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The document examines the current state of compensation in investment treaty disputes, highlighting a trend toward massive awards driven by the 'discounted cash flow' (DCF) method. It argues that current practices often diverge from international law and national legal standards, creating significant financial burdens for host states. The guide analyzes three main valuation categories—market-based, income-based, and asset-based—and evaluates emerging treaty practices from Africa, India, and the Netherlands. It concludes by proposing four reform options: balancing rules, limiting compensation to actual investment amounts, integrating host-state benefit analysis, and applying national laws.

The report examines Indigenous community broadcasting in 19 countries across Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, and Oceania. It finds that while community radio is generally recognized, specific legal status for Indigenous-led stations is rare, with only four of fifteen countries that recognize community radio also recognizing Indigenous community radio. The study identifies 609 Indigenous community radio stations globally, with Canada and Australia accounting for 42% of the total. Key findings highlight the role of these stations in language revitalization, land defense, and the transfer of traditional knowledge, while also noting significant threats including government repression, criminalization of unlicensed broadcasters, and financial instability.

The document examines the progress of five EU Member States in developing policies for a climate-neutral industry. It finds that while most have set 2030 targets, these are generally conservative and focused on energy efficiency. The Netherlands and Germany are the most advanced, implementing specific incentives for advanced technologies, whereas Hungary, Poland, and Spain remain largely in the agenda-setting and policy-formulation stages. The brief emphasizes the need for a predictable legal environment and harmonized EU policies to avoid distorted competition in the basic materials sector.

The report examines the technical and legal implications of the proposed Multilateral Framework on Investment Facilitation (MFIF) within the WTO. It identifies significant overlaps between the MFIF and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as potential conflicts with the existing regime of International Investment Agreements (IIAs). The analysis warns that despite explicit exclusions of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) from the MFIF, the framework's disciplines could still be invoked in ISDS tribunals through 'umbrella clauses,' Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) standards, and Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) clauses found in IIAs.

The study finds that the composition of mixed municipal waste in Estonia has remained largely stable over the last decade, with biodegradable and packaging waste each making up approximately 32% of the total. While the share of plastic and bio-waste has slightly decreased, there is a significant increase in paper and cardboard packaging, reflecting a decline in the use of traditional waste paper like newspapers. Separately collected packaging containers suffer from high contamination rates (28% on average), particularly in rural areas. WEEE collected at civic amenity sites is dominated by large appliances, heat exchangers, and screens, which account for 89% of the total weight.

The report examines a pilot energy efficiency (EE) auction in Boa Vista, Roraima, proposed by ANEEL. It identifies risks such as the 'winner's curse' due to the closed-envelope format and potential measurement and verification (M&V) errors using the difference-in-differences method. The authors argue that Roraima's unique energy situation—being isolated from the National Interconnected System (SIN) and dependent on diesel thermoelectrics and Venezuelan imports—makes it a poor test case for replicating the model nationwide. It also highlights a conflict of interest where distributors are tasked with implementing policies that reduce their own revenue.

The report examines the proposed Multilateral Framework on Investment Facilitation (MFIF) being developed through a Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) among WTO Members. It identifies significant overlaps between the MFIF and existing WTO agreements, particularly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the JSI on Services Domestic Regulation (SDR), noting that the MFIF often imposes 'GATS-extra' obligations. The analysis warns that despite the MFIF's explicit exclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), its disciplines could still be enforced through IIAs via umbrella clauses, fair and equitable treatment (FET) standards, and most-favoured-nation (MFN) provisions, potentially exposing states to monetary compensation claims in investor-state tribunals.

The report examines how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are addressed in trade agreements, noting a trend toward dedicated SME chapters in 'new-generation' RTAs. It highlights that while developed economies like the EU, Canada, and Japan lead in advanced provisions, developing countries often prioritize exemptions to protect domestic MSMEs from costly obligations. Most MSME provisions use 'best-endeavour' language and are excluded from dispute settlement, limiting their enforceability. The document also assesses the WTO's piecemeal approach to MSMEs and suggests expanding the scope of support in areas like e-commerce, government procurement, and gender equality to better integrate MSMEs into global trade.

The report examines how MSMEs are integrated into regional and multilateral trade frameworks, noting a trend toward more sophisticated but often non-binding 'goodwill' provisions in newer 'next-generation' agreements. It highlights specific areas of support such as trade facilitation, public procurement, and e-commerce, while noting a persistent gap in the explicit integration of gender-specific MSME support.

The research investigates the hypothesis that African agricultural exporters could substitute for US goods rendered expensive by tariffs. Using trade data from 2017 to 2019, the author finds that while African exports to China grew, the rate of growth declined over time and was significantly lower than that of competitors in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper argues that Africa has been unable to fully capitalise on the trade war due to a lack of state incentives, poor manufacturing sectors, and a failure to develop specific industries like pork, despite the potential created by the African swine flu in China.

The paper examines the 'valley of death' in industrial innovation, specifically for the HYBRIT initiative's transition to fossil-free steel. It compares two hypothetical demonstration plant scales: a 'small' option (200,000 t/annum) and a 'large' option (800,000 t/annum). The authors argue that a larger plant is preferable because it better addresses non-technical risks such as supply chain coordination, grid integration, and business model validation, despite higher capital costs and regulatory hurdles regarding permitting.

The report argues that World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on agricultural domestic support require urgent updates to align with Agenda 2030, specifically Sustainable Development Goal 2. It analyzes support trends across twelve WTO members and proposes simplifying rules by introducing new, gradually reducing limits on trade-distorting support based on current agricultural output rather than historical levels. Key recommendations include providing special and differential treatment for developing countries, limiting support concentration on single commodities, and exempting certain public stockholding programs from support limits if administered prices remain below international market prices. The report also emphasizes the need for increased transparency in government notifications to improve global food system stability.

The report analyzes Polish state aid for the power sector, concluding that subsidies for conventional power (mostly coal) were twice as high as those for renewables between 2013 and 2018. It highlights systemic inefficiencies in the EU ETS derogations, capacity markets, and the Energy Prices Act, while identifying RES auctions and EU funds as positive drivers of transition. A case study of the Bełchatów Power Plant illustrates how subsidies often support owners rather than environmental goals. The document compares Poland's cost-ineffective model with the more successful transitions in Germany and Great Britain.

The report argues that current WTO rules on agricultural internal support are outdated and inequitable, failing to constrain the high subsidies of wealthy nations or accommodate the growing needs of emerging economies. By examining a diverse sample of countries, the authors demonstrate that a small number of members—China, India, the US, and the EU—concentrate the vast majority of trade-distorting support. The document proposes simplifying these rules by basing support limits on a percentage of the value of agricultural production (VDP) rather than fixed monetary amounts, while advocating for stricter transparency and special treatment for developing nations to align trade rules with Sustainable Development Goals.

The report analyzes agricultural domestic support in twelve WTO members, finding that trade-distorting support is heavily concentrated in China, India, the United States, and the European Union. It argues that existing WTO rules are outdated, failing to address the growth of support in emerging economies or the inequities inherited from the Uruguay Round. The authors propose simplifying rules by tying domestic support limits to a percentage of the value of production (VoP) and increasing transparency requirements.

The document proposes a structural shift in South African public personnel practices to insulate the administration from illicit political interference. It argues that while current laws formally exclude political criteria from appointments, in practice, political office-bearers manipulate the system to build patronage networks. To counter this, the paper suggests a four-stage appointment process—process planning, process administration, short listing, and appointment—where independent bodies (such as the Public Service Commission for the public service and new independent personnel committees for municipalities) act as a check on political power. The author advocates for an incremental 'covering in' mechanism to implement these reforms organ-of-state by organ-of-state to manage political resistance.

The report identifies the Swedish development research community as highly fragmented and dispersed across various universities and disciplines. While the field has expanded from traditional social sciences into natural sciences and medicine, this growth has led to increased competition for limited, short-term funding, primarily from the Swedish Research Council (VR) via the Uforsk instrument. The study highlights a significant gap in institutional support and a lack of formal networking platforms, which undermines research relevance and collaboration with practitioners. It recommends the institutionalization of the Swedish Development Research Network (SweDev) and the creation of specialized funding lines to bridge the gap between academia and policy.

The study compared rotational burning, mowing, and uncut controls in UK blanket bogs to determine their effects on peat-forming vegetation and ecosystem services. Findings indicate that mowing generally better supports 'active' bog communities and improves water table levels and flood alleviation, though it may increase phosphorus export. Burning was found to be the least beneficial for supporting active vegetation, and both burning and mowing caused plots to switch from net carbon sinks to net sources immediately following management.

The report analyzes 49 green bonds totaling USD36bn issued in H2 2019. It finds that green bonds generally outperformed vanilla equivalents in terms of book cover and spread compression. Approximately 50% of these bonds were allocated to investors identifying as green. The analysis also highlights a 'greenium' (pricing inside the yield curve) for several bonds and examines the growing market for sovereign green bonds, where 12 governments had issued such instruments by December 2019.

The report finds that despite significant tax exemptions, the industrial sector in the Zona Franca de Manaus (ZFM) shows no increase in productive or energy efficiency compared to the Brazilian national average. Analysis of the most representative sectors, including two-wheelers and audio/video, confirms that these incentives have not translated into comparative efficiency advantages.