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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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Global Prosperity Wonkcast
Archive for December, 2010The 2000s Were the Best Decade Ever? Development Optimist Charles KennyDecember 21, 2010Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Global Development, Global Health Policy, Globalization, Poverty Tags: Charles Kenny
Charles spends the first part of our conversation trying to convince me that this bold thesis is backed by hard facts. Looking at indicators of child mortality, absolute poverty, literacy, armed conflict, and more, Charles sees improvement nearly across the board. "If you had the choice in which decade to be born,” he concludes, “there is only one decade you could choose, and it’s this one." Podcast: Play in new window | Download 2 Comments »Portfolios That Make a Difference: John Simon on Impact InvestingDecember 13, 2010Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Finance, Private Investment Tags: Finance, Impact Investing, John Simon
John begins by defining impact investments and explaining how they differ from socially responsible investments and from corporate social responsibility programs. Beyond avoiding businesses that engage in morally questionable practices or diverting a portion of corporate profits towards charitable ends, impact capital seeks out companies whose core mission is development. In short, says John, “impact investments seek both a financial return and a social return, and they hold themselves to account for both.” He gives the example of a company that clears overgrown rubbertree plantations in Liberia, improving the land for local farmers and exporting the wood to Europe as a renewable energy source. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Comment »Who Gets the Debt If Sudan Splits? Ben LeoDecember 6, 2010Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Africa, Debt Relief, Fragile States Tags: Ben Leo, Debt relief, Sudan
Podcast: Play in new window | Download 1 Comment »
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Many of us may be glad to be rid of the Naughts, a decade perhaps destined to be remembered for global terrorism, U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a global financial crisis that threatened a second Great Depression but left the rich world instead with a lingering Great Recession. My guest this week argues that the departing decade is unfairly maligned. 
A new approach to investing is seeking to connect investors with businesses that both make a profit and provide goods and services that advance development. Just what is impact investing? How big can it get? I’m joined this week by John Simon, a visiting fellow here at the Center for Global Development. Together with co-author Julia Barmeier, he has written 
A 2011 referendum in Southern Sudan will determine the sub-nation’s independence – and it’s just one month away. Ahead of the South’s possible secession, Sudanese leaders are scrambling to find solutions to a host of questions, a critical one being: What should be done with Sudan’s crushing $35 billion external debt burden? I’m joined on this Wonkcast by Ben Leo, a research fellow here at the Center for Global Development, who has just published a CGD working paper which outlines potential scenarios for post-referendum debt division between the Khartoum government in the north and an independent Southern Sudan. On the Wonkcast, Ben explains how debt complicates the landscape for splitting Sudan and outlines a range of possible approaches to a viable solution. 
