The Innovation Dividend

In this conversation with Anir Chowdhury, we hear about how court hearings in Bangladesh are being digitized and how that happened in less than two weeks. We also get into where those gains in speed and agility of government are coming from — and it turns out they don't just come from longer work hours. Lastly, we hear about what the policy frontliner experience feels like in the midst of the COVID response. Anir is part of the Prime Minister's National Digital Task Force and for the last 13 years, he has been leading the formation of an innovation ecosystem in Bangladesh and institutional reform. This interview was recorded on May 16th, 2020 in the early stages of the COVID-19 response.

While so much of the global conversation about climate change supposes slowing economic growth, Pakistan is showing us how investing in the environment isn't just a source of economic growth — it can provide employment to those who have lost jobs during COVID-19. We speak with Naheed Shah Durrani, the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Climate Change in Pakistan on the country's ambitious programme to plant 10 billion trees. We’ll also hear about how making such a large investment in climate change became politically feasible and how Pakistan’s “debt for nature” swaps that reduce national debt in favour of investments in the environment might work. This interview was recorded on June 8, 2020.

While so much of the global conversation about cl…

Freetown, Sierra Leone has put in place an ambitious transformation plan that increases property tax revenues five-fold while reducing the tax burden on the poor, increases vegetation coverage by 50%, and much more. We hear from Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr about how these ambitious goals were set, how the tough political decisions behind them were made, and what COVID-19 pandemic has done to the city's transformation plan.

Togo built a fully digital cash transfer programme serving over 12% of the population from scratch in just 10 days in response to COVID-19. The programme pays out more to women than to men and it has successfully reached out to vulnerable populations by doing some very non-digital things. We speak with Cina Lawson, Minister of Postal Affairs and Digital Economy in the Togo Government and Shegun Bakari, the senior adviser to the Togo President about Novissi, a fully digital cash transfer scheme aimed at workers in the informal sector.

Lawson has held her post since 2013. She was featured twice in Forbes’ top 20 “Youngest power women in Africa”. She received the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Public Service Award last year and she is the first African woman political figure to receive the award.

This interview was recorded on June 9, 2020.

COVID-19 has prevented or delayed legislators from meeting in a number of countries at a time when they have been most urgently needed. Ilana Trombka, the Director General for the Federal Senate of the Brazilian Congress had the Senate ready to work digitally a mere 8 days after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Brazil became the first country to legislate fully digitally.

To date, Brazil’s virtual Senate has passed over 30 pieces of legislation online, including a constitutional amendment. We hear from Ilana how the Senate was prepared to act so quickly, how the conduct of the Senate has been adapted for the digital medium, and what impact this has had on the legislative process. This interview was recorded on May 29, 2020.

COVID-19 has prevented or delayed legislators from meeting in a number of countries at a time when they have been most urgently needed. Ilana Trombka, the Director General for the Federal Senate of the Brazilian Congress had the Senate ready to work digitally a mere 8 days after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Brazil became the first country to legislate fully digitally.

To date, Brazil’s virtual Senate has passed over 30 pieces of legislation online, including a constitutional amendment. We hear from Ilana how the Senate was prepared to act so quickly, how the conduct of the Senate has been adapted for the digital medium, and what impact this has had on the legislative process. This interview was recorded on May 29, 2020.

COVID-19 has prevented or delayed legislators fro…

Pakistan's Ehsaas programme is providing cash transfers to 9 million families. We get a behind-the-scenes look at putting together the Pakistan government's largest operation from Dr. Sania Nishtar, founder of the programme and special assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on poverty alleviation and social protection. Dr. Nishtar speaks about managing a whole-of-government response with multiple federal ministries, provincial governments, telcos, and banks; the challenges that come with the scale and reach of Ehsaas; and the prospects for universal basic income in Pakistan. This interview was recorded May 20, 2020.

Daniel Gomez Gaviria, Vice Minister of Planning in Colombia, tells us about the unprecedented expansion of Colombia's social welfare programmes (powered by the SISBEN information system), and how it is reaching out to the hardest-to-reach — including those without bank accounts. We also hear an uncommon perspective on global trade and supply chains that runs counter to what many other countries are doing and how the pandemic might affect Colombia’s meeting culture long after it has subsided. This conversation was recorded May 15, 2020.