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CGD's weekly Global Prosperity Wonkcast, event videos, whiteboard talks, slides, and more.

Unpacking India’s Microfinance Meltdown: David Roodman

11/30/10

David RoodmanA crisis is unfolding in India's microcredit sector that-- beyond its immediate effects on borrowers and lenders-- will greatly affect the future of financial services for the poor. I'm joined by David Roodman, senior fellow here at the Center for Global Development and author of the forthcoming book Due Diligence: A Guide to Microfinance (which he has shared step by step on his Open Book Blog). David recently traveled to Andhra Pradesh, the epicenter of the crisis. On the Wonkcast, he leads me through the story of the explosive growth of Indian microcredit-- and its sudden fall from grace.

How the G-8 and G-20 Fared on Development: Liliana Rojas-Suarez & Sarah Jane Staats

6/28/10

Sarah Jane Staats and Liliana Rojas-SuarezLeaders of the world’s largest and richest countries met over the weekend in Ontario, Canada. What did they accomplish? This week on the Wonkcast, I’m joined by two guests: CGD Senior Fellow Liliana Rojas-Suarez and Director of Policy Outreach Sarah Jane Staats. We examine the statements released by the two groups—looking specifically at what they have to say about several key policy areas for global development.

Listen to the Wonkcast to hear our conversation. Among other topics, we discuss:

  • What President Obama’s G8 announcement on his administration’s development strategy means for the U.S. aid reform agenda.
  • The significance of the G20’s release of a set of principles for financial inclusion.
  • How the headline issues of financial stability and regulation might affect emerging countries.
  • What was said (and wasn’t said) in Toronto on expanding trade, especially for the world’s least developed countries.
  • What role an announced G20 Working Group on development might play in the run-up to the next G20 summit this fall in Seoul, South Korea.

David Roodman on Microfinance and a Year of Blogging

3/1/10

David RoodmanMy guest on this week’s show is David Roodman, a research fellow here at CGD who has spent the past year writing a book on microfinance. He has shared this experience online through his open book blog, posting chapter drafts, analyzing ongoing research in the field, and soliciting comments and suggestions. I ask David why he decided to write his book in such a public way, and what he’s learned over the last year.

David replies that when it comes to policy research, people write books for four reasons. “One is to help you think through a complicated process… Another is to provide a basis for shorter spin-off pieces… Another is to signal that you’re an expert about something. And then the last is, oh yeah, to write something for people to read.” David says blogging about the book-writing process has helped him to partially accomplish the first three goals even before the book is complete. It has also, somewhat unexpectedly he says, changed his writing style, something he discussed recently on the blog.

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