Multimedia

At this breakfast discussion, CGD policy analyst Casey Dunning will forecast which countries the MCC board is likely to select for FY2012 compact and threshold funding at its December 15th board meeting. This deliberation marks the ninth round of the MCC eligibility selection process. Drawing on a recent MCA Monitor analysis, Casey Dunning and Owen McCarthy will highlight current issues affecting the MCC’s selection process, including the new selection system, second compact eligibility, and the revised threshold program—and suggest principles that should guide the MCC board and management team as they choose eligible countries for FY2012.

In this two-minute clip from 2006, Steve Radelet, former CGD senior fellow, explains how CGD has contributed to the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)—a U.S. aid program focusing on effectiveness, economic growth, and poverty alleviation. Ken Hackett, a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) board member explains how CGD has been involved with the account since its creation in 2002. CGD continues to have an impact through its MCA Monitor initiative which provides rigorous policy analysis and research on the operations and effectiveness of the MCC. You can learn more about CGD’s MCA monitor initiative here.

It’s been a busy time for Connie Veillette, director of the Rethinking US Foreign Assistance Initiative here at the Center for Global Development. Last week we hosted a major address by USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah describing the achievements of his first year in office and his ambitious plans for modernizing the agency. No sooner had Shah finished speaking than a group of Republican legislators proposed a budget cutting plan that would zero out USAID’s operating budget. I was eager to learn how Connie—an advocate for effective aid who spent much of her career working for Republicans on Capitol Hill—would assess these developments.