Global Prosperity Wonkcast

Posts Tagged: Migration

U.S. Disaster Assistance and Migration Policy: Michael Clemens

June 6, 2011

Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Global Development, Migration and Development Tags: Aid, Development, Haiti, humanitarian relief, Michael Clemens, Migration

When a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti last year the U.S. government and public moved quickly to aid the survivors. The response was swift and compassionate. But America did not do something simple and low-cost that could have helped the survivors of this horrible event. It did not crack open the door and admit a small number of them to the United States.

On this week’s Wonkcast, I’m joined by senior fellow Michael Clemens to discuss why U.S. immigration policy should be part of the United States’ official humanitarian response to natural disasters. Michael, who leads CGD’s work on migration and development, recently commissioned a working paper to figure out what if anything can be done to open a channel for limited numbers of disaster refugees to enter the United States.

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Satish Chand on the Challenges of Small Island States

July 6, 2010

Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Climate Change, Fragile States, Globalization, Migration and Development Tags: Climate, Fragile States, Island nations, Migration, Satish Chand

Especially during the hot summer months, some of us might daydream about packing up and relocating to a small tropical island somewhere in the Pacific. From a development perspective, however, small island states face unique challenges—most obviously from rising sea levels, but also from the economic dynamics created by their small size and isolation. My guest this week is Satish Chand, a visiting fellow here at the Center for Global Development and a native of Fiji. On this week’s Wonkcast, we discuss a range of issues that affect small island nations, as well as Satish’s research on the effects of migration on human capital in Fiji.

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Benchmarking America: The 2009 Commitment to Development Index

October 22, 2009

Posted by Lawrence MacDonald in Aid Effectiveness, Global Development, Private Investment, Trade Tags: Aid, Commitment to Development Index, David Roodman, Environment, Investment, Migration, Security, Technology, Trade

Congratulations to Sweden for ranking first in CGD’s 2009 Commitment to Development Index (CDI) for the first time since the creation of the Index in 2003. The United States, meanwhile, manages only a meager 17th place among the 22 wealthy countries ranked. In Benchmarking America, our second Global Prosperity Wonkcast, I ask CDI architect David Roodman to tell us why Sweden ranks first, why the United States gets such a mediocre score, and why Japan and Korea once again fall at the bottom of the list. Whether or not you are a podcast listener, I urge you to take a look at the greatly enhanced 2009 CDI Web site (now multilingual!). You can also watch the Webinar and read the brief or press release.

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