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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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 Posts:January 31, 2010FarewellBy Sheila HerrlingFriends: On Friday, MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes announced my appointment as the Corporation’s Vice President of Policy and International Relations. I am both honored and excited to assume that position on Monday and work with the CEO and the immensely capable staff of the MCC on an exciting set of issues aimed at enhancing the organization’s effectiveness. It is, of course, a bittersweet moment for me. I have also been hugely honored to be a part of CGD and given the space and support to think, write and build a program that I hope has helped people better navigate U.S. foreign aid issues and helped foreign aid agencies stay true to their missions. I want to especially thank you all for your thoughtful comments, both online and off-line. They have both informed my analysis and inspired me personally. It is much of what has made this job so much fun. The Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Program and blog will continue, with posts and analysis from CGD senior staff. And before you know it, there will be a new Director you will know and love and soon be saying, “Sheila who?” Thanks again to all of you for your attention and support through the years. I trust our paths will cross again and that I will benefit, on “the other side,” from your continued monitoring of the MCC! –Sheila 7 Comments »January 12, 2010Shah Sworn In As USAID AdministratorBy Sheila HerrlingOn January 7th, in front of a standing room only crowd, Dr. Rajiv Shah was officially sworn-in as the new USAID Administrator. Presiding over the ceremony was Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who praised Shah as a “passionate, visionary experienced development expert” who would help in “rebuilding AID as the premier development agency in the world, bar none.” For his part, Administrator Shah embraced what he called “a unique moment of opportunity” for the Agency, one that ties directly to “the President’s bold vision to embrace development as indispensable to American foreign policy.” Overall, he reinforced many of the same principles in his remarks that had been laid out a day earlier by Secretary Clinton in her speech at CGD, championing the successes of U.S. foreign assistance while cautioning that major internal reforms are necessary to make USAID more effective. While the appointment of Administrator Shah represents a significant step forward for USAID, it should be noted that the bulk of the work is just beginning. I’ve talked before of the set of fundamental challenges facing Shah as he takes the helm of the Agency. Filling out the rest of his leadership crew – 12 of which, like him, require Senate confirmation – is at the top of the to-do list. We’re all anxious to see who emerges by his side! Who would you like to see? Comment »December 29, 2009Shah Confirmed by Senate to Lead USAIDBy Sheila HerrlingOn December 24th, the full Senate confirmed Raj Shah as USAID Administrator. After eleven months of guessing-games and intrigue, this element of the drama is finally settled. Now, that same level of attention and energy needs to turn to the tougher stuff – positioning of the agency in the U.S. government, defining its mandate, and giving it the authorities it needs to raise the bar on effective development policy and foreign assistance. Comment »December 14, 2009MCC FY10 Selection Round: A New CEO, No New Countries, but Second Compacts Enter the ArenaBy Sheila HerrlingThis is a joint posting with Casey Dunning In its seventh round of selecting countries eligible to apply for assistance (and the first for the Obama administration), the MCC Board welcomed its new CEO and faced a decision tree with an awful lot of branches. And each branch seemed to have unknown variables: Would countries sustain eligibility? What final FY10 appropriations would it receive? Would Congress provide a short-term legislative fix for graduates? What to do about the trends that show graduation will continue, putting most of the better performers in the lower-middle income category (LMIC), capped at 25% of resources? Would Congress ever allow concurrent compact authority? What is the right balance between selecting new countries vs. implementing existing compacts? As the first set of compact countries near completion of their compacts, should it select them for a follow-on (second) compact? And then there always seems to be a case that challenges whether the MCC should be used as a purely diplomatic carrot. In the end, the Board navigated well all of the various pressures, adding no new countries to the existing pool but re-selecting those in the midst of compact preparation and selecting one country as eligible to prepare the first-ever second compact. Here are the headlines, along with our thoughts and comparison to our predictions: Read More… Comment »December 9, 2009Raj Shah Sails Through Hearing and Committee, but Will He Captain His Own Ship?By Sheila HerrlingThis is a joint post with Sarah Jane Staats – I am so delighted to have her back at CGD and collaborating with the Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance team!
He wowed with confidence and poise in answering very pointed, very informed questions from Members. He wowed with his knowledge, at this early stage, of the issues at the forefront of the development policy and foreign aid reform agenda. He wowed with the story of his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Gates Foundation. He wowed with an obvious passion for global development and public service. Heck, he even wowed with his young son who sat in his chair through the entire hearing, studiously taking notes. Read More… Comment »December 9, 2009MCC Gets $1.1 Billion in FY10 Appropriations Conference ReportBy Sheila HerrlingThe consolidated FY2010 appropriations conference report hit the streets today, one step closer to a final House- and Senate-approved FY2010 appropriation bill expected before the Continuing Resolution expires December 18th. A more detailed analysis is forthcoming but for those of you MCC-watchers out there — particularly given the budget’s influence on today’s Board meeting to select new countries eligibile for compacts — I wanted to get you a quick overview. Read More… Comment »November 21, 2009MCC CEO Yohannes ConfirmedBy Sheila HerrlingYesterday the Senate confirmed Daniel Yohannes as CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Comment » |
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