Welcome to the second issue of the Center for Global Development's newsletter on U.S. development strategy in Pakistan. Here, we highlight the latest developments in Washington and in Pakistan, drawing on the work of CGD's Study Group on U.S. Development Strategy in Pakistan. In this edition: responding to Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, U.S. investments in Pakistan’s education sector, and how to measure what really matters—overall development progress.
If you find this newsletter useful, we encourage you to forward it to any others who might be interested in receiving future editions. We welcome your comments and feedback. You can email Senior Policy Analyst Molly Kinder or reach her by phone at (202) 416-0757.
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Pakistan’s worst-in-memory floods affected 14 million people and left 20 percent of the country under water. The United States has led the international community in funding initial humanitarian relief efforts. Now, the focus is turning to longer term recovery and reconstruction. Foreignpolicy.com rounds up five perspectives on what the next steps in the flood response effort should be—we argue that shifting U.S. aid budgets to flood reconstruction offers the best development bang for the buck and doesn't undermine long-term development. On our own site, Kim Elliott and Molly Kinder explain why a trade deal would provide immediate economic benefits to the flood-affected regions, and Molly expresses skepticism that flood aid will win hearts and minds. |
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This year alone, the United States plans to spend $335 million in aid to strengthen Pakistan’s education system, making USAID’s education program in Pakistan its largest in the world. The challenges are enormous, as Pakistan Education Task Force co-chair Sir Michael Barber highlights in a captivating paper. But money alone is not the solution to Pakistan’s underperforming education system. How that money is spent is just as important. In her fifth open letter to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Nancy Birdsall suggests a big push on innovation, transparency, and accountability. Read the letter here, or a summary here. |
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What would development success in Pakistan look like? In an open letter to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke earlier this year, we suggested that the United States and Pakistani governments should commit to regularly collecting and sharing information on a short list of simple, understandable indicators of development. A new paper by Nancy Birdsall and Wren Elhai—still a work in progress—lays out the rationale for tracking overall development outcomes and suggests an illustrative list of the sorts of indicators that might be included in this sort of endeavor. As this idea takes shape, we want to hear what you think—read the paper and share your thoughts here. Your suggestions for indicators or for overall processes will help inform discussions taking place in USAID, the State Department, and the White House. |
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