International Development
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What Does Brexit Mean for Africa?
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On June 23, 2016, the British people voted in a referendum to withdraw from the European Union — a historic move that is still being processed today. “Brexit” not only impacts the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union, but also the rest of the world’s trade agreements with Britain.…
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Green Spaces, Gray Cities: Confronting Institutional Barriers to Urban Reform
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In many of the world’s largest urban areas, the basic standards of living set out in the Sustainable Development Goals are woefully out of reach. In the developing world, cities won’t achieve those goals without providing adequate green space. Conceived broadly, green space is anything ranging from parks or clean…
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Could Phone Data Reveal a Person’s Wealth?
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The effective design, implementation and evaluation of public policies rely on accurate socioeconomic data. It would be impossible, for instance, to implement a poverty alleviation program without knowing who the relevant target populations are, where they live, and their economic status. As the United Nations Population Fund puts it, “without…
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How Decentralization and International Aid Reduce Inequality in Ethiopia
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In 2017, foreign aid from official donors totaled over $146.6 billion. The bulk of this aid went to decentralizing or decentralized countries, in which regional or local governments are granted powers and resources. Localized governments are believed to be more accountable to voters because they are “downward-looking” and need to…
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How Public Support for Foreign Aid Depends on Trust
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Literature on development aid ranges from analyzing the effectiveness of aid to assessing foreign policy attitudes. However, as many members of society scrutinize government spending and demand transparency, it becomes increasingly necessary to justify a foreign aid budget to a skeptical public. In a detailed study using data from the…
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Does Foreign Aid Have an Effect on Economic Growth? New Research Adds to the Debate
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This piece, first published on June 15, 2016, is being republished as part of the Chicago Policy Review‘s 20th Anniversary Series. Please visit us here to learn more about the series from our Executive Editors. There is an ongoing debate about the impact of international aid on growth, particularly in developing countries. Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly represent the two primary strains…
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Does Foreign Aid Have an Effect on Economic Growth? New Research Adds to the Debate
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There is an ongoing debate about the impact of international aid on growth, particularly in developing countries. Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly represent the two primary strains of thought in this debate. Sachs argues that foreign aid constitutes an important instrument to reduce poverty and foster development, while Easterly suggests that foreign aid fails to reach…
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The Politics of Economic Growth and Stability
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Legislative oversight is more significant to economic and political stability than electoral accountability.
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The Hidden Costs of Development Aid
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Researchers find World Bank development projects to be less effective in politically important yet economically unstable countries.
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Teach the Parent, Help the Kids
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A new report demonstrates the connection between maternal and child education, finding that mothers’ literacy programs boost their children’s math scores and their own sense of empowerment.
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Reaping the Dividends of Development: UNDP in Post-Conflict Nations
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UNDP’s Eugenia Piza-Lopez and Jago Salmon discuss the organization’s strategy in nations struggling to rebuild after conflict