The Commitment to Development Index ranks 22 of the world’s richest countries on their dedication to policies that benefit the 5.5 billion people living in poorer nations. Moving beyond standard comparisons of foreign aid volumes, the CDI quantifies a range of rich-country policies that affect poorpeople in developing countries.
- Quantity and quality of aid
- Openness to exports
- Investment policies
- Migration policies
- Environmental policies
- Security policies
- Support for new technologies
In an increasingly integrated world, rich countries cannot insulate themselves from global poverty and insecurity. Poverty and weak institutions can breed global public health crises, security threats, and economic instability that can destabilize an entire region and send shockwaves around the world. But the Index is also about whether countries are consistent in their values. No human being should be denied the chance to live free of poverty and oppression and to enjoy a basic standard of education and health. The CDI countries, all democracies, preach concern for human life and dignity within their own borders; the Index looks at whether rich countries’ actions match their words.
