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Views from the Center

CGD experts offer ideas and analysis to improve international development policy. Also check out our Global Health blog and US Development Policy blog.

 

April 9, 2018

What I Want to Hear from the UK Development Secretary: How to Improve Whole-of-Government Aid Spending

Successive governments have long felt that UK Department for International Development (DFID) needs to work better with the rest of Whitehall. There have been efforts to join up better in government, sometimes successfully, but there remains a feeling in Whitehall that DFID is too tribal, too protective of its budget, and unwilling to roll up its sleeves to contribute to the government’s wider priorities including security, economic opportunities, and influence.

Owen Barder
April 9, 2018

What I Would Like to Hear from the UK Development Secretary: Making the “Fusion Doctrine” Work for the Poor

The Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt, is giving a big speech this Thursday, setting out her strategic directions on development. She has already impressed many people in development by the way she has embraced the mission of the department while challenging some of its ways of working. She has also won plaudits for her deft handling of the important issue of safeguarding in development.

Owen Barder
January 8, 2018

On the Docket for Development in 2018: CGD Experts Weigh in

Here at CGD, we’re always working on new ideas to stay on top of the rapidly changing global development landscape. Whether it’s examining new technologies with the potential to alleviate poverty, presenting innovative ways to finance global health, assessing changing leadership at international institutions, or working to maximize results in resource-constrained environments, CGD’s experts are at the forefront of practical policy solutions to reduce global poverty and inequality. Get an in-depth look below at their thoughts on the 2018 global development landscape.

Owen Barder, Kalipso Chalkidou, Amanda Glassman, Scott Morris, Masood Ahmed, Cindy Huang, Liliana Rojas-Suarez and Mayra Buvinic
December 18, 2017

Refugees Are a Boon Not a Burden: Here’s How to Get the Best Results for Everyone

We need to stop talking about refugees as if they are burden to be shared. Refugees benefit both economy and the community—and if we invested more and better in giving them a good start, they would be able to make an even bigger contribution. Here we suggest innovative finance mechanisms to pay for that investment without putting pressure on public finances, instead enabling refugees to develop and apply their skills, integrate effectively, and improve their overall contribution.
 
Owen Barder and Euan Ritchie
June 9, 2017

The UK and Development after the Election—Two Ambitions for a New Government

The UK election has shown again that electorates can throw up unexpected results, with long-standing poll leads evaporating in a matter of weeks. The British public seem uninspired by any single leader but there was little sign of descending into nationalism and populism. The only party that stood on a platform of dismantling the aid budget—UKIP—suffered a heavy defeat. Here we propose two ambitions for the government which emerges.

Ian Mitchell and Owen Barder
April 24, 2017

What a UK Election Manifesto on Development Might Look Like: 19 Proposals from CGD

Attention UK political parties: we know you are pretty busy right now, what with Prime Minister Theresa May calling a snap general election in a few weeks. So, we wrote an election manifesto on development for you. Feel free to plagiarize it; in fact, we’ve written it so you can just copy/paste parts of it if you want. To M Macron and Mme Le Pen, your manifestos are written, but you will find some good ideas here too. Needless to say, not all our CGD colleagues will agree with all our ideas, nor will many readers. So please let us know what we have missed or got wrong, in the comments below.

Ian Mitchell
April 21, 2017

Should Theresa May Ditch the Aid Target?

Aid is amazingly good value for money. For the same money the government willingly spends to save a life in a developed country such as the UK, we save around 100 or even 1,000 lives in the developing world.

Owen Barder
February 2, 2017

Beyond Brexit: Time for a “British Trade Promise” on Free Trade Access for Poor Countries

The UK Government has today published a white paper on its broad approach to Brexit—what ’s missing though is a commitment to developing countries on the UK’s trade policy. Having emphasised trade at the heart of its economic strategy on international development, it now needs to commit to providing “duty free quota free” access for developing countries, or risk damaging investment and trade over the next two years and beyond.

Ian Mitchell and Owen Barder

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