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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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January 12, 2010Clinton, Innovation, and the MCCPosted by Darius Nassiry in Global Development, Governance/Democracy, Modernizing U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: Clinton, MCA, MCC, State DepartmentSecretary of State Clinton’s speech highlighted steps currently being taken to strengthen the role of development in U.S. foreign policy. First among these: a new emphasis on partnerships – “not only to the countries where we work, but to other countries and organizations working there as well.” Developing new partnerships requires a departure from business-as-usual. To minimize costs and lower risk, it may make sense to pilot new approaches through agencies that might serve as incubators. Of the nearly 20 agencies involved in delivering U.S. foreign assistance, one candidate would be the Millennium Challenge Corporation. For MCC, new partnerships with private or non-governmental entities – particularly those with potential to promote new investment ideas directly from citizens in partner countries – would not only demonstrate the potential for innovative approaches to U.S. foreign assistance but could also strengthen adherence to MCC’s founding principle of country ownership. MCC’s legislation authorizes provision of assistance “in the form of grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to or with … regional or local governmental units … [or] a nongovernmental organization or a private entity.” Even so, moves by MCC toward more innovative approaches would need to be done in close consultation with Congress. Read More… Comment »January 5, 2010After the Plane Bomber, Where in the World is Nigeria’s President?Posted by Todd Moss in Africa, Governance/Democracy Tags: Africa, Democracy, Governance, NigeriaThis entry was also posted on the Huffington Post, AllAfrica, and Sahara Reporters.
14 Comments »July 31, 2009What Can Africa Hope For During Clinton Visit?Posted by Todd Moss in Aid Effectiveness, Economic Growth, Global Development, Governance/Democracy, Poverty Tags: Foreign Aid Reform, Security and Development, USAIDThis blog also appeared on the Huffington Post Comment »June 9, 2009What Would Barack Obama Be Like If He Was Still President in 2051? Ask GabonPosted by Todd Moss in Global Development, Governance/Democracy, Regions Tags: Corruption, Gabon, Human Rights, RegionsWhat would Barack Obama be like if he was still president in 2051? We would expect that despite whatever initial good intentions, that four decades in power would inevitably give way to entrenched corruption, mindless sycophancy, and probably destroy our democracy. Such an outcome is not only barred by the U.S. constitution, but sounds like an absurd question today. Read More… 1 Comment »March 25, 2009A Cautionary Note on AIG Bonus Clawback: Is the United States Turning into Argentina?Posted by Nora Lustig in Capitol Flows/Financial Crisis, Global Development, Governance/Democracy Tags: AIG, Argentina, RegionsA friend who works in Wall Street was livid upon learning about the U.S. House of Representatives’ move to tax the controversial AIG bonuses at 90 percent. My friend—who is from Latin America and does not work at AIG—said that it looks like the United States is turning into Argentina. He was referring to last year when, in the midst of the commodity boom, the Argentine government attempted to raise the tax rate on the additional profits to around 90 percent and to increase its access to resources it nationalized the private pension plans. Read More… 2 Comments »March 25, 2009No “Reset” Button for South Africa EitherPosted by Todd Moss in Global Development, Governance/Democracy, Regions Tags: Human Rights, Inequality, Pretoria, South Africa, ZimbabweAnne Applebaum’s op-ed today is a reminder that just having a new U.S. administration with a boatload of goodwill won’t necessarily deal with underlying policy differences in our foreign relations, hokey plastic “reset” buttons aside. Applebaum was referring to Russia, but this seems to apply equally to South Africa. One of the first tasks of the new Africa team at the State Department (Ambassador Johnnie Carson was nominated to be Assistant Secretary this week) will be to try to rebuild the relationship with the continent’s largest regional power. While America has built solid partnerships with many African nations, relations with South Africa are deeply fraught. Read More… Comment »November 24, 2008Tim Geithner and Lawrence Summers – Good Picks for the U.S. and the World’s PoorPosted by Nancy Birdsall in 2008 Presidential Election, Aid Effectiveness, Capitol Flows/Financial Crisis, Cash on Delivery Aid, Debt Relief, Economic Development, Economic Growth, Financial Crisis, Foreign Aid Reform, Global Education, Global Health, Governance/Democracy, Human Rights, International Monetary Fund, Migration and Labor Mobility, Millions Saved, News, The Future of the World Bank, U.S. Foreign Aid Reform, United Nations, World Bank Tags: Cash on Delivery Aid, Foreign Aid Reform, IMF, Millions Saved, U.S. Presidential Elections, World Bank
10 Comments »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 »May 15, 2008Be Careful What You Wish for: Fighting Corruption Is Good, But Not If It Means Stopping Development AssistancePosted by Administrator in Corruption, Governance/Democracy, United Nations, World Bank Tags: Corruption, World BankSenators Lugar and Bayh are again on the anticorruption warpath. Yesterday they issued a press release calling for “a Government Accounting Office (GAO) probe of the World Bank’s anticorruption efforts.” They want to make sure that the U.S.’s $950 million contribution to the International Development Association is not being “misspent and enriching corrupt foreign regimes.” Certainly sounds reasonable, but is this really the right focus for a review of World Bank operations? In the chapter I wrote (along with Ted Moran) for The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President, a forthcoming CGD publication, I argue that it is not. I make three points in the chapter that bear on the Lugar-Bayh proposal. Comment »May 7, 2008Does Sharing Apply to Development? Yup!Posted by Dave Witzel in Governance/Democracy, Internet, Migration and Labor Mobility, United Nations Tags: LiberiaMcNealy arrived late, delayed by a meeting at the Pentagon. You could tell he was tired. He’d flown to DC from California with a stopover in Dallas where he stayed up late watching hockey as his beloved San Jose Sharks fell to the Stars in the 4th overtime. Nonetheless, by the time lunch was finished at 1:30pm we had made good progress answering moderator Lawrence MacDonald’s query – does sharing and openness really matter for development? Based on insights from the speakers and the audience, it turns out the answer is “yes” and “in a variety of ways.” Less clear was what to do about it. Comment »May 1, 2008Sharing as a Development StrategyPosted by Dave Witzel in Governance/Democracy, Internet, Migration and Labor Mobility, United Nations Tags: LiberiaScott McNealy is Chairman of Sun Microsystems a company he co-founded in 1982. He is a fierce competitor in business and in a hockey rink. He can be abrasive and outspoken explaining that “diplomacy has never been my middle name.” He is an avowed capitalist and self-proclaimed libertarian. Nonetheless, his bio page says he’s a “Champion for Sharing.” In fact, Sun, as part of its business strategy shares almost everything. Its Java software platform and Open Office applications suite are open source. Recently it purchased one of the largest open source databases vendors, MySQL AB. Even its hardware is open source with the release of OpenSPARC. McNealy has invested in curriki.org to improve sharing of educational resources and Sun has launched openeco.org as a shared platform to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Comment »March 31, 2008McCain Says International Good Citizenship Key to American Security and Global ImagePosted by Sarah Jane Staats in 2008 Presidential Election, Governance/Democracy, Migration and Labor Mobility, Security and Development, United Nations Tags: Security and Development, U.S. Presidential Elections
Comment »January 2, 2008Bring Back Nuhu Ribadu: Nigeria’s Dedicated Corruption FighterPosted by Administrator in Africa, Corruption, Governance/Democracy, Regions, United Nations Tags: Corruption
Nuhu Ribadu visited CGD last October, while he was still the executive chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). For an hour and a half he held a room full of hardened development types spellbound. He came across as articulate, professional, extraordinarily committed…and incredibly brave. He talked of taking on Nigeria’s corruption kingpins, of how he was determined to show that no one, no matter how powerful, how well-connected, was above the law. But unlike most of us, Nuhu did more than talk. He acted. As we left the room at the end of his presentation, I remember wondering to a colleague how long Nuhu would last. We now have the answer: as of end 2007, Nuhu Ribadu is no longer the executive chairman of Nigeria’s top anti-corruption body. Comment »December 6, 2007Buy a Beer in Zimbabwe — You’ll Need ItPosted by Michael Clemens in Governance/Democracy, United Nations, Zimbabwe Tags: ZimbabweWhat’s it like to live in a country whose economy has been shattered by its own leaders? Here’s how a beer purchase in Zimbabwe looks these days:
Comment »June 4, 2007With the G8 Push for More Aid, Are Donors Spending More Selectively?Posted by Steve Radelet in Aid Effectiveness, G8, Global Health, Governance/Democracy, Migration and Labor Mobility, United Nations Tags: G8
Comment »March 8, 2007President Bush in Latin America: Democracy, Social Justice and a Dollop of AidPosted by Nancy Birdsall in Aid Effectiveness, Bolivia, Global Health, Governance/Democracy, Inequality, Latin America, Migration, Migration and Labor Mobility, United Nations Tags: Bolivia, InequalityPresident Bush is going to Latin America, and that has inspired a round of commentary in the mainstream press. A New York Times editorial urges the President to focus on democracy, human rights and social justice, and applauds the recent doubling of U.S. aid to the region. Democracy and social justice and a dollop of aid (the current budget of $1.6 billion is barely 1 percent of spending by Latin governments on health and education) are good things. But from President Bush they are bound to come across as mere sound bites (as even the editorial writer seems to acknowledge) given the level of distrust and cynicism about this Administration in the region. Worse they will seem a hapless answer to President Chavez of Venezuela’s practical steps to buying allies – making a market for Argentina’s bonds, issuing fat contracts to Brazil’s largest construction contractors, and ensuring cheap access to oil and highly trained Cuban doctors for Bolivia. 2 Comments »December 13, 2006Guess Who’s Protecting a War Criminal Now?Posted by Todd Moss in Africa, Governance/Democracy, Human Rights, Regions, United Nations, Zimbabwe Tags: Human Rights, Zimbabwe
An Ethiopian court yesterday convicted former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam for a range of war crimes including instigating genocide (see the Washington Post for more details). Mengistu, who led a Marxist junta from 1974 until ousted by force in 1991, unleashed a vicious campaign against his own people that murdered thousands. The trial focused on the notorious “Red Terror” campaign of 1977-78 that killed approximately 2,000 people. Perhaps even worse, Mengistu was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths from famine in the mid-1980s, which resulted more from deliberate government policy than from drought itself. Despite the convictions – and possible death sentence to be decided later this month – Mengistu is unlikely to face justice anytime soon. For the past sixteen years he has been living in Harare, Zimbabwe under the protection of President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has reportedly rejected Ethiopian attempts at extradition, and seems unlikely to give him up now. But this is also risky for Mugabe. Coddling a genocidaire will only serve to highlight the blood on Mugabe’s own hands, too, particularly from a military campaign known as gukuruhundi that slaughtered up to 20,000 people in Matabeleland in the early 1980s. The abuses are well-documented by human rights groups and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, but there has been no action yet taken against those responsible. Indeed many of them are still in top positions in the Mugabe government, and several are even considered possible successors to the 82-year old president. The outcome in Addis yesterday may be a partial victory for justice in Ethiopia. But it could also help to force Zimbabwe to face its demons as well. Comment »November 20, 2006Mali’s President Touré Talks Democracy and Development at CGDPosted by Administrator in Africa, Governance/Democracy, Regions, United Nations
2 Comments »August 14, 20062006 Commitment to Development Index LaunchesPosted by David Roodman in Aid Effectiveness, Climate Change, Commitment to Development Index, Environment, Global Health, Globalization, Governance/Democracy, Human Rights, News, Trade, United Nations, World Trade Organization Tags: Commitment to Development Index, Human Rights
4 Comments »August 1, 2006So What’s New? The World Bank Takes Another Stab at Governance and CorruptionPosted by Administrator in Corruption, Governance/Democracy, United Nations, World Bank Tags: Corruption, World Bank
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We at CGD warmly welcome president-elect Barack Obama’s appointments of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of Treasury and Lawrence Summers to head the National Economic Council. Both are members of the 
International good citizenship is critical for improving America’s security and image in the world, according to Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee for U.S. president. Citing the growing interdependence of the U.S. and other countries and calling terrorism the “central threat of our time,” in a major 
The 
I am pleased to announce the release of the 2006 edition of the 
The World Bank recently posted the outline of its “new” approach to 
