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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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 Sarah Jane Staats is the director of policy outreach at the Center for Global Development. Full Bio Follow @sjstaats
Showing posts on the Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance blog. View author posts on: Obama Updates Development Profile: Ag and Private Sector Now FriendsMay 21, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in Food Security, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: Food Security, G-8 Photo: CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture / cc; Inset: White House
President Obama announced $3 billion in new private sector investments in agriculture in three African countries at a packed event in Washington, D.C., last Friday. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is the cornerstone of the United States’ 2012 G-8 commitments to development led by USAID and administrator Rajiv Shah. There’s a lot to like about the partnership: presidential leadership, a link between public and private investment, and a focus on policy change. But all eyes are on how the relatively modest investments will be implemented and whether they can reach the ambitious poverty reduction targets. Comment »A Fresh Look at CGD’s Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative: Your Ideas WantedMay 16, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance
I’m delighted to be taking over the reins of CGD’s Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative. Many of you know me as CGD’s director of policy outreach and my contributions to CGD’s MCA Monitor and Rethink program. As the incoming director of the Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative—effective June 4th—I’ll be building on the strong foundation of the previous directors, Sheila Herrling and Connie Veillette. And I’m eager to hear your ideas. The goal of the program remains the same: to provide a one-stop shop for timely, relevant analysis on U.S. development assistance. As in the past, the primary focus will be on reporting, analysis and commentary on the mission, mandate and organizational structure of U.S. aid agencies such as USAID and MCC and their interactions with other U.S. development actors, such as the State Department and Pentagon. The program will also track presidential development initiatives like Feed the Future and the Global Health Initiative. Comment »MCC Terminates Mali CompactMay 9, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in MCA/MCC, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: MCA/MCC
The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) board of directors has terminated Mali’s compact following the late-March military coup. The five-year, $460 million compact will end at least one month earlier than expected. Portions of the Bamako airport and Alatona irrigation projects won’t be finished. And barring a major turn of events, the investments won’t yield the anticipated returns: two million beneficiaries and an estimated $400 million increase in household income. Comment »Mugabe Invites CGD’s MCA Monitor to “The Dictator” ScreeningMay 8, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in MCA/MCC Tags: MCA/MCC
Washington policy wonks—and yours truly—got a little funny in the mail today: an invitation from Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for a special screening of Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest film “The Dictator.” The effort to punk Washington is well done. The spoof invite includes the presidential residence address in Harare and lists Zimbabwe Deputy Minister of Education, Sport and Culture Lazarus Dokora as the point of contact. The “Southwest Entrance” instruction on the bottom right is an added treat. Comment »Rubio’s Non-VP VP Speech: Bipartisan U.S. Global Engagement RequiredApril 27, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in Budget, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: Marc Rubio
What happens in the world is America’s business, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued in a major foreign policy speech at Brookings this week in what sounded a lot like a vice-presidential candidate speech (even if we’re not calling it that just yet). Roll over dog-gate! Step aside mommy-gate! There might finally be some serious comments about the U.S. role in the world in the midst of Washington’s silly season. The campaigns and pundits will parse words and spar over policy particulars. Vice President Biden has already started. But here’s what I liked about Rubio’s speech: Comment »MCC Board Meeting Thursday: Malawi, Zambia, Senegal, and MoreMarch 21, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in MCA/MCC, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance
The MCC board meets Thursday. On the agenda: Zambia (new compact), Malawi (whither its compact) and Niger (revised threshold program). Not on the agenda, but worth discussion: Senegal and upcoming impact evaluations. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it would be nice if there were news on the two vacant board seats. Good News: Zambia & Niger Zambia’s $355 million compact is up for approval. Zambia was one of the first MCC threshold countries and completed its program in 2009. Zambia has since become eligible for a full MCC compact–and had peaceful elections with a change in political parties, signalling further democratic gains–which will be considered by the board, and likely approved. The board will also consider re-purposing Niger’s remaining threshold funds. (Niger’s threshold program was suspended in December 2009; the suspension was lifted in December 2011.) Read More… 1 Comment »Senegal: No Country for MCC?February 24, 2012By Sarah Jane Staats in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance
Senegal, once a stable democracy, is on shaky ground as it approaches controversial presidential elections this weekend. President Abdoulaye Wade’s arguably unconstitutional bid for a third term is sparking protests and violence. Meanwhile, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)—whose raison d’etre is to work with just and democratic governments—maintains a $540 million, five-year development package in the country. Sunday’s elections will test the strength of Senegal’s democracy and the future of its MCC funding. The MCC-Senegal relationship has been bumpy from the start. Senegal was widely-expected to be the very first MCC compact country but after three years of negotiations, there was no compact. MCC doled out some tough love and Senegal pulled together a new team, invested large amounts of their own money and eventually signed a $540 million compact in 2009. 3 Comments » |
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