Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.
Southeast Asia has become the connector economy of the global tech race — building the chips, batteries, and clean energy components for which both Washington and Beijing now compete. But as US–China tensions harden into economic security policy, the region’s most valuable supply chains are being squeezed from both sides. In this episode of Development Futures, Research Fellow Robert Walker joins Roland Rajah to discuss which strategic industries are worth backing, which aren’t, and why decarbonisation might be the region’s smartest long-term play.
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13 Jul 2026
179 years to parity: The Indo-Pacific’s gender equality backslide
Global progress on gender equality is stalling, and in some places going backwards. The World Economic Forum estimates that, at current rates, Asia and the Pacific won't reach gender parity for 179 years. In this episode, host Roland Rajah is joined by Grace Stanhope (Lowy Institute) and Professor Katrina Lee-Koo (University of Queensland) to analyse why gender equality is under siege. They discuss shrinking aid budgets, the politicisation of gender in foreign policy, and the retreat of the United States from global development. They ask what's working, why "gender mainstreaming" might have hit its limits, and where Australia could make an outsized difference as a middle power.
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4 May 2026
A multilateral green trade pact?
International trade has faced multiple shocks in recent years, making the need to reform the architecture of global trade more urgent than ever. Aligning new trade rules with global net-zero ambitions will be crucial to providing the necessary incentives for firms and economies to decarbonise. Many have already recognised the need to “green” trade. But how to do it?
The Lowy Institute’s Grace Stanhope and Robert Walker are joined by Ryan Mulholland, a senior fellow for international economic policy at the US-based Center for American Progress, to discuss what green trade is, how it fits into global decarbonisation efforts, and how governments could go about designing green trade agreements. They also discuss how major economies like the United States and China fit into a green trade future, where Australia might fit, and what it’s like being at the forefront of negotiations.
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Further reading:
See Ryan’s latest work on green trade here: https://www.inettt.org/news-blog/unilateralism-in-trade-calls-for-a-new-approach-to-build-a-green-future (https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inettt.org%2Fnews-blog%2Funilateralism-in-trade-calls-for-a-new-approach-to-build-a-green-future&data=05%7C02%7Cagriffits%40lowyinstitute.org%7Ca5c41c695a234f9e4edb08dea98d03a2%7C1fb32338ad1940db98fdc701f150c316%7C0%7C0%7C639134620275519861%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7fs9FFNPXpgDukAXxr5%2B0Y4Rn1F0efbSTyjgqOOwJcA%3D&reserved=0)
Robert’s latest work on green trade and implications for Australia here: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/green-trade-partnerships-will-make-or-break-australia-s-renewable-superpower (https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowyinstitute.org%2Fthe-interpreter%2Fgreen-trade-partnerships-will-make-or-break-australia-s-renewable-superpower&data=05%7C02%7Cagriffits%40lowyinstitute.org%7Ca5c41c695a234f9e4edb08dea98d03a2%7C1fb32338ad1940db98fdc701f150c316%7C0%7C0%7C639134620275590830%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vtU%2BTTlMAj5pNsRf%2FSLF9GDFJG3QF3u9sJK1edUznNI%3D&reserved=0)
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Who has been a guest on Development Futures
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Roland Rajah
Dr Hilman Palaon
Robert Walker
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
1,570,044
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
4.8 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
60
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