The Art of a Sudan Debt Relief Deal
Debt relief is high on the Sudanese government’s agenda. This week’s budget proposals coming out of the White House indicate that Sudan may finally get its wish—but there’s something weird about where...
View ArticleWill Trump’s Big Aid Cuts Hurt Chances for Reform?
The Trump administration delivered its FY 2019 budget request to Capitol Hill this week. Containing deep cuts to the international affairs budget, it looks a lot like a repeat of the FY 2018 request....
View ArticleFive Questions for MCC’s CEO Nominee—for Tomorrow’s Hearing and Beyond
After over a year without top political leadership, MCC may soon have a new CEO. Sean Cairncross, the Trump administration’s nominee to take the helm of the agency, has his Senate hearing...
View ArticleCongress wants to BUILD a full-service US International Development Finance...
Demand for development finance as a key complement to traditional aid is growing, but despite the impressive strength of the US private sector, the US government’s ability to respond—to date— has...
View ArticleReforms amid Reductions? House Panel to Question USAID Administrator Mark...
Tomorrow, USAID Administrator Mark Green heads to Capitol Hill to defend the Trump administration’s FY 2019 foreign assistance budget request. It won’t be easy. Lawmakers have pushed back hard against...
View ArticleWhither the US Sovereign Bond Guarantee Program?
Perhaps the least noticed, but most impactful, addition to the US foreign assistance toolkit in recent years has been the US sovereign bond guarantee (SBG). However, the Trump administration’s proposed...
View ArticleJohn Bolton Wants to Shut Down the World Bank
To say that John Bolton, President Trump’s latest pick for National Security advisor is a well-known UN critic would be an understatement. But it’s well worth noting that he has opinions about the IMF...
View ArticleWith New Spending Bill, Congress Steers Foreign Assistance Away from Deep Cuts
Last week, Congress completed work on a spending package that funds the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year. As far as development and diplomacy are concerned, the bill is an...
View ArticleThe Paris Club: Will the United States Be Asked to Leave?
International actors have criticized decisions by the Trump administration to reject the Paris Climate Accord, abandon the Trans Pacific Partnership, and withdraw from a United Nations declaration...
View ArticleMCC Gets Authority for Regional Programming
This week, Congress passed the African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act (H.R. 3445). Once signed, it will give MCC the long-awaited authority needed to pursue...
View ArticleTrump’s Treasury Delivers at the World Bank: More Capital for Climate, Solid...
Not only is the Trump administration supporting a $7.5 billion capital increase for the IBRD (and at that, one that is 50 percent larger than the capital increase supported by the Obama administration...
View ArticleUS Aid to Fragile States: Where Does the Money Go?
By 2030, 60 percent of the world’s poor will be concentrated in fragile states, a shift that has prompted the United States (and other donors) to rethink how to confront the particular challenges of...
View ArticleUSAID Just Released Its “Journey to Self Reliance” Indicators. What Comes Next?
Last week, CGD hosted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the first public presentation of the agency’s new “Journey to Self-Reliance” metrics. Launched by USAID Administrator Mark...
View ArticleAnother Step Closer to a New and Improved US Development Finance Institution
The United States needs a bigger and better development finance institution. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is an overperforming federal agency, but is currently far too small and...
View ArticleAs USAID Thinks about Procurement and Program Design, It Should Keep Evidence...
In April, USAID/Ukraine released an RFP requesting bids to implement a community-driven development (CDD) project with the goals of creating greater acceptance of shared culture and increasing...
View ArticleThe BUILD Act is #EnergyGoals
The bill, which would create a modernized US development finance institution, just passed the House. Todd Moss explains how the new agency could help the US step up energy investments.Blog: US...
View ArticlePEPFAR’s New Targets for Local Implementation: Commendable in Theory,...
In July, United States Global AIDS Coordinator Deborah Birx made a striking commitment: under her leadership, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) would direct at least 40 percent of...
View ArticleFearing Marxism in Chinese Financing
The Trump administration is worried about the role of Chinese finance in spreading Marxism around the developing world. But it’s Chico Marx, not Karl, that they should be focused on. Blog: US...
View ArticleMore Results for the Money: Cash Benchmarking at USAID
Today, USAID took a big step forward on a new effort that could make a real difference to the agency’s impact and cost-effectiveness.Blog: US Development PolicyAuthor(s): Sarah RoseAmanda Glassman
View ArticleMCC Needs its Own Senate-Confirmed CEO
The White House nominated Sean Cairncross to fill the CEO role in January, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave him the green light in March—but since then his nomination appears to have...
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