NYU’s Development Research Institute unites research, dialogue, and strategy to empower citizens, build resilient nations, and foster allied collaboration. With its Wahba Initiative, the Financial Access Initiative, Africa House, and others, DRI advances solutions at the crossroads of development, infrastructure, trade, technology, and geopolitics.
Coordinating as Fast as China Commands: U.S.–Japan Cooperation on Physical AI
Coordinating as Fast as China Commands: U.S.–Japan Cooperation on Physical AI
The WISC Global Dialogue was held at GLOBIS University, Tokyo, on October 14, 2026 under the Chatham House Rule. Views are synthesized and not attributed to any single participant or organization. Executive Summary The United States and Japan can compete with China in physical AI only if they operate as one market. That was the central […]
Learn MoreWISC Dialogues: Steven Altman on the 2026 DHL Globalization Tracker
WISC Dialogues: Steven Altman on the 2026 DHL Globalization Tracker
NYU WISC Dialogues: Steven Altman on the 2026 DHL Globalization Report In this WISC Dialogue, Mark Kennedy speaks with Steven Altman, Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalization at NYU Stern’s Center for the Future of Management, about the newly released 2026 DHL Globalization Tracker. Despite rising tariffs and geopolitical tensions, the report finds that […]
Learn MoreToward a New Architecture of Trust in Transatlantic Customs
Toward a New Architecture of Trust in Transatlantic Customs
The following insights emerged from a private roundtable of government, commercial, and policy leaders in Brussels, co-hosted by NYU’s Wahba Initiative for Strategic Competition (WISC) and the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule. The European Union and United States conduct enormous volumes of transatlantic goods trade […]
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About DRI
NYU’s Development Research Institute and the Wahba Initiative with their partners, the Financial Access Initiative, Africa House, and the Center for Technology and Economic Development, bridge academic research and policy action to address today’s global challenges. From development to deterrence, we equip leaders with insight that spans economics, infrastructure, technology and alliances.
Development That Delivers Opportunity
Inclusive development underpins economic security. Advancing financial access, human capital, institutional trust, and entrepreneurship strengthens prosperity and expands opportunity in every region.
Learn MoreStrategic Infrastructure Finance
Infrastructure determines power—linking partners, powering compute, and enabling the flow of goods, energy, and data. The goal: systems that deploy quickly, attract capital, and expand choice.
Learn MoreProductive Capacity
Productive capacity must be resilient and scalable. Targeted production, diversified sourcing, and trade expansion reduce vulnerability while sustaining innovation, industrial strength, and competitiveness.
Learn MoreAI as a Systems Race
AI leadership is decisive. Open societies must compete across chips, compute, cloud, energy, data, and applications to ensure trusted, scalable systems prevail.
Learn MoreModernizing Alliances
To compete at scale and speed, alliances must evolve—aligning across technology, finance, production, and governance to convert shared capabilities into sustained advantage.
Learn MoreEvidence-Based Practice in Development Policy
Effective development policy must be grounded in rigorous evidence, not assumptions. Translating research into actionable strategies that work in real-world contexts helps governments, institutions, and communities make informed decisions that deliver measurable and lasting impact.
Learn MoreFinancial Access in a Growing World
The Financial Access Initiative conducts rigorous research on how low-income households use financial tools like savings, credit, insurance, and payments. Its work informs policies and product design that expand meaningful financial inclusion worldwide.
Learn MoreInsights
Timely analysis and commentary on development, geoeconomics, technology, and trade—helping decision-makers and scholars navigate the shifting landscape of global power and prosperity.
Events
High-impact convenings that connect researchers, policymakers, and global partners to shape coordinated responses to shared development and strategic challenges.
Experts
Meet the scholars, fellows, and practitioners advancing DRI’s work across domains. Their expertise spans academia, government, and industry.
Regions
Explore how development trends and strategic pressures intersect in key regions—from the Indo-Pacific to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas.