Davos holding slide showing audio soundwave

Davos 2025: Ideas from across the IGC for the Intelligent Age

Blog

The Davos World Economic Forum presents an opportunity to discuss some of the most pressing global issues of our time. This year focuses on 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age'. Hear the reflections, ideas and projects from across the IGC, and the world, that respond to the themes of this year's Annual Meeting.

Industries in the Intelligent Age

Saugata Mittra IGC PE

Saugata Mittra (Policy Economist, Tax for Growth Initiative)

"Natural Language Processing, or NLP, is revolutionising customs fraud detection and revenue collection, by enabling authorities to automate the analysis of vast amounts of data, quickly and accurately. NLP can scan import or export documents, invoices and shipping records to identify discrepancies that may indicate fraudulent activity. Countries like India, the US and South Africa deployed NLP in customs enforcement with promising results, improving detection rates and uncovering tax evasion. While challenges remain such as ensuring the accuracy of NLP models across diverse industries and languages, and data privacy concerns, NLP is invaluable in enhancing tax compliance and strengthening revenue systems.”  

Safeguarding the Planet

Listen to the VoxDevTalks podcast featuring Tim Dobermann and Francesco Caselli (LSE Department of Economics), "How can countries develop their economies in a changed world?"

In 2018, the International Growth Centre (IGC) published a series of blogs titled Unorthodox Policies for Unorthodox Times. Seven years later, as global leaders gather in Davos, the authors of these blogs—Tim Dobermann and Francesco Caselli—reflect on the key trends they identified and their implications for the future of development policy. This episode of VoxDevTalks explores their predictions, the accuracy of their insights, and the new challenges shaping development strategies in 2025.

Shruti Bhimsaria

Shruti Bhimsaria (Sustainability Advisor)

"In developing countries that prioritise economic growth, and face the burden of achieving clean growth, it is crucial for policymakers to leverage policy tools that can balance these goals. Markets present an opportunity to transform emissions regulation into an opportunity for sustainable growth. By allowing regulated entities to find the lowest-cost compliance methods, markets create a win-win scenario—enabling growth, ensuring fairness, and easing regulatory burdens on constrained governments. However, gaps remain in our understanding of market design, measurement, and governance of these markets. This is where IGC researchers and affiliates are making significant contributions in countries such as India, Pakistan and Rwanda. An IGC-funded study in India implemented an emissions trading scheme in Gujarat, with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. The market launched in 2019 reduced pollution by ~30% and lowered compliance costs for industries."

Justice Ganawah Davos

Justice Ganawah (Country Economist, IGC Sierra Leone)

I am excited by our work on improving access to renewable energy in rural Sierra Leone. Through evaluating the Rural Renewable Energy Project, we’ve highlighted the transformative potential of off-grid solar electricity in expanding clean energy access across underserved communities. While the project has made significant strides, our findings emphasize the need for policies that ensure electricity is not only available but also leveraged to enhance livelihoods and economic opportunities. This work informs strategies to maximize the impact of renewable energy projects, driving sustainable development in rural Sierra Leone and beyond."

Rebuilding Trust