CGD research on fragile states examines how rich countries and other development actors can best assist fragile states and their citizens; related work focuses on understanding the transition from immediate post-conflict assistance to longer-term development assistance.
Program goals include
- understanding the causes and consequences of state fragility;
- determining opportunities for policy intervention and the sequencing of such interventions;
- finding ways to improve the effectiveness of aid to fragile states; and,
- identifying turning points that signal when donors should shift from post-conflict to longer-term development assistance.
CGD research on fragile states examines how rich countries and other development actors can best assist fragile states and their citizens; related work focuses on understanding the transition from immediate post-conflict assistance to longer-term development assistance.
Program goals include
- understanding the causes and consequences of state fragility;
- determining opportunities for policy intervention and the sequencing of such interventions;
- finding ways to improve the effectiveness of aid to fragile states; and,
- identifying turning points that signal when donors should shift from post-conflict to longer-term development assistance.
CGD senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran leads this research to help inform and influence policymakers and practitioners working on post-conflict reconstruction and development in difficult environments.
Together with CGD visiting fellow Satish Chand, professor of economics at the University of New South Wales, Ramachandran has commissioned a series of papers by currently or recently active aid practitioners in post-conflict assistance programs. Drawing upon these papers, Ramachandran and Chand plan to develop practical guidelines to help policymakers and practitioners examine and respond to on-the-ground challenges. Areas of interest include an analysis of donor relationships with the military, the sequencing and coordination of donor activity in post-conflict settings, the value of the European Union’s Stability Instrument, the revival of basic public services in post-conflict countries, and the incentives of government actors in various post-conflict settings.
Previous CGD work on weak and fragile states includes the following working papers, books and reports:
- Civil War: A Review of Fifty Years of Research, a working paper by Christopher Blattman, a non-resident fellow and former CGD post-doctoral fellow currently at Yale University, and Edward Miguel of the University of California at Berkeley. The paper investigates how civil wars begin, how the actors are organized, and what economic effects civil wars have on their societies.
- Africa’s Private Sector: What’s Wrong with the Business Environment and What to do About It, by Ramachandran with Alan Gelb and Manju Kedia Shah. The book uses enterprise survey data from over 5,000 businesses to explore the roadblocks to private-sector growth in African countries emerging from many years of conflict, including Angola, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- The Pentagon and Global Development: Making Sense of the DoD's Expanding Role ,
a working paper by Stewart Patrick and Kaysie Brown, former CGD researchers now based at the Council on Foreign Relations. The paper looks at the growing involvement of the Department of Defense (DoD) in providing U.S. foreign aid.
- Short of the Goal: U.S. Policy and Poorly Performing States, an edited volume outlining strategies for aid to countries consistently at risk of failure.
- On the Brink: Weak States and U.S. National Security. This report was prepared by a high level, bipartisan commission of academics, former government officials, and business leaders who sought to draw attention to the dangers that fragile states pose for the United States and offered practical suggestions for ways to respond.
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In this working paper, Laura E. Seay traces the development of section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, examines the effects of the legislation, and recommends new courses of action to move forward.
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This set includes data and Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 274, "Economic Shocks and Conflict: The (Absence of?) Evidence from Commodity Prices"
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One of the most influential ideas in the study of political instability is that income shocks provoke conflict. “State prize” theories argue that higher revenues increase incentives to capture the state.“Opportunity cost” theories argue that higher prices decrease individual incen-tives to...
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Construction is a vital part of development, but it often falls prey to poor governance and corruption. Making the details of construction contracts public is one proven way to help citizens get what they are paying for.
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Johnny West describes how an oil-dividend program could be structured by, for example, taking advantage of Iraq’s existing rationing system, ubiquitous mobile phone networks, and new biometric ID cards.
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The U.S. military has become substantially engaged in economic development
and stabilization and will likely continue to be for some time to
come. This brief takes U.S. military involvement in development
as a given and concentrates on five recommendations for it to
operate more efficiently and...
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The U.S. military has become substantially engaged in the development and stabilization space and will likely continue to operate in this space for some time to come. This paper proposed five policy changes for the military to improve its development activities.
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This paper examines the efficacy of loan programs in the development of domestic enterprises in the immediate aftermath of conflicts. The author explores whether the strategies employed by such programs are effective and if there are opportunities for improving the outcomes of similar projects in...
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In a new CGD report, U.S. and Pakistani development experts urge a substantial revamp of the U.S. approach to Pakistan, saying that U.S. efforts to build prosperity in the nuclear-armed nation with a fledgling democratic government, burgeoning youth population, and shadowy intelligence services are...
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Failed states often suffer the repeated return to power of former warlords who weaken institutions and make people poorer. In this working paper, Rajan argues that the only way to break the cycle of dictators is to empower the citizenry through economic growth. In the case of failed states, he...
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In this working paper, Laura E. Seay traces the development of section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, examines the effects of the legislation, and recommends new courses of action to move forward.
-
Construction is a vital part of development, but it often falls prey to poor governance and corruption. Making the details of construction contracts public is one proven way to help citizens get what they are paying for.
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Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report, and a senior political analyst for CNN, David Gergen joined CGD president Nancy Birdsall, and CGD senior fellows who authored essays in our...
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In a new CGD report, U.S. and Pakistani development experts urge a substantial revamp of the U.S. approach to Pakistan, saying that U.S. efforts to build prosperity in the nuclear-armed nation with a fledgling democratic government, burgeoning youth population, and shadowy intelligence services are...
-
One of the most influential ideas in the study of political instability is that income shocks provoke conflict. “State prize” theories argue that higher revenues increase incentives to capture the state.“Opportunity cost” theories argue that higher prices decrease individual incen-tives to...
-
This set includes data and Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 274, "Economic Shocks and Conflict: The (Absence of?) Evidence from Commodity Prices"
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In this paper CGD fellow Ben Leo contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of Sudan‘s $35 billion in external debt obligations – both for a unified Sudan and a possible Southern secession.
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The U.S. military has become substantially engaged in economic development
and stabilization and will likely continue to be for some time to
come. This brief takes U.S. military involvement in development
as a given and concentrates on five recommendations for it to
operate more efficiently and...
-
The U.S. military has become substantially engaged in the development and stabilization space and will likely continue to operate in this space for some time to come. This paper proposed five policy changes for the military to improve its development activities.
-
Johnny West describes how an oil-dividend program could be structured by, for example, taking advantage of Iraq’s existing rationing system, ubiquitous mobile phone networks, and new biometric ID cards.
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Chris Blattman, Non-Resident Fellow Chris Blattman is an assistant professor of political science and economics at Yale University, where he teaches on African development, applied econometrics, and the political economy of warfare. He holds a PhD from UC–Berkeley and an MPA/ID from the Harvard Kennedy School. His latest research...
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Satish Chand, Visiting Fellow Satish Chand is a visiting fellow at the Center and a research professor at the University of New South Wales, based at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra.
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Michael Clemens, Senior Fellow Michael Clemens leads CGD's Migration and Development initiative. His research focuses on the effects of international migration on people from and in developing countries. He also serves as CGD’s research manager, directing the Center’s engagement with the academic research community.
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Ibrahim Ahmed Elbadawi, Visiting Fellow Ibrahim Elbadawi is the Director of the Macroeconomics Research and Forecasting Department, Dubai Economic Council and Visiting Fellow at CGD. Until recently he was Lead Economist at the Development Research Group of the World Bank, which he joined in 1989; and before that he was an Associate...
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Ruth Levine, Former Vice President for Programs and Operations, and Senior Fellow Ruth Levine is an internationally recognized expert on global health and health policy. She is a health economist with more than 15 years of experience designing and assessing the effects of social sector programs in Latin America, Eastern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. In addition to...
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Todd Moss, Vice President for Programs and Senior Fellow Todd Moss works on U.S.-Africa relations and financial issues facing sub-Saharan Africa, including policies that affect private capital flows, natural resource management, debt, and aid. He oversees the Center’s fundraising efforts and relations with external partners.
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Steve Radelet, Former Senior Fellow Steve Radelet works on issues related to foreign aid, developing country debt, economic growth, and trade between rich and poor countries. He also leads CGD's Modernizing U.S. Foreign Assistance and MCA Monitor initiatives.
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Vijaya Ramachandran, Senior Fellow Vijaya Ramachandran's areas of expertise include private-sector development, entrepreneurship, and foreign direct investment. She also manages CGD's work on fragile states, which focuses on the delivery of post-conflict assistance. Her latest book is Africa's Private Sector: What's Wrong with the...
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Justin Sandefur, Research Fellow Justin Sandefur focuses on the interface of law and development in sub-Saharan Africa. From 2008 to 2010, he served as an adviser to the Tanzanian government to set up the country's National Panel Survey to monitor poverty dynamics and agricultural production. He has also worked on a project with...
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Milan Vaishnav, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Milan Vaishnav is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Global Development and a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University in New York. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI) at Georgetown University.
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Nicolas van de Walle, Non-Resident Fellow Nicolas van de Walle is a Professor in the Department of Government at Cornell and a nonresident Fellow at the Center for Global Development. He is the author of Overcoming Stagnation in Aid-Dependent Countries.
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Beyond Bullets and Bombs: Fixing the U.S. Approach to Development in Pakistan
- Jun 1, 2011
In a new CGD report, U.S. and Pakistani development experts urge a substantial revamp of the U.S. approach to Pakistan, saying that U.S. efforts to build prosperity in the nuclear-armed nation with a fledgling democratic government, burgeoning youth population, and shadowy intelligence services are...
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Failed States, Vicious Cycles, and a Proposal - Working Paper 243
- Mar 2, 2011
Failed states often suffer the repeated return to power of former warlords who weaken institutions and make people poorer. In this working paper, Rajan argues that the only way to break the cycle of dictators is to empower the citizenry through economic growth. In the case of failed states, he...
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How Should Oil Exporters Spend Their Rents? - Working Paper 221
- Aug 10, 2010
This paper argues for approaches that increase public understanding of the need for prudent spending of oil revenues in booms, and for comprehensive consideration of a range of options for using rents. Drawing on the experience of a few successful countries, it points to a number of common factors...
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How the Economic Crisis Is Hurting Africa--And What to Do About It
- May 8, 2009
Senior fellow Todd Moss investigates how the aftershocks of the global economic downturn are affecting Africa. African countries that take the right steps to mitigate the pain will be poised to benefit from the eventual recovery; those that don't will be left behind.
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Commission on Weak States and US National Security
In October 2003, CGD launched a bipartisan commission to outline a comprehensive U.S. strategy to address the growing threat of weak and failed states. The Commission’s report helped to shape reforms adopted by the Bush administration.
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Oil-to-Cash: Fighting the Resource Curse through Cash Transfers
Natural resources and the unearned income they generate can stifle development by undermining the relationship between citizens and their state. This CGD initiative explores a policy option to encourage a “social contract” in resource-rich countries—direct distribution of revenues.
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Pakistan: U.S. Development Strategy in Pakistan
CGD has convened the Study Group on a U.S. Development Strategy in Pakistan to draw lessons from past experiences and offer practical recommendations to U.S. policymakers on the effective deployment of foreign assistance and, more broadly, other non-aid instruments for achieving sustainable...
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