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Let There Be Light

Could village-based solar power leapfrog centralized power grids the same way that mobile phones have made wired phones obsolete? Charles Kenny, CGD’s resident optimist, makes the case. Image: flickr user Barefoot Photographers of Tilonia / cc

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A China Round of Trade Talks?

WTO trade negotiations don’t reflect a dramatic shift in the international economic and trading system: the rise of China. Aaditya Mattoo and Arvind Subramanian explain why and how this should change. Image: flickr user uzvards /cc

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Beating the Oil Curse

Finding oil in a poor country often makes bad things worse. Todd Moss is investigating ways to beat the oil curse by distributing the revenue, then taxing it back. His Oil-to-Cash plan just might work. Image: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

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David Wheeler on the Power of Data

David Wheeler, creator of two pathbreaking global databases, Forest Monitoring for Action (FORMA) and Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA), reflects on the power of data to drive change and shares surprise findings on the determinants of the rate of deforestation.

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Fred Bergsten and Think Tank DNA

Fred Bergsten’s plan to step down as the director of the Peterson Institute prompts a tribute from CGD president Nancy Birdsall. “Fred’s enthusiasm and generosity were a huge help to me in getting CGD off to a strong start,” she writes.

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Don’t Eat OPIC

President Obama’s move to consolidate some U.S. agencies is smart, argues Todd Moss—but leave out the Overseas Private Investment Corp. OPIC helps build markets for U.S. companies abroad, a goal likely beyond the purview of any new domestic-focused Super-Agency.

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Global Health and the New Bottom Billion

Most of the world’s poor people live in large, rapidly growing middle-income countries. Amanda Glassman and Andy Sumner argue that focusing global health funding on poor countries no longer makes sense. Image: Trinity Care Foundation / cc

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Overselling Broadband?

Universal broadband sounds great and there is a global push to make it happen, even in very poor countries. Senior fellow Charles Kenny says not so fast: evidence of big benefits is lacking. Image: flickr user Arrano/ cc

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Haiti Makes Visa List

The U.S. decision to include Haiti in a temporary employment visa program could mean more money for poor Haitians than the entire U.S. earthquake reconstruction budget. Michael Clemens shares the story behind CGD’s effort to get Haiti added to the list.

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State of the Union Bingo!

As President Obama prepares his State of the Union address, we offer our dream SOTU Bingo card with the things we hope to hear the president say (and then do).

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