Commentary

Researchers take for granted that more evidence is better. By and large, they expect that their efforts to generate and communicate new ideas and test them empirically contribute directly or indirectly to a better world. In reality, for that impact to be realized, research needs to be noticed and ac...

Last week, the UN Foundation and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs kindly asked me to talk at an informal session on the coherence between development and climate finance. I learned a lot, and it helped me understand a little better the various positions on the issue, but I (still) ca...

Across 2024 and 2025, almost a dozen major multilateral funds are going to donors for additional funding in what we dubbed a “traffic jam” of replenishments. As 2024 draws to a close, three replenishments have concluded (sort of—read on for more). IDA is the largest and the standout: the World Bank’...

Childcare and early childhood development (ECD) are essential drivers of gender equity and economic resilience, yet they remain critically underfunded in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our new CGD policy paper Childcare and Early Childhood Development Expenditures in Africa: Comparat...

In partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the UN Development Programme, CGD hosted the Common African Market Working Group Series on Advancing Regional Economic Integration in Africa. In a series of webinars, experts convened to discuss the trajectory of th...

Many low-income countries (LICs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, face the challenge of repaying loans in foreign currencies. With most of their debt in dollars or euros, these nations are in a difficult position: when their currency weakens, their debt burden goes up. This phenomenon—relying on...

Anneliese Dodds, the UK’s minister for international development, has repeatedly stressed that the UK’s “modern approach to international development” means taking economic growth in lower-income countries seriously. We outline four concrete steps the UK can take if it is really serious about helpin...