Tax, trade, transparency ... & turf

April 23rd, 2013

In January, David Cameron nailed his colours to the mast with a speech in Davos that set out the three Ts agenda for the UK’s chairing of the June G8 meeting: taxes, trade and transparency. There have also been some raised eyebrows among the cognoscenti about a fourth T: turf.  Some worry that a Cam

For the first time ever (World Bank edition)

April 19th, 2013

The President of the World Bank says, "For the first time ever, we have a real opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation."  We have said this many times before.

The Europe Development Digest

April 16th, 2013

A plug for the wonderful Europe Development Digest produced by my CGD colleagues.

Are rich countries 'getting away with murder' by massaging aid figures?

April 11th, 2013

What has aid ever done for anyone?

March 29th, 2013

Will CIDA's demise hurt the world's poor?

March 23rd, 2013

I'm quoted in a couple of Canadian newspapers today about the demise of CIDA.

Owen Abroad becomes responsive

October 17th, 2012

I've refreshed the design of the website, mainly to make it responsive (that is, show properly on mobile phones).

The Economics of Enough [Development Drums]

October 11th, 2012

Diane Coyle talks on the latest edition of Development Drums about her book The Economics of Enough.

Bob Geldof: from activist to investor [podcast]

March 22nd, 2013

Celebrity activists who campaign about development are often sneered at by development economists and by commentators; they are variously accused of ignorance, of exploiting a cause to further their own career, or even of wanting to perpetuate poverty to justify their own public profi

From poverty to power - Duncan Green on Development Drums

March 1st, 2013

In the second of a series of three Development Drums podcasts about the relationship between citizens, states and development, Duncan Green talks about effective states and active citizens. Duncan is widely known for his terrific development blog; he is also the author of an ambitious book, From Pov

All that glisters: the golden thread and complexity

August 27th, 2012

This second of three blog posts looking at development policy through the lens of complexity thinking considers whether David Cameron's 'golden thread' is good development policy.

Seven worries about focusing on results, and how to manage them

April 12th, 2012

This post sets out seven worries about the results agenda; four reasons why the results agenda is vital; and a series of measures aimed at balancing these concerns.

Famine and drought

July 27th, 2011

Two things to keep in mind about famine and drought. First, famine is not caused by drought or overpopulation or insufficient food production. Second, development aid works.

Complexity and development [presentation and podcast]

August 16th, 2012

My 2012 Kapuściński Lecture considered the implications of complexity thinking for development economics and development policy. This post presents an updated version as a narrated online presentation which lasts about 45 minutes.

If development is complex, is the results agenda bunk?

September 7th, 2012

Owen Barder and Ben Ramalingam look at the implications of complexity for the trend towards results-based management in development cooperation. They argue that complexity provides a powerful reason for pursuing the results agenda, but it has to be done in ways which reflect the context.

Eight lessons from three years working on transparency

February 22nd, 2011

I’ve spent the last three years working on aid transparency. As I’m moving on to an exciting new role this seems a good time to reflect on what I’ve learned in the last three years.  Busy readers may want to read just the 8-point summary.

What is development?

August 24th, 2012

This the first of three blog posts exploring the implications of complexity for development. In my lecture on complexity I argue that development is an emergent property of the economic and social system. This blog post explains what that means.

What are the results agenda?

February 10th, 2012

People who talk about 'the results agenda' in aid mean at least four different things. The differences might be important.

Ten steps for meaningful aid transparency

April 7th, 2011

The second of a pair of posts on aid transparency: this one looking at proposed next steps, particularly focusing on how we can provide meaningful transparency for citizens in developing countries.