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Liberia Debt Buyback | Fast Track Education | Stata

Apr 21, 2009

Center for Global Development


	CGD Development Update \| April 21, 2009

FEATURES

Liberia Debt Buyback

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced last week the $1.2 billion buyback of the country's commercial debt at a discount of nearly 97 percent off face value, the deepest discount ever negotiated on such debt. CGD senior fellow Steve Radelet, who supported President Sirleaf and her government in arranging the deal, explains how it works and what it means for Liberia going forward.

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Accelerating the Education for All--Fast Track Initiative

Donors, multilateral agencies, recipient countries, and NGOs supporting the Education for All--Fast Track Initiative (FTI) gather this week in Copenhagen to assess FTI progress. CGD visiting fellow Desmond Bermingham, the former head of the FTI, argues that the donors should push the World Bank to hasten disbursements.

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New Stata Tool for Conditional Mixed-Process Modeling

David Roodman's new working paper explains the computer program he wrote to implement a statistical technique known as conditional mixed-process modeling. The paper follows in the tradition of his "How to Do xtabond2," which documents one of the most popular add-ons to the commercial statistical package Stata and has been CGD's most downloaded publication. As Roodman explains on his Microfinance Open Book Blog, he is using the new program to reexamine studies of the impact of microcredit on borrowers' welfare.

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NEW FROM CGD

Recent blog posts

Recent Views from the Center Blog Posts

Accelerating the Education for All--Fast Track Initiative 04/20/2009
Missed Opportunities in Port of Spain, But a Step Forward on Cuba 04/20/2009
Liberia Cuts its Debt with $1.2 Billion Buy-Back at 97 Percent Discount 04/16/2009

Recent Global Health Policy Blog Posts

Recent MCA Monitor Blog Posts

MCC Compact Implementation in Madagascar Put on Hold 03/23/2009
First Meeting of the New MCC Board: More Orientation than Decision-Making 03/20/2009
New MCC Board Meets for First Time March 11 03/9/2009

David Roodman's Microfinance Open Book Blog

Roodman's Law of Instrumental Value 04/14/2009
What about Microinsurance? 04/10/2009
Now You Too Can Fit Fully Observed Recursive Mixed-process Models! 04/7/2009

Bretton Woods Non-Commission

MEET CGD EXPERT

David Roodman

Research Fellow

David Roodman has been architect and project manager of the Commitment to Development Index since the project's inception in 2002. He is writing a book on microfinance.

Selected Works

Microfinance Open Book Blog - Work in progress - Comment
Microfinance as Business - Working Paper 101
The Commitment to Development Index for Africa: How Much do the Richest Countries Help the Poorest Continent? - Initiative | Publication
Through the Looking-Glass, and What OLS Found There: On Growth, Foreign Aid, and Reverse Causality - Working Paper 137
Macro Aid Effectiveness Research: A Guide for the Perplexed - Working Paper 134
Aid Project Proliferation and Absorptive Capacity - Working Paper 75

Blogs

Read David Roodman's Author Archives:

Features
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Upcoming Events

April 22 - 23, 2009
New Ideas in Development after the Financial Crisis
April 23, 2009
Congressional Hearing: U.S. Assistance to Africa
April 24, 2009
Adapting Aid Criteria to Development Goals

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About CGD

CGD is an independent think tank that works to reduce global poverty and inequality by encouraging policy change in the U.S. and other rich countries through rigorous research and active engagement with the policy community.

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About this Newsletter

The CGD Development Update is a weekly e-letter that provides information about rich country development policies, CGD events, initiatives, publications, and media citations