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Independent research & practical ideas for global prosperity
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Independent research & practical ideas for global prosperity
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February 23, 2010David Roodman on Microfinance and a Year of BloggingPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Finance, Inequality, Poverty Tags: David Roodman, Finance, Microfinance
David replies that when it comes to policy research, people write books for four reasons. “One is to help you think through a complicated process… Another is to provide a basis for shorter spin-off pieces… Another is to signal that you’re an expert about something. And then the last is, oh yeah, to write something for people to read.” David says blogging about the book-writing process has helped him to partially accomplish the first three goals even before the book is complete. It has also, somewhat unexpectedly he says, changed his writing style, something he discussed recently on the blog. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Comment »February 17, 2010Nancy Birdsall on Cash on Delivery AidPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Aid Effectiveness, Education, Global Development Tags: Aid Effectiveness, Cash on Delivery Aid, Education, Foreign Aid, Nancy Birdsall
Can aid donors find a better way to deliver aid? My guest this week is Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development. Along with William Savedoff and Ayah Mahgoub, Nancy is working on a potential new way of disbursing foreign assistance called Cash on Delivery Aid. COD Aid seeks to devise simple, results-based contracts that reward developing countries for making progress towards previously agreed goals—such as increased primary school completion rates, vaccination coverage, or access to clean water. In the podcast, Nancy explains that the traditional mode of giving aid, in which donors often take an active role in prescribing which actions recipient governments should take, can undermine incentives for governments to identify problems and design and implement locally appropriate solutions. “We have to create a system in which outside resources actually help the developing country governments find out what works in their particular setting,” says Nancy. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Comment »February 10, 2010Development and Obama’s Budget; Interview with CGD’s Sarah Jane StaatsPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Rethinking US Foreign Assistance Tags: Foreign Aid, HIV/AIDS, Sarah Jane Staats, USAID
$3.8 trillion is a number a little too large to comprehend; Sarah Jane and I break down some of the numbers in the budget and have some fun comparing development and diplomacy programs with some of the government’s big ticket spending items. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Comment »February 2, 2010Population, Poverty, and Economic GrowthPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Economic Growth, Inequality, Population and Development Tags: Africa, Demographics, Economic Development, Population, Rachel Nugent
Many of us are familiar with how development influences population growth: as incomes rise, fertility rates and average family size tend to fall; populations grow more slowly. Rachel explains that while this relationship is important there are many important unanswered questions about how population policies affect development outcomes. For example: if a poor country slows population growth by actively encouraging family planning, will the families involved and the nation reap economic benefits? Under what circumstances? Podcast: Play in new window | Download Comment » |
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CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
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Tel 202.416.4000 | Fax 202.416.4050
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My guest on this week’s show is 
I’m joined for this week’s CGD Wonkcast by Sarah Jane Staats, director of policy outreach here at the Center for Global Development. Last week, President Obama released his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Sarah Jane and others here at the Center have been poring over the budget request, examining what signals the budget sends on the administration’s approach to development.
My guest this week is 
