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GCRIEconomic DevelopmentIn development
Economic Development · Mandate and publisher

Mandate and publisher

Economic Development is published by The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), working across Canada and the United States. This page sets out the platform's mandate, publisher, limits and current state. The platform home gives the overview.

Make an enquiry Back to Economic Development
In this dossier6 parts
  1. 01In briefThe short answer
  2. 02MandateThe real economy of development under systemic risk
  3. 03Publisher and statusWho is responsible, and what state the platform is in
  4. 04LimitsWhat the platform does not do
  5. 05Key termsTerms used on this page
  6. 06Development pathHow the platform opens

GCRI · In development · service level R0

STEM methods
5
Canonical methods this field applies
Topics
8
Subject pages in the field
Counterparts
4
Platforms in shared fields at GCRI, GRF and GRA
Report series
2
Nexus Reports series it contributes to
01In brief

The short answer.

Economic Development is a specialist platform of The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation for economic development and development finance. Its mandate covers economic transformation, inclusive growth, industry, trade and development under systemic risk. GCRI publishes it, answers for its content and takes no decision on anyone's behalf. It is in development at service level R0, and activities open as each is ready.

02Canvas

Mandate to authority.

Canvas · mandate to authorityDesign, not a record
How Economic Development is governedA mandate sets the platform's scope; an editor and reviewers govern what it publishes; programmes and the community supply the work; the integrity route handles corrections; authority over decisions stays outside. Design of the governance, not a record.

Fig.How the platform is governed, from its mandate to the authorities who decide. Design, not a record.

03Geography

People and hazards in Africa.

For mandate and publisher, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on night lights, population density and true-colour imagery with true colour from NASA GIBS, framed on Africa; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 3

People and hazards, for this page

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

For mandate and publisher, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on night lights, population density and true-colour imagery with true colour from NASA GIBS, framed on Africa; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · GDACS · Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A · NASA HLS S30Sources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). ODbL
  • Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
  • Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.
  • Live: GDACS (EC JRC / UN OCHA) Events are indicative, not official warnings.
  • Observed (EO): Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026), Microsoft Planetary Computer
  • Observed (EO): NASA HLS S30 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • Optional layers (35 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.

Layers and dates

  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
  • Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
  • Enhanced vegetation index, rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra EVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026

04Mandate

The real economy of development under systemic risk.

The platform's mandate is research on economic transformation, inclusive growth, industry, trade and development in the presence of systemic risk. Its core methods are economic risk modelling, inclusive indicators, and input-output and fiscal analysis. Its audience is development economists, policy researchers, economic planners and industry analysts.

It is the real-economy field of the Consortium. Finance-sector specialisms, such as development finance, disaster risk finance and sovereign debt markets, are the work of platforms at The Global Risks Alliance (GRA), with which this platform exchanges evidence.

05Publisher and status

Who is responsible, and what state the platform is in.

ItemFact
PublisherThe Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
Platform statusIn development: a candidate platform being built at its canonical root
Service levelR0: information and enquiries
Contactcontact@therisk.global for the Consortium Secretariat; research@therisk.global for research
AddressToronto, ON M4R 1V2
06Limits

What the platform does not do.

  • It does not regulate, certify, license or approve policies, programmes or projects.
  • It does not give investment, lending or fiscal advice, and it does not rate countries or issuers.
  • It does not speak for any government or statistical office.
  • It does not claim studies, datasets or partners before their records exist.

Governance, corrections and integrity routes are on GCRI governance and trust and the platform's trust page.

07Key terms

Terms used on this page.

Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.

TermDefinition
Service level R0The current service level of Nexus pages: information and enquiries only. An enquiry receives a reference and a named next step; it creates no membership, contract, assignment or commitment.
Conflict of interestA situation in which financial, professional or personal interests could compromise, or appear to compromise, judgement in research or review.
Economic developmentSustained improvement in living standards, including income, health, education and opportunity.
Structural transformationThe shift of labour and output from lower- to higher-productivity activities.
08Development path

How the platform opens.

  1. 01

    Charter and editor

    A distinct charter and an expert editor for development economics.

  2. 02

    First evidence

    Method notes on economic transmission and the first topic pages, starting with trade and external shocks and public finance and risk.

  3. 03

    Community

    Participation routes for researchers and practitioners when terms and review capacity exist.

09Questions

Questions and answers.

Why is economic development a GCRI platform?
Because it is research on the real economy. GCRI does science; GRA builds industry understanding of finance; GRF convenes and governs.
When will the platform open fully?
No date is set. It opens in stages as its charter, editor, content and review capacity are in place.
Who do I contact?
The research team at research@therisk.global. The acknowledgement gives a reference and names the next step.
Does the platform use official statistics?
Yes, as a primary source, alongside surveys and administrative data. Each output names its sources and their vintage, and the platform does not speak for any statistical office.
How does the platform keep its work neutral?
By publishing methods and assumptions with every output, presenting competing evidence where it exists, and leaving policy choices to the authorities responsible for them.
Related

Around Economic Development.

Economic Development

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The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.

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