The World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group has launched its Annual Review of Development Effectiveness. It is an honest, and somewhat depressing, account of what the Bank has achieved. According to the Washington Post: Among 25 poor countries probed in detail by the bank's Independent Evaluation Group, only 11 experienced reductions Read more…
There has been a lot going on. We've moved back from California to London, and we have moved back to G's old flat in London. This took some time, as we waited for the tenants to move out, and then had some repairs done. We've been combining our luggage from Read more…
In principle, it should be possible to sustain gravitas while still conveying passion. I'm here at Wilton Park discussing the scaling up agenda with some world class minds. I find passion easier than gravitas.
Very interesting debate in this month's Prospect between Hilary Benn (Britain's Cabinet Minister with responsibility for International Development) and Bill Easterly, a critic of government aid. For me, the money quote from Hilary Benn is this: All functioning governments have essential features in common: a capacity to do things, good Read more…
Very interesting paper by James Harrigan and Geoffrey Barrows at NBER which quantifies the benefit to the United States of ending the Multi Fiber Agreement (which had regulated the global textile trade), and which was ended as part of the Uruguay Round. The paper finds that this change in trade Read more…
Here in Manila, I have had BBC World on the TV in the background. They have just had a story about the apparent breakdown in relations between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. I cannot see any conceivable public interest in this story. There is no reason for anybody apart from Read more…
At the Asia Regional Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Manila. Shocking fact – Afghanistan received 1,657 donor missions last year. That’s more than 4 a day, 365 days a year. How is a government supposed to govern properly if it has its face pointing towards the donors and its rear Read more…
There is increasing interest in development circles on measures to promote foreign direct investment in developing countres. Thierry Mayer at the OECD has published a new study (pdf) of the interactions between aid, trade and investment policies to inform donor decisions about how to maximise foreign direct investment and Read more…
Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. This is a powerful statement by the committee (which is appointed by the Norwegian parliament) of the role of poverty reduction in promoting peace. As the Grameen Bank has shown, access to financial services such as Read more…
My intentions as I return to a senior management position in DFID.