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Is demographic change a bigger global challenge than climate change? And is population ageing, in fact, one of humanity’s greatest successes? In this episode, listen back to the launch of the EBRD’s Transition Report 2025-26: Brave Old World. Moderated by Richard Porter, EBRD Managing Director of Communications, the discussion brings together a distinguished panel: Professor Sarah Harper CBE – Clore Professor of Gerontology, University of Oxford; Director, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing Eghosa Omoigui – Founder and Managing General Partner, EchoVC Partners Dr Nicholas Eberstadt – Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute Beata Javorcik – EBRD Chief Economist Brave Old World explores how demographic shifts are reshaping economies—from rapidly ageing societies to countries with youthful, fast-growing populations. The report examines declining fertility rates, the economic consequences of ageing, and the policy tools that can help countries adapt. These include extending productive working lives, accelerating automation, and enabling labour mobility. The discussion also delves into how artificial intelligence, migration policy, and evolving societal values interact with demographic change across the EBRD regions and beyond.

In the context of escalating geopolitical tensions, environmental challenges and rapid technological change, industrial policies – state-led strategic interventions designed to reshape an economy’s production structure – have made a comeback in both advanced economies and emerging markets. These policies seek to address global market failures such as climate change, foster economic growth, boost innovation and improve competitiveness. However, they have a mixed track record and pose complex challenges, which this panel will explore. Tis discussion examined whether and how emerging markets can use industrial policy to drive sustainable economic growth, diversify economies and enhance competitiveness while navigating global geopolitical uncertainty and avoiding the mistakes of the past. It also explored how these economies can manage the delicate balance between national competitiveness and international cooperation. Speakers: Richard Porter, MD, Communications, EBRD Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Director, Bruegel Bernardo Sestini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SIAD Group Leslie Maasdorp, CEO of British International Investment

Listen back to the launch of the latest EBRD’s Regional Economic Prospects launched in May 2025 during the 34th EBRD Annual Meeting and Business Forum in London.The discussion covered the latest economic forecasts for the regions where the EBRD invests. The EBRD’s Chief Economist, Beata Javorcik, and leading regional experts discussed the challenges confronting policymakers amidst rising geo-political tensions and intensifying pressures on government finances. Speakers: Jonathan Charles, Strategy Advisor Sergey Guriev, Dean, Professor of Economics, London Business School Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD Lord Jim O'Neill of Gatley

Listen to the discussion on the industrial policy at the launch of the EBRD Transition Report, moderated by Richard Porter, EBRD Managing Director of Communications. It featured:   Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics and Professor at Columbia University  Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Director of Bruegel, the European Union’s economic think tank Beata Javorcik, EBRD Chief Economist   The Transition Report report takes an extensive look at industrial policies in the EBRD regions and beyond. Such policies, which are aimed at changing the sectoral composition of production in an economy, have seen a resurgence in recent years, seeking to address increasingly pressing market failures such as environmental degradation.   Their track record is mixed, with their growing popularity being shaped primarily by domestic political economy considerations and rising geopolitical tensions. While industrial policies are typically employed by higher-income economies, they are also being seen more frequently in economies with less administrative and fiscal capacity to implement them. Read it here: https://2024.tr-ebrd.com

Listen to the live launch of the EBRD Transition Report launch. The global shift to net zero will require major structural changes in economies, as well as extensive change in daily lives. The scale of the transition is unprecedented: from the rush to source critical raw materials to the reconfiguration of global supply chains; from the rise of green skills in the workforce to the development of environmentally sustainable housing markets. The EBRD Transition Report 2023-24: Transitions big and small, published today, offers revealing insights into the way macro-level trends leading to carbon neutrality impact the types of job sought, household management and, ultimately, the perceived level of happiness in the regions where the Bank operates. EBRD Chief Economist Beata Javorcik said: “The change and upheaval that stems from these trends will affect people’s lives for the foreseeable future. Policymakers will need to establish a deep understanding of those effects in order to plan future stages of the green transition, as individual attitudes will both shape and be shaped by that transition process. […] “The success of the green transition will depend on winning their hearts and minds as we continue our journey towards a cleaner future. If there is one thing we have learned from 30 years of transition in the EBRD regions, it is that reforms will not last unless they have broad-based support.” The discussion features Charlotta Källbäck, Head of Internal Audit, Volvo Cars Sandra Bates, specialist on mining and clean energy with Executive and non-Executive Director experience Mark Keese, Head of the Skills and Employment Division, OECD Professor Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD Moderated by Jonathan Charles

Policymakers and investors need to be aware of the short and long-term challenges Ukraine faces during the war and those that the country will have to deal with in the post-war period. This panel takes a broad look at the historical experience of war and peace and examines the impact that armed conflicts have had on economic performance and political, social and population trends, both during the wars and after they end. This retrospective provides some indication of the sheer scale of the challenges that Ukraine has been subject to and will face during the reconstruction stage. On that basis, the panel draws conclusions that can inform policymakers’ and investors’ short- and long-term responses to those challenges.  Moderator Jonathan Charles, Strategic Communications Consultant and Broadcaster Speakers Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution Harold James, Professor of History, Princeton University Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Guido Goldman Distinguished Scholar for Geostrategy, GMF Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History, Oxford University

The much-anticipated EBRD Regional Economic Prospects were back in the new panel discussion format for a special EBRD Annual Meeting 2023 edition. The interactive discussion covered the latest economic forecasts for the regions where the EBRD invests. EBRD Chief Economist Beata Javorcik discussed with outstanding regional experts the extraordinary challenges that policymakers are confronted with in the world of relentless inflationary pressures and repeated economic crises. Keynote speaker Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD Moderator Jonathan Charles, Strategic Communications Consultant and Broadcaster Speakers Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics, Institut d'Études Politiques Heike Harmgart, Managing Director, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, EBRD

Nearly nine months after the Russian invasion, the war has seriously affected Ukraine’s economy, which is facing daunting tasks. These tasks require collective efforts and coordination among the country’s policymakers, businesses and international community, including the EBRD. The main objective of this discussion is to bring together representatives of key stakeholders to discuss optimal policies and necessary investments to help the process of Ukraine’s stabilisation and rebuilding.

Nearly nine months after the Russian invasion, the war has seriously affected Ukraine’s economy, which is facing daunting tasks. Macroeconomic and financial sector stability are essential for the continued functioning of the economy and maintaining the war effort. Supporting and stimulating the real economy are the key elements of its economic sustainability. Participants: Odile Renaud-Basso, President, EBRD Tymofiy Mylovanov, President, Kyiv School of Economics Torbjörn Becker, Professor of economics, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics – SITE and CEPR Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, EBRD (moderator)

Launch Of the EBRD Transition Report 2022 - 23 Business Unusual by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

This special episode in Fearonomics series looks at the economic risks of recent geopolitical turmoil. Ths live event, where the EBRD launched their economic forecasts, analysed the impact of recent turbulence on the economic outlook, including fallout from Russia’s war on Ukraine, the energy crisis and rising inflation. Participants: Beata Javorcik - Chief Economist, EBRD Sergei Guriev – Professor, Sciences Po Provost Heike Harmgart – EBRD Managing Director, SEMED Jonathan Charles (Moderator) - former EBRD Managing Director, Communications

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast At a time when we’re living through the highest inflation in decades, a cost of living crisis and dramatically falling rates of growth, the new Fearonomics episode looks at the cost of discrimination to the global economy. Despite the recent advancement in the equality of rights and inclusion, 45 per cent of American workers have experienced discrimination in the past year, according to Gallup. The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2022 report states that around 2.4 billion women of working age lack equal economic opportunities and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation. In early 2022,the LGBTQ+ advocacy group HRC Foundation published a study showing that LGBTQ+ workers in the US earn about 90 cents for every dollar earned by a typical heterosexual worker. Join Jonathan Charles, the EBRD’s Managing Director of Communications, Sergei Guriev, former EBRD Chief Economist and currently Professor of Economics at Science Po, and Beata Javorcik, the EBRD’s Chief Economist who is also Professor of Economics at Oxford University, to discuss how to protect the world economy’s most vulnerable groups. Listen to the latest episode of Fearonomics on iTunes, SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. Review our podcast on iTunes or tweet us @EBRD #Fearonomics You can rate, review and subscribe to Fearonomics on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast The new episode of the EBRD’s Fearonomics podcast looks at the most common fears around migration. The rate of growth of displaced people in the world is alarming. A 100 million is the latest UNHCR estimate -which equals to 1 per cent of the global population. This stark anti-record reflects the precarious state of the world we are in. The War on Ukraine, other conflicts, human rights violations, persecutions and violence are behind the unprecedented movement of people. At the same, as the Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted across the world, the economic migration is expected to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. For centuries, the world has been living with the idea that migration has to hurt us and bring the world down. But why? Why are we so afraid of migrants? Listen to Jonathan Charles, the EBRD’s Managing Director of Communications, in discussion with Sergei Guriev, former EBRD Chief Economist and currently Professor of Economics at Science Po, and Beata Javorcik, the EBRD’s Chief Economist who is also Professor of Economics at Oxford University. Listen to the first episode of Fearonomics on iTunes, SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. Review our podcast on iTunes or tweet us @EBRD #Fearonomics You can rate, review and subscribe to Fearonomics on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Rate, review and subscribe to our podcast The new episode of the EBRD’s Fearonomics podcast explores the risks of future pandemics. With new cases of monkeypox globally detected, the looming risks of growing anti-microbial resistance and the impact of climate crisis, is the next pandemic just around the corner? The IMF has recently forecasted the global cost of the Covid-19 pandemic will rise beyond $12,5 trillion through 2024, fuelled by vast gaps in vaccination rates, widening divergence between rich and poor and disproportionate gender impacts. But we have yet to suffer many of the hidden costs of the pandemic. Such as the impact of education missed, the toll taken on mental health, the eroding of trust in governments. Listen to Jonathan Charles, the EBRD’s Managing Director of Communications, in discussion with Sergei Guriev, former EBRD Chief Economist and currently Professor of Economics at Science Po, and Beata Javorcik, the EBRD’s Chief Economist who is also Professor of Economics at Oxford University. Are we ready for the next pandemic? Listen to the first episode of Fearonomics on iTunes, SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. Review our podcast on iTunes or tweet us @EBRD #Fearonomics You can rate, review and subscribe to Fearonomics on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Rate, review, download our podcast In the new episode of the EBRD’s Fearonomics podcast Jonathan Charles, the EBRD’s Managing Director of Communications, Sergei Guriev, former EBRD Chief Economist and now Professor of Economics at Science Po, and Beata Javorcik, the EBRD’s current Chief Economist, examine the threat to our economies from inflation and whether we risk an era of stagflation. Policymakers had to step up support for businesses and the population at large when Covid-19 was at its worse. The strain on public budgets was palpable – even before Russia’s war on Ukraine. The latest IMF forecast sees “war-induced commodity price increases and broadening price pressures” pushing inflation in 2022 to 5.7 per cent in advanced economies and 8.7 per cent in emerging market and developing economies. So what’s next? Destabilised financial markets? Stagflation? Is this what the future of poverty looks like? Listen to Fearonomics on iTunes, SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts from. Review our podcast or tweet us @EBRD #Fearonomics You can rate, review and subscribe to Fearonomics on ITunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.