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Niger Coup | Up With Dubai | Memo to UNESCO

Feb 23, 2010

FEATURES

Despite Coup in Niger, Wrong Time to Yank Humanitarian Assistance

Last week's coup in Niger presents the United States and other donors with a common conundrum: how to chastise coup plotters without hurting poor people. U.S. law requires a halt to most assistance but makes an exception for humanitarian aid. CGD non-resident fellow Jenny Aker, an expert on Niger's fragile food systems, warns that halting humanitarian aid could cause a massive food crisis.

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Some Dubai Investments Not Dubious

Motionless cranes and empty skyscrapers are testimony to Dubai's profligate spending and looming debt. But CGD senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran writes from Dubai that not all of the emirate's investments have been foolish. She argues that new road networks, a large air terminal, and a world-class port are smart investments that position Dubai as a regional growth hub.

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Memo to UNESCO: Make 2010 a Watershed Year for Adolescent Girls' Education

Cynthia B. Lloyd, Ruth Levine, and Miriam Temin, authors of reports in CGD's Girls Count series, call on Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, to push for global and national action to increase the commitment and funding to support adolescent girls' education.

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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

Meet a CGD Expert

Jenny Aker

Non-Resident Fellow
Jenny Aker

Jenny C. Aker is an assistant professor of economics at Tufts University. Her research approach uses field experiments to better understand real-world development problems and to link research with policy and implementation. Her current research focuses on the impact of information (and information technology) on development outcomes, namely agricultural markets and literacy; the impact of information and education on civic education; and markets and food crisis. Aker is currently collaborating with several NGOs on multi-arm randomized experiments using cell phones in Niger and Mozambique, and she is on the advisory board for Frontline SMS.