Why We’re Expanding Our Mission (And You Should Too)

Some might say the Center for Global Development's mission to reduce poverty and inequality across the globe is already too broad.  But we do have to periodically pause and ask the question:  who is being left out of the development agenda? The answer to that question leads us to wonder if we should change what CGD stands for.

What We're Thinking

If you, like many of us CGDers, have been following ongoing investigations into the possibility of life beyond our planet, you're probably aware of last summer's big news regarding Jupiter's moon Europa. At nearly 500 million miles from the sun, it would appear to be an icy, frozen world; but scientists suspect that it has the right ingredients to support life. With vast underground oceans warmed by gravitational interaction with Jupiter, subterranean lakes kept liquid by the satellite's internal heat, and the presence of organic compounds, the chance that there's some sort of life there looks relatively good.

Long shot, you say? Perhaps. But if a satellite so close (in astronomical terms) to us has even a small likelihood of hosting life, there's little doubt that a planet or moon somewhere in our galaxy—let alone beyond the Milky Way—is home to some form of life. And if income distribution on planet Earth is any indication, it's a near certainty that some of those critters are living below the poverty line.

That’s why we have decided to expand our mission to include applications of development practice for the prosperity of life throughout the entire galaxy.  Starting today, April 1, we will be known as the Center for Galactic Development.  We also invite the entire international development community to consider an expansion to interstellar development. 

"I'm delighted by the change," said Todd Moss, CGD vice president. "Since 2001 we've developed and  implemented some real policy wins for the poorest people on the planet, but I think we can do more. Some call it mission creep; I call it Mission: Possible."

Alan Gelb is equally on board with the change.  "The first step will likely be to identify life forms.  But I believe that should be followed shortly after with the establishment of a biometric identification system, that is, if they do not already have one. They may not have fingerprints, irises, or even faces, but I am confident that current technologies will be able to distinguish them by their brainwave emissions."

The ever-optimistic Charles Kenny summarized how most CGDers feel about the news: "This galaxy just keeps getting better!" he said. He then joined Lant Pritchett in a call for more open labor migration policies. "Let their life forms come," they exclaimed.

Others, however, are a little more hesitant. When asked about the implications for the trade agenda, Kim Elliot was cautious. "It seems a little early to be thinking about a Worlds Trade Organization," she said. "I mean we have enough trouble with earthbound multilateral cooperation, I just don't see galactic cooperation functioning smoothly anytime soon."

And Liliana Rojas-Suarez remains focused on her research:  "I don't think this will impact Latin American economies," she said. "The region is facing major economic constraints."

Jonah Busch was also unsure about moving CGD's work beyond our home planet. "My team and I are trying to safeguard our tropical forests for the good of development and our planet's future, and you're asking me to worry about some icy rock. I don't think there's a single tree there."

What do you think about CGD's new mission and what galactic development's top priority should be? Let us know soon—Beth Schwanke, always working on policy outreach, is already in contact with NASA. Reply in the comments below or by tweeting @CGDev (#galacticdev). We especially welcome ideas for how to adapt current development practices for the context of extraterrestrial life. As Justin Sandefur points out, there are some big external validity concerns.