Global development experts told Devex the administration has backed up its early promises by setting the right priorities in office, but they also warned that Biden’s team has a short window remaining to translate those priorities into meaningful action. Some also questioned the extent to which key U.S. development leaders are prepared to match rhetoric about transforming the country’s foreign aid business model with the less glamorous work of addressing long-standing internal barriers that make change so difficult.
“It’s true both that the U.S. has demonstrated vital global leadership … and that, given the scale of the challenge, it’s simply not enough,” said Erin Collinson, the director of policy outreach at the Center for Global Development.
Biden and his team have repeatedly stressed their desire to draw stronger links between domestic and international policy. But some experts question whether they have followed through in the global response to COVID-19, an area that appears tailor-made for such an approach.
