The CGD Podcast

Center for Global Development

International development experts share their ideas on smarter policies for a better world. Hosted by the Center for Global Development.

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23 episodes
Avg 34 min
English

Episodes 23

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October 9 · 35 min
What We're Watching at the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings
CGD's Clemence Landers presents highlights from our recent event on what to watch at the Annual Meetings next week. She was joined at the event by CGD's Rachel Glennerster, Markus Goldstein, and Mikaela Gavas, as well as Devex's Adva Saldinger. Together they examined how the World Bank and the IMF can best support the poorest countries at a time of repeated crises.
October 1 · 42 min
Rethinking How to Boost Learning in Africa with Kwame Akyeampong and Rachel Glennerster
CGD's David Evans and Rachel Glennerster speak with Kwame Akyeampong, professor at the Open University, about his book Reconceptualising the Learning Crisis in Africa. Together they discuss where the book and the evidence consensus agree and diverge: the framing of the learning crisis, measuring student outcomes, the language of instruction, the potential of accelerated learning programs, the role of teachers, and more.
August 6 · 30 min
Women and Work in South Asia with Seema Jayachandran
CGD's Rachel Glennerster speaks with Princeton's Seema Jayachandran about how gender inequality can manifest differently in different regions, why GDP and labor access don't necessarily align, and what the research shows about how to increase women's access to jobs.
July 23 · 44 min
The Future of Development Finance with Leslie Maasdorp
CGD's Sam Attridge and Nancy Lee speak with British International Investment CEO Leslie Maasdorp about balancing national interests with development mandates, setting reachable targets, and strategies for mobilization and prioritization.
June 25 · 30 min
The Lasting Impact of the Middle East War for Low- and Middle-Income Countries with Mohamed El-Erian and Judy Woodruff
CGD Board Chair Mohamed A. El-Erian speaks with renowned journalist Judy Woodruff about the Middle East War's impacts on low- and middle-income countries, including how governments can best respond to shocks, implications for the global economy, and what to watch for in the months ahead.
June 4 · 34 min
Ending Violence in Schools with Dipak Naker and Gabriela Smarrelli
CGD's David Evans speaks with Dipak Naker of the Coalition for Good Schools and CGD's Gabriela Smarrelli on what the data shows about school violence (and what data is missing), how to conduct such research accurately and safely, and effective strategies for changing attitudes and practices around the world.
April 13 · 33 min
What Does the Iran War Mean for Low- and Middle-Income Countries? With Liliana Rojas-Suarez and Catherine Pattillo
CGD's Clemence Landers, Liliana Rojas-Suarez, and Catherine Pattillo look at how the Iran war compares to recent shocks like COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, how governments are responding—from fuel subsidies to rationing and currency interventions—and where the pressure is most acute, including in import-dependent economies in Southeast Asia and across Sub-Saharan Africa.
March 5 · 32 min
Tackling Child Marriage with Imran Matin and Kehinde Ajayi
CGD's Rachel Glennerster speaks with colleague Kehinde Ajayi and Imran Matin of BRAC University's Institute for Governance and Development about why child marriage persists and what evidence tells us about how to reduce it. They discuss how the drivers vary across contexts, and what policies have been shown to work, including education investments, empowerment programs for adolescent girls, and cash transfers designed to delay marriage.
January 21 · 31 min
Can Venezuela's Economy Recover? With Dany Bahar and Liliana Rojas-Suarez
Venezuela has experienced one of the deepest economic collapses in modern history. CGD's David Evans, Dany Bahar, and Liliana Rojas-Suarez examine how Venezuela reached this point, the conditions that need to be in place for a credible economic recovery, the role of oil and debt restructuring, and how the country can realistically chart a path out of poverty and back toward stability and growth.
January 8 · 55 min
Vaccines in a Changing Global Health Landscape with Seth Berkley
CGD's Rachel Glennerster speaks with Seth Berkley, former CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, about lessons from COVID-19 and how they should shape future vaccine development and delivery.
Dec 11, 2025 · 27 min
Inside the 2025 Commitment to Development Index with Ian Mitchell
In this episode, I speak with Ian Mitchell, the lead author of the 2025 Commitment to Development Index (CDI), about what this year's results reveal. We discuss why many countries have slipped in their overall contributions to global development, where progress is emerging, and how the CDI can guide smarter, more coherent policymaking across trade, migration, climate, technology, and development finance at a time of increasingly constrained budgets. Ian also reflects on the major trends shaping this year's index and urges policymakers and advocates to look beyond aid when thinking about how to drive real impact for the world's poorest countries.
Nov 13, 2025 · 39 min
Philanthropy's Evolving Role in Global Development with Katrina Sill
The landscape of global development is shifting—shrinking aid budgets, emerging funding models, and evolving priorities are forcing philanthropic capital to move faster, take greater risks, and fill critical gaps left by governments and multilateral institutions. What should the role of philanthropy look like? In this time of disruption, philanthropic donors are also presented with an opportunity to rethink, identify and remove barriers, and consider what changes can be truly game-changing. In this episode, I speak with Katrina Sill, Global Health and Development Lead at Founders Pledge, about their newly launched Catalytic Impact Fund. We discuss risk, impact, evidence, and how philanthropic entities can balance responding to immediate needs and foster resilient systems for the future.
Oct 30, 2025 · 38 min
Where AI Meets Development with Temina Madon and Han Sheng Chia
From chatbots supporting new mothers and nutrition coaches guiding families, to tutoring tools for children and apps advising farmers, artificial intelligence is beginning to find its place in development. But is it ready—and are we? In this episode of the CGD Podcast, I'm joined by Temina Madon, Executive Director of the Agency Fund, and Han Sheng Chia, CGD Fellow and Director of our new AI initiative. We discuss where AI shows promise—from health and education to livelihoods and agriculture—what risks it could amplify, and how the development community can ensure these technologies improve lives rather than deepen inequalities.
Aug 14, 2025 · 35 min
Saving Newborn Lives with Lord Jim O'Neill and Dr. Akhil Bansal
CGD's Rachel Glennerster speaks with Lord Jim O'Neill and Dr. Akhil Bansal on the nature and scale of the problem of neonatal sepsis, how an advance market commitment could help incentivize the development of a diagnostic, and what steps policymakers can take to help save newborn lives.
Jul 31, 2025 · 24 min
Remittances for Development with Manuel Orozco
CGD's Helen Dempster speaks with the Inter-American Dialogue's Manuel Orozco about the key role that remittances play in development, the impact of the new tax, and how remittances could be better supported and managed.
Jun 12, 2025 · 27 min
Climate Finance in an Era of Uncertainty with Dirk Meyer and Elizabeth Sidiropoulos
Following the 2025 Development Leaders Conference, CGD's Rachel Glennerster speaks with BMZ's Dirk Meyer and SAIIA's Elizabeth Sidiropoulos about conference takeaways, including whether climate should be a focus for development agencies, how to get more bang for your climate-change buck, and how developing countries might prioritize between climate mitigation and adaptation.
Jun 5, 2025 · 35 min
Racing to Preserve Life-saving USAID Programs with the Project Resource Optimization Team
After a large share of USAID's work was terminated, a small cadre of development experts created Project Resource Optimization, or PRO, to identify highly cost-effective, life-saving programs that were on hold and connect them with philanthropic donors who could fill the gaps. CGD's Erin Collinson speaks with two PRO team members, Rob Rosenbaum and Caitlin Tulloch, about the origins and limits of the PRO initiative, its successes to date, and the lessons from the work that could help re-envision US foreign aid.
May 22, 2025 · 27 min
CGD Podcast: Fiscal Policies for Equality
CGD's Sanjeev Gupta and Benedict Clements of Universidad de Las Américas discuss the considerations that influence the design of sound monetary and fiscal policies, the role of income taxes, and the kinds of reforms that can bring equity to both emerging and advanced economies.
May 8, 2025 · 13 min
Pandemic Proof: Preparing for What Comes Next
As the second season of Pandemic Proof comes to a close, host Javier Guzman reflects on the progress made in pandemic preparedness since COVID-19, the challenges we still face, and the rapidly shifting global landscape that will shape what comes next.
Apr 24, 2025 · 40 min
CGD Podcast: The Future of the African Development Bank with Three Presidential Candidates
Ahead of the African Development Bank's presidential election in May, CGD's Karen Mathiasen and AfriCatalyst's Daouda Sembene interview three of the candidates – Amadou Hott, Samuel Munzele Maimbo, and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala – on their priorities for the Bank and their views on how to help steer countries through a volatile and uncertain time and achieve their development goals.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes