trade: A Theoretical Approach by Yezid Hernández-Luna
For more information or to submit a paper to JGD, click here.