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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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September 24, 2009CGD Storms the Steel CityPosted by Ben Edwards in Africa, Global Development, Global Warming, Globalization Tags: G20
CGD, ONE, and the University of Pittsburgh hosted the rainy afternoon panel discussion attended mostly by students and a mix of mainstream media and enthusiastic young U. Pitt journalists. The students asked well-informed questions not so different than those posed at our D.C. events by government officials and development experts. I was also impressed that Pittsburgh’s Post Gazette covered the event with vigor and accuracy. Read More… Comment »May 22, 2009Is China Losing Interest in Africa?Posted by Vijaya Ramachandran in Asia, Global Development, Globalization, Private Investment, Regions Tags: China, Corruption, Foreign Direct Investment, RegionsLast week, the Aluminum Corp. of China, otherwise known as Chinalco, received regulatory approval to proceed with its investment of $19.5 billion in the Australian-based mining giant Rio Tinto, giving the Chinese access to a large and secure supply of iron ore, copper, aluminium and other resources in Australia and Latin America. Is this a signal that China is losing interest in Africa? Or that African governments are becoming disenchanted with their Chinese partners? If so, what are the policy implications, particularly with regard to investments in infrastructure? Read More… Comment »April 10, 2009The Economist Got It Wrong on U.S. Income InequalityPosted by Nora Lustig in Global Development, Globalization Tags: Economist, Globalization and Inequality, InequalityIn its special report on the rise and fall of the wealthy, referring to the trends in income inequality in the United States The Economist (April 4-10th 2009, p. 3) states “… Another international study found that only Mexico and Russia had more unequal income distributions than America.” That is plain wrong. In Latin America alone all the eighteen countries for which there are comparable data show more inequality than the United States, and that is the case for dozens and dozens more around the world. Undoubtedly, in the last two decades inequality in the U.S. has risen sharply and shamefully. But disposable income (after transfers and taxes) inequality in the U.S. is still far from the levels found in most of the developing world. 1 Comment »April 2, 2009G-20 Pledge $1 Trillion for Developing Country Crisis ResponsePosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Capitol Flows/Financial Crisis, Global Development, Globalization, International Financial Institutions Tags: G20, IMF
Comment »April 2, 2009Will G-20 Back Anti-Protectionist Pledges with Action This Time?Posted by Cindy Prieto in Global Development, Globalization, Trade Tags: G20, IMF, Protectionism, Trade, World Trade OrganizationThe outcome of today’s G20 summit has become even more critical for developing countries as the World Bank revised the 2009 forecast for GDP growth in the developing world to 2.1 percent down from 5.8 percent in 2008. But a draft copy of the G20 communiqué published by the Financial Times could go farther in its commitment to help the world’s most vulnerable countries. While the draft heeds Nancy Birdsall’s advice to increase resources for developing countries through the IMF and MDBs, the communiqué leaves more to be desired on one of the most important avenues through which this crisis is already affecting the developing world: trade protectionism. Read More… Comment »March 20, 2009Wal-Mart and the AFL-CIO Agree: The U.S. Can (and Must) Do a Better Job Fighting Poverty, Disease, and Lack of Opportunity in the Developing WorldPosted by Steve Radelet in Globalization, Trade Tags: Foreign Aid Reform, Immigration, Trade, USAIDThis is a joint posting with David Beckmann, originally appearing on the Huffington Post Web site on March 17, 2009. In the face of big global challenges, President Obama has rightly called for a new, smarter U.S. foreign policy that focuses on bolstering our long-term security, building our alliances, and expanding global prosperity. A central element of his new approach is elevating U.S. support for global development and balancing it with defense and diplomacy, which in practice means strengthening U.S. foreign assistance and other programs that fight poverty, disease, and lack of opportunity in developing nations. Read More… Comment »March 20, 2009NGO Leaders and Business Community Urge Obama and Congress to Act on Trade & Development Agenda — with a Little Help from CGDPosted by Randall Soderquist in Globalization, Trade Tags: Doha, On the Hill, Ron Kirk, Trade, World Trade Organization
Concern about “backsliding” on trade – governments moving away from previous commitments to cut tariffs and subsidies – grew stronger. Government officials from other countries contacted us and asked what would come next on U.S. trade policy, and, significantly, whether CGD would play an active role in doing new research and creating viable policy alternatives that would benefit developing countries in a changing global economy. This led us to consider the possibility that we might influence the Obama Administration trade agenda if we inserted innovative policy ideas in a constructive way. To this end, we invited approximately 15 representatives from the development, business, and faith-based communities to CGD and carefully considered if there were areas where we could find common interest and pursue collective action. The meeting was remarkably congenial and productive. There were far more areas of agreement than disagreement, although some controversial issues, such as whether and how to address labor and environmental concerns in trade agreements (see the May 10th Agreement), were left firmly on the backburner. The group decided to draft a carefully balanced letter to President Obama and key Congressional leaders that outlines the critical importance of global trade as a mechanism for poverty alleviation, economic growth, and political stability. That letter, released today, urges the Administration and Congress to enact policies that promote global economic growth and increase international trade and investment flows. It says, in part:
The timing of this letter could not be better. If crisis creates the conditions for change, now is the time for action. Recent reports from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund reinforce the fact that the global economy is in an increasingly precarious position, with developing countries in particular suffering potentially irreversible damage from declining exports, lowering commodity prices, decreasing investment, and repatriating capital. The long term consequences of this economic vortex have yet to be seen. As social spending collapses in developing countries, and as education and healthcare become unaffordable, it is obvious that impacts will worsen. Already it is likely that the crisis will undermine decades of the admittedly insufficient progress that has been made on development, and will most certainly lead to social unrest and political instability. Trade policy thus becomes a national security issue. It is encouraging that that USTR-designate Ron Kirk has been confirmed by the Senate and will be sworn into office today by Vice-President Joe Biden. The USTR has released a 2009 Trade Agenda, but much remains to be done in terms of defining concrete policy proposals. This joint letter not only sends a strong message about what U.S. priorities should be on trade, but also provides tangible evidence that new coalitions on trade are possible. CGD will be extremely active in this effort. Comment »August 22, 2008The Conventions are Coming…and CGD is Going!Posted by Sarah Jane Staats in 2008 Presidential Election, Economic Development, Economic Growth, Foreign Aid Reform, Globalization, Globalization and Inequality, Governance/Democracy, Inequality, Migration and Labor Mobility, Modernizing U.S. Foreign Assistance, United Nations, World Trade Organization Tags: Foreign Aid Reform, Globalization and Inequality, Inequality, U.S. Presidential ElectionsEveryone says August in Washington, D.C. is quiet. That is of course, unless you are planning to attend the presidential conventions and from what I can tell, just about everyone is sending someone to the conventions. And this time around, CGD is going to both of them.
CGD President Nancy Birdsall and I are headed to Denver next week for the Democratic National Convention and to Minneapolis the following week for the Republican National Convention. While some may think we’re going for the parties (Kanye West? Willie Nelson? LeAnn Rimes? Rage Against the Machine?) we are not. There is actually a lot more going on related to global development at the conventions than one might expect. Comment »July 28, 2008World Bank Caucus Launched on the HillPosted by Sarah Jane Staats in Aid Effectiveness, Foreign Aid Reform, Global Health, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, Modernizing U.S. Foreign Assistance, News, The Future of the World Bank, Trade, U.S. Foreign Aid Reform, World Bank, World Trade Organization Tags: Foreign Aid Reform, On the Hill, World BankThe U.S. Congress launched a new bipartisan Caucus for Congressional-World Bank Dialogue at a packed event on Capitol Hill July 16. The caucus, co-chaired by Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Betty McCollum (D-MN), provides a forum for members of Congress to engage the World Bank, parliamentarians and policy experts on poverty reduction, global development and trade. As many Hill and Bank-watchers know, World Bank rules prevent its president and senior staff from testifying before Congress and restrict discussions to closed-door meetings. While some argue this protects the bank from type of congressional meddling that has hobbled USAID, it also means that the bank misses opportunities to educate and inform Congress about its work through public, congressional testimony. Reuters’ reporter Lesley Wroughton says in her article U.S. lawmakers and World Bank seek to bridge gaps that in this sense, the new caucus “hopes to deepen, and in some cases launch discussions between the bank and the U.S. Congress on development, poverty and trade issues.” Comment »July 2, 2008President Sarkozy’s Compassion for the Poor and HungryPosted by Kimberly Ann Elliott in Agriculture, Food & Agriculture, Food Crisis, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, News, Rural Development, Trade, World Trade Organization Tags: Food Crisis, Rural Development, World Trade OrganizationA report in the Financial Times by John Thornhill leads with a remarkable quote from French President Nicolas Sarkozy warning the EU that he would block a proposed World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on agriculture that would reduce European production incentives: Comment »April 3, 2008Bob Zoellick is Leading the World Bank in the Right Direction. Will Bank Staff and Shareholders Follow?Posted by Nancy Birdsall in Economic Development, Economic Growth, Food Aid, Global Warming, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, News, Trade, World Bank, World Trade Organization Tags: Food Aid, World Bank, World Trade Organization
2 Comments »April 2, 2008Robert Zoellick Outlines World Bank Response to Global Economic SituationPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Africa, Climate Change, Environment, Food Aid, Global Warming, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, Millennium Development Goals, News, Regions, Trade, World Trade Organization Tags: Food Aid, Millennium Development GoalsRobert Zoellick outlined new approaches that the World Bank will take to help solve global problems today in a major speech delivered at an event organized by the Center for Global Development. Comment »March 7, 2008Forbes Billionaire List, Inequality, and the International Financial InstitutionsPosted by Nancy Birdsall in Globalization, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Migration and Labor Mobility, News, World Trade Organization Tags: IMF, InequalityThe Forbes Billionaire list published yesterday is a powerful sign of how fast the world is changing, in two worrying respects: growing inequality in the world, and the failure of the international financial institutions to adjust to the increased economic importance of emerging market economies. According to Forbes: 2 Comments »December 5, 2007A Surprise Consensus that International Institutions Need an OverhaulPosted by Nancy Birdsall in Globalization, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization Tags: IMF, UN, World BankHere are Donald Rumsfeld, James Wolfensohn and somebody else agreeing on something. Guess who recently said the following: Comment »October 17, 2007Bravo For New IMF Realism On Globalization And Inequality — And Three CommentsPosted by Nancy Birdsall in Debt Relief, Globalization, International Monetary Fund, World Trade OrganizationThe IMF’s 2007 World Economic Outlook has a chapter on inequality and globalization (Chapter 4), which concludes that globalization in the last two decades has contributed to increased inequality in most countries. Bravo to the IMF for daring to move, on globalization, from apparent unencumbered globaphile to concerned realist! Comment »October 10, 2007In World Bank President Robert Zoellick’s Maiden Speech, A Surprise Focus on Climate ChangePosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, World Bank, World Trade Organization Tags: World BankOne very good thing that can be said about Robert Zoellick’s maiden speech as World Bank president today is that it was much better than the advance account in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) would have led listeners to expect. The speech, “An Inclusive and Sustainable Globalization,” marked Zoellick’s first 100 days in office and was cleverly timed to get ahead of the bank’s annual meetings next week, a big improvement upon the ritualized big Annual Meetings Speech. Comment »June 11, 2007Lant Pritchett in the Times: A Wild Migration Idea Whose Time – Already CamePosted by Michael Clemens in Aid Effectiveness, Global Health, Globalization, Human Rights, Inequality, Migration, Migration and Labor Mobility, World Trade Organization Tags: Human Rights, InequalityYesterday the New York Times profiled Lant Pritchett and sketched his proposal to create 16 million guest-worker jobs in rich countries for people from poor countries. His goal is to help people from very poor places make their lives better. The Times piece (subscription may be required) politely leaves the impression that this “eccentric” idea is “ahem, ahead of its time”, and that poor Lant is in the grips of an impossible “panacea”. Some of the interviewees go as far as to suggest that the whole shebang is darkly immoral. 4 Comments »June 1, 2007Four Questions for Bob ZoellickPosted by Lawrence MacDonald in Aid Effectiveness, Climate Change, Environment, Global Health, Global Warming, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, News, Trade, World Bank, World Trade Organization Tags: World Bank
9 Comments »May 2, 2007Bangkok Delusions: Why the South Should Act Now on Carbon EmissionsPosted by David Wheeler in Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, Globalization, Migration and Labor Mobility, World Trade OrganizationThis week, the third working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Bangkok to finalize its report on measures to curb global carbon emissions. According to numerous press accounts (see for example, the AFP report in the Hindustani Times: India, China, Brazil Hold Up Climate Change Talks), China, India and Brazil have slowed the proceedings by demanding that the North accept its dominant role in climate change. Their purpose is to force more concessions from the North in the next round of global negotiations, and to avoid restrictions on their own emissions. In one sense they’re right: The onus is clearly on the developed North, particularly the U.S., to make the lion’s share of cuts in global carbon emissions. It will be very surprising if India and China forsake coal as a low-cost energy source as long as the U.S. brazenly exploits it. But in another critical sense, the leaders of the South are wrong. There is a disturbing, even delusory, quality to the view that solving this problem is entirely up to the North. As my colleague David Roodman has so aptly noted, if the boat is sinking it’s suicidal to deadlock over who should bail. To see why the South should join in, consider the following parable. 4 Comments »March 29, 2007Your Chance to Ask Nancy Birdsall About Globalization and InequalityPosted by Tony Kopetchny in Globalization, Inequality, Migration and Labor Mobility, World Trade Organization Tags: InequalityYesterday, CGD’s president, Nancy Birdsall testified before a U.S. Congressional committee about globalization and inequality in Latin America. Nancy has written and spoken widely on the topic of global inequality and recently launched a new CGD initiative on the topic. She argues that the world is not flat, contrary to the title of Thomas Friedman’s best-selling book on globalization. Rather a deeper look into globalized markets reveals chasms where the world’s poor are being left ever further behind. You can watch a crisp two minute video of Nancy explaining the importance of focusing on this issue.
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As part of an 
Leaders from more than 20 major nations announced Thursday (
In early 2009, before the inauguration of President Obama, Kim Elliott and I decided it was time to think seriously and coherently about the future direction of U.S. trade policy, especially as it relates to developing countries. The collapse of the Doha Round was one of the critical motivating factors, as it was now clear to all involved that there was no obvious trajectory for the international trading system. There was also talk among key trade leaders of a complete freeze on trade agreements of any type, leading one to wonder what the next step might be for the United States and whether we would maintain a leadership role on trade.
World Bank president Bob Zoellick announced several striking 
President Bush’s nomination of Robert Zoellick to be the next president of the World Bank has been mostly well-received in U.S. policy circles and by some leading rich and developing countries. In the U.S., expressions of support appeared on the editorial pages of 
