Nancy Birdsall

President
Development economics, globalism and inequality, the aid system, international financial institutions, education, Latin America, climate financing
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Education: Ph.D., Yale University, 1979; M.A., Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1969; B.A., Newton College of the Sacred Heart, 1967
Media Contact: Jessica Brinton

Nancy Birdsall is the Center for Global Development's founding president. From 1993 to 1998, she was executive vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank, the largest of the regional development banks, where she oversaw a $30 billion public and private loan portfolio. Before that she worked 14 years in research, policy, and management positions at the World Bank, including as director of the Policy Research Department.

She is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books and over 100 articles in scholarly journals and monographs. Shorter pieces of her writing have appeared in dozens of U.S. and Latin American newspapers and periodicals. Birdsall received her Ph.D. from Yale University and her M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Prior to launching the Center, she served for three years as Senior Associate and Director of the Economic Reform Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where her work focused on globalization, inequality and the reform of the international financial institutions.

New Popular Working Papers Books Other CGD Pubs Events Selected Works
  • Cash on Delivery: A New Approach to Foreign Aid - Mar 16, 2010

    Cash on Delivery (COD) Aid proposes serious reform to make aid work well by forcing accountability, aligning the objectives of funders and recipients, and sharing information about what works.

  • The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President - Aug 22, 2008

    The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President shows how modest changes in U.S. policies could greatly improve the lives of poor people in developing countries, thus fostering greater stability, security, and prosperity globally and at home. Center for Global...

  • Fair Growth: Economic Policies for Latin America's Poor and Middle-Income Majority - Jan 17, 2008

    In an increasingly globalized world, inequality is an issue of rising concern, especially in Latin America, home to many of the world's most unequal societies. This new book, co-published by the Center for Global Development and the Inter-American Dialogue, describes the links between recent growth...

  • Rescuing the World Bank - Sep 5, 2006

    Critics allege that the World Bank is deeply flawed. Yet the world needs a strong World Bank to help manage development and the related global challenges of the 21st century. Do the Bank's shortcomings put its future at risk? If so, can the Bank be rescued? Rescuing the World Bank, a new book that...

  • Short of the Goal: U.S. Policy and Poorly Performing States - May 23, 2006

    This new collection of essays sets an agenda for increased American effectiveness in dealing with failed states to promote economic development and international security. It includes an overview of the poorly understood challenge of weak and failed states and case studies by regional policy...

  • Reality Check: The Distributional Impact of Privatization
    in Developing Countries
    - Oct 17, 2005

    Most studies of privatization look at what happens to companies. Reality Check, a new volume of case studies from Latin America, Asia, and the former Soviet Union, examines the impact on people. Surprise: privatization has often been a reasonably good thing, even for the poor. Read a Q&A with lead...

  • Financing Development: The Power of Regionalism - Oct 1, 2004

    The historic 2002 United Nations Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, overlooked a crucial question: regionalism. Financing Development: The Power of Regionalism is designed to correct this omission.

  • Delivering on Debt Relief:
    From IMF Gold to a New Aid Architecture
    - Apr 10, 2002

    This study brings readers up to date on the complicated and controversial subject of debt relief for the poorest countries of the world.

  • Washington Contentious: Economic Policies for Social Equity in Latin America - Jan 1, 2001

    At the end of the 1990s the future of Latin America seemed grim in the face of four devastating problems—slow and unsteady economic growth, persistent poverty, social injustice, and personal insecurity. For 10 years Latin America had pursued—with considerable vigor—the 10 economic policies...

  • Program-for-Results (PforR) Financing: Current Progress and Next Steps - Jan 19, 2012

    The Center for Global Development presents Program-for-Results (PforR) Financing: Current Progress and Next Steps     Featuring Joachim von Amsberg Vice-President, Operations Policy and Country Services World Bank Discussants Nancy Birdsall President Center...

  • Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance - Jan 5, 2012

    The Center for Global Development  and Consultative Group to Assist the Poor present Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance Featuring the Author David Roodman Senior Fellow Center for Global Development Introductory Remarks by Nancy...

  • 2011 Commitment to Development “Ideas in Action” Award - Dec 7, 2011

    The Center for Global Development and Foreign Policy Magazine present the 2011 Commitment to Development “Ideas in Action” Award Honoring 2011 Award Winner Geeta Rao Gupta Remarks and Introductions by Nancy Birdsall President, Center for Global Development and Susan...

  • Achieving an AIDS Transition: Preventing Infections to Sustain Treatment - Nov 16, 2011

    Center for Global Development presents Achieving an AIDS Transition: Preventing Infections to Sustain Treatment Featuring Mead Over Senior Fellow Center for Global Development With Discussants Laurie Garrett Senior Fellow on Global Health Council on Foreign...

  • Emerging Issues in Today’s HIV Response: Treatment as Prevention - Nov 10, 2011

    Emerging Issues in Today’s HIV Response A Debate Series Co-Hosted by the World Bank and USAID Treatment as Prevention Opening Remarks Michel Sidibé Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Under Secretary-General of the United...

  • Beyond Bullets and Bombs: Fixing the U.S. Approach to Development in Pakistan - Jun 1, 2011

    The Center for Global Development presents Beyond Bullets and Bombs Fixing the U.S. Approach to Development in Pakistan Panel #1 – Getting Back on Track: A Focused Aid Strategy Featuring Nancy Birdsall President Center for Global Development Shuja Nawaz Director of the South...

  • Enabling Africa's Next Growth Decade: The G-20's Role in Supporting Infrastructure Development and Global Food Security - Apr 15, 2011

    The Center for Global Development presents Enabling Africa's Next Growth Decade: The G-20's Role in Supporting Infrastructure Development and Global Food Security Introductory Remarks by Henri de Raincourt Minister for International Cooperation and Development Republic of France Nancy...

  • The Sixth Annual Richard H. Sabot Lecture: Policies and Politics: Can Evidence Play a Role in the Fight against Poverty? - Apr 11, 2011

    Center for Global Development presents The Sixth Annual Richard H. Sabot Lecture Policies and Politics: Can Evidence Play a Role in the Fight against Poverty? Featuring Professor Esther Duflo Massachussets Institute of Technology April 11, 2011 5:00pm--6:30pm Reception to...

  • Twenty-first Century Multilateralism: The OECD in a G-20 World - Mar 24, 2011

    The Center for Global Development presents Twenty-first Century Multilateralism: The OECD in a G-20 World Featuring  Angel Gurria  Secretary General, OECD Introduction and Commentary by Nancy Birdsall President, Center for Global Development Thursday, March 24,...

  • Closing the Evaluation Gap: 3ie One Year On - May 4, 2010

    Focusing on the role of rigorous evaluation in policy interventions and highlighting lessons learned from conditional cash transfer programs in the health and education sectors, the event will be an opportunity for dialogue between high-level policymakers and researchers to discuss the implications...

  • Open Markets for the Poorest Countries: Trade Preferences That Work - Apr 6, 2010

    Please join us for the launch event of the CGD working group report on global trade preference reform, Open Markets for the Poorest Countries: Trade Preferences That Work. Working group chair and CGD senior fellow Kimberly Elliott will present the report's recommendations and CGD president Nancy...

  • Cash on Delivery: A New Approach to Foreign Aid - Mar 23, 2010

    Donor countries have committed to major increases in development assistance but doubts remain over how effective this aid is. At this launch of their new book, authors Nancy Birdsall, William Savedoff, and Ayah Mahgoub present Cash on Delivery Aid, an approach that links aid directly to outcomes...

  • A New Way to Promote Economic Growth: Charter Cities - Mar 15, 2010

    CGD non-resident fellow Paul Romer is a professor at Stanford University and is one of the leading growth economists of our time. He will discuss his idea for a profoundly new way to reduce poverty in the developing world: chartering new cities to create centers of growth and prosperity within...

  • The 2009 Commitment to Development Ideas in Action Award - Feb 5, 2010

    Please join us in honoring Diego Hidalgo Schnur, the 2009 winner of the Commitment to Development Ideas in Action Award, sponsored jointly by the Center for Global Development (CGD) and Foreign Policy magazine. Hidalgo’s career reflects his resolute dedication to helping the world’s poorest...

  • British Development Policy and the Conservative Party - Dec 3, 2009

    Andrew Mitchell, MP, UK Shadow Minister for International Development, will be speaking about the UK Conservative Party's development policy and plans, including the main elements of the "green paper" issued recently. One World Conservatism lays out the Tory strategy for fighting global poverty and...

  • Financing Forest Conservation to Combat Global Warming: Keys to Success at Copenhagen - Nov 18, 2009

    Forest clearing in developing countries is an enormous contributor to global warming, accounting for about 15% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. The Bali Action Plan seeks ways to reward countries for reducing these emissions--an agenda known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and...

  • Zedillo Commission Report on World Bank Governance - Nov 6, 2009

    The World Bank recently released the long-awaited report of a high-level commission on World Bank governance headed by former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo. The report, requested by World Bank president Robert Zoellick, offers a comprehensive blueprint for modernizing the bank. The Center for...

  • The G-20 and Global Development - Sep 23, 2009

    Decisions made at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh will have far-reaching implications for billions of people around the world. But a billion people who live in the world’s smallest and poorest countries have no representative at the table. And hundreds of millions of other desperately poor people...

  • Helping Low-Income Countries Cope with the Global Financial Crisis - Sep 17, 2009

    The global financial crisis that originated in the developed economies has hit low-income countries hard. As they were coping with the food and fuel price shocks of 2008, the crisis caused a sharp decline in world trade, falling commodity prices, and dropping remittances. In response, the IMF has...

  • The Crisis Next Time: U.S. Leadership at the Pittsburgh G-20 and Beyond - Sep 10, 2009

    CGD Event Special Notice:Collective action by the world’s largest economies coordinated through G-20 summits in Washington and London has gone a long way to avert a global economic crisis. But the G-20 is not yet an adequate forum for addressing urgent global problems, and other crises threaten....

  • Congressional Hearing: Foreign Policy Implications of U.S. Efforts to Address the International Financial Crisis: TARP, TALF and the G-20 Plan - Jun 10, 2009

    SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING NOTICE Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515-0128 Brad J. Sherman (D-CA), Chairman June 3, 2009 TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS You...

  • Beyond Lending: How Multilateral Banks Can Help Developing Countries Manage Volatility - May 21, 2009

    Developing countries are susceptible to many kinds of risks—from liquidity shocks and terms of trade volatility to natural disasters. The economic crisis is a reminder that dealing with external risks is a formidable challenge to economic development. The crisis, largely a product of the rich...

  • Congressional Hearing: Implications of the G-20 Leaders Summit for Low Income Countries and the Global Economy - May 13, 2009

    Witness List & Prepared Testimony: • Mr. Amar Bhattacharya, Director, Intergovernmental Group of Twenty Four • Ms. Nancy Birdsall, Founding President, Center for Global Development • Mr. Simon Johnson, Professor, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • The...

  • New Ideas in Development after the Financial Crisis - Apr 22, 2009

    The New Ideas in Development After the Financial Crisis Conference, sponsored by CGD and the Bernard L. Schwartz Forum on Constructive Capitalism, will examine the implications of the global financial crisis on existing development strategies. Panels of distinguished academics and policy...

  • The 2008 Commitment to Development Ideas in Action Award - Mar 17, 2009

    Please join us in honoring ONE, the 2008 winner of the Commitment to Development Ideas in Action Award, sponsored jointly by the Center for Global Development (CGD) and Foreign Policy magazine. ONE is an advocacy organization that raised awareness about global poverty during the 2008 U.S....

  • CGD Special Discussion with David Gergen on Obama's Global Development Policy - Jan 16, 2009

    Join Nancy Birdsall, David Gergen, and CGD senior fellows who are authors of essays in our newest book, The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President , for a lively discussion of the prospects for improved U.S. development policy under President Barack...

  • If It Doesn’t Get Counted, Does It Count? New Measures of Aid Quality for Microfinance, Humanitarian Aid, and Everything Else - Dec 16, 2008

    The last decade has seen a growing number of efforts to measure the quality of foreign aid, including part of CGD's own Commitment to Development Index (CDI). This event will showcase three new projects of this kind—projects that dramatize how the quality of aid matters as well the quantity, that...

  • Cornell University's Foreign Policy Distinguished Speaker Series Featuring Nancy Birdsall - Nov 3, 2008

    Nancy Birdsall, President of the Center for Global Development, will give a lecture entitled, "The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President" on Monday, November 3rd, at 4:30pm in Lewis Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall. The talk is part of the Einaudi...

  • Preparing for the Next Global Food Price Crisis - Oct 6, 2008

    Commodity prices may have sagged somewhat but the latest spike in food prices will not be the last. Moreover, tight markets, climate change, and the changing role of investors in commodity markets all suggest that food price volatility may be greater in the future. Even with more investment in...

  • The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President - Sep 18, 2008

    Each day brings fresh evidence that Americans’ well-being is linked to the lives of others around the world as never before. Accelerating advances in technology and the creation of new knowledge offer undreamed-of opportunities. Yet global poverty, inequality, disease and the threat of rapid...

  • Congressional Hearing: Foreign Assistance in the Americas - Sep 16, 2008

    You are respectfully requested to attend the following OPEN hearing of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, to be held in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building: DATE: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 TIME: 2:30 p.m. SUBJECT: Foreign Assistance in the Americas WITNESSES:...

  • Strengthening U.S. Foreign Assistance: Proposals for a More Effective Strategy - Mar 3, 2008

    The SAIS International Development Program and the SAIS Center for International Business and Public Policy will host a discussion by two leading critics of the HELP Commission Report on U.S. foreign assistance that was submitted to the President and Congress in December 2007. Leo Hindery, Vice...

  • Adapting to the Changing Climate in the Bank on Climate Change - Jan 9, 2008

    Curious about the buzz surrounding climate change talk? Just can't get away from it, can you? Wondering what all the talk on climate change impact, mitigation,and adaptation means? If you have pondered over these issues then you are invited to come hear Professor Robert Mendelsohn from Yale...

Non-CGD Publications

Books

  • Population Matters: Demographic Change, Economic Growth and Poverty in the Developing World, edited with Allen C. Kelleyand Steven W. Sinding (Oxford University Press, 2001)
  • New Markets, New Opportunities? Economic and Social Mobility in a Changing World with Carol Graham (Brookings and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1999)
  • Distributive Justice and Economic Development with Andres Solimano and Eduardo Aninat (University of Michigan Press, 1999)
  • Beyond Tradeoffs: Market Reforms and Equitable Growth in Latin America with Carol Graham and Richard H. Sabot (1998)

Papers and Articles

Contributions to Edited Volumes

  • "América Latina y la Globalización: Prebisch Tenía Razón," in Raul Prebisch: El poder, los Principios y la Ética del Desarrollo edited by Edgar J. Dosman. (IADB, 2006)
  • "Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America: Deeper Markets and Better Schools Make a Difference," with Jere R. Behrman and Miguel Szekely, in New Markets, New Opportunities? Economic and Social Mobility in a Changing World (1999)
  • "The U.S. and the Social Challenge in Latin America: The New Agenda Needs New Instruments," with Nora Lustig and Lesley O'Connell, in The Search for Common Ground: U.S. National Interests and the Western Hemisphere in a New Century (W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1999)
  • "Deep Integration and Trade Agreements: Good for Developing Countries?" with Robert Z. Lawrence in Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st Century (Oxford University Press, 1999)
  • "No Tradeoff: Efficient Growth Via More Equal Human Capital Accumulation in Latin America," in Beyond Trade-Offs: Market Reforms and Equitable Growth in Latin America (1998)

Articles:

  • "How to Help Poor Countries," with Dani Rodrick and Arvind Subramanian in Foreign Affairs, July/August 2005
  • "That Silly Inequality Debate," in Foreign Policy, May/June 2002
  • "Education in Latin America: Demand and Distribution are Factors that Matter," with Juan Luis Londoño and Lesley O'Connell in CEPAL Review 66, December 1998
  • "Life is Unfair: Inequality in the World," in Foreign Policy, Summer 1998
  • "Public Spending on Higher Education in Developing Countries: Too Much or Too Little?" in Economics of Education Review, 1996

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