The CGD Podcast

CGD founding president Nancy Birdsall has seen a few US presidents come and go in her long career as a leading development economist, but her message to all occupants of the White House has remained fairly steady: Enact smart policies that help developing countries build stable, prosperous economies...

Changing the law is a good start, but real progress requires changing minds. On this week's CGD Podcast, former President of Malawi Joyce Banda and FGM survivor Kakenya Ntaiya explain why working with existing power structures is the most effective way to protect girls from harmful practices.&nb...

The multilateral development banking (MDB) system is regarded as having been remarkably successful—but is the model still fit for purpose? CGD president Nancy Birdsall and senior fellow Scott Morris delve into a new CGD report's recommendations on how to make MDBs more effec...

Lawrence H Summers, former US Treasury Secretary, Harvard professor, and the CGD Board Chair, explains why the World Bank and the regional multilateral development banks (MDBs) are well-placed to help address some of today’s urgent problems, including climate change, pandemics, and the problem...