ODI live events podcast

Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh delivers a keynote speech on the country's progress and future development prospects.

The Minister for International Development Senator the Hon. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells sets out Australia's vision for aid cooperation and the Pacific region.

Drawing on articles in the latest Humanitarian Exchange and their own research and experience, our panellists discuss what is different about providing humanitarian assistance in urban areas and which tools and approaches can help to make responding to crises in urban environments more effective.

The event explores the latest evidence on discriminatory and harmful gender norms and highlights the work of NGOs and programmes trying to change them.

Panelists address four key questions at this event on Somalia's future:

- How should we address the conflict drivers in Somalia?

- What should the Government of Somalia do to mitigate the risk of uncertainty with the pending withdrawal of Mission (AMISOM)?

- Should the African Union play a bigger role in containing and defusing conflicts caused by al-Shabaab?

- How can the international community support Somalia to foster peace and national reconciliation?

Despite promising signs of economic growth, many African countries are struggling to develop the strong industrial sector required for economic transformation and job creation. Fresh thinking is needed on how to achieve Africa’s industrialisation objectives, with trade and trade policy increasingly being looked to as key tools for the task.

Much recent research has explored this idea by analysing the extent to which current trade policies and tariff structures are positively contributing to the content’s industrialisation policy, and providing assessments of what African economies can do to industrialise ‘smartly’ through trade.

This event sees an expert panel debate these issues and seeks to put forward concrete policy recommendations for African economies looking to realise their industrialisation ambitions.

Mark Green, Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development and Penny Mordaunt, Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom launch the Humanitarian Grand Challenge at ODI.

Why do some countries enjoy steady and sustained growth, others, periods of boom and bust, while others hardly experience growth at all? The answer to this question affects the rise and fall of nations and the life chances of billions of people—yet until recently economists have failed to answer it.

This event brings together ground-breaking researchers providing new approaches to this important conundrum. Among them are Kunal Sen and Yuen Yuen Ang, whose recent work offer radical explanations for how some states have achieved transformative growth, as well as innovative ideas for how others might emulate them.

Building on a combination of their findings plus landmark research from other distinguished economists, the event will kick-start a discussion on the politics of growth. In so doing, it seeks to provide actionable levers and policy recommendations for countries seeking to grow, transform, and escape the poverty trap.

Supporting so called ‘fragile states’ to build capacity and exit fragility is one of the most pressing challenges for the world today. Soon most of the world’s poorest people will be left behind in countries affected by conflict. In response, the share of aid to fragile states is growing. But is more aid the right answer?

This event explores the case of Afghanistan. While western economies built states and the social contract around tax, modern Afghanistan has been built around aid. Although intended to support effective state-building, the way aid has been delivered has arguably distorted the state and stunted the longer-term development of a social contract: a ‘paradoxical outcome’.

This event, which forms part of a series of discussions on ‘new directions in public finance’, explores how external actors can effectively support state-building in fragile states. Drawing on Dr Nematullah Bizhan’s personal experience and extensive research, it discusses how future progress in conflict or post-conflict states requires a fundamental re-think of the way aid can support rather than hinder state building, and considers the crucial role of revenue and taxation.

The event provides the latest evidence on policies and programmes that can assist in achieving positive poverty outcomes.