The CGD Podcast — "So That Was 2015"

Date: December 15, 2015
Host: Center for Global Development (CGD)
Theme: Reflections from CGD experts on the most significant developments of 2015 in international development, offering insights on global progress and persistent challenges.

Overview

In this special year-end episode, various CGD fellows and researchers take turns highlighting what they perceive to be the key events, shifts, and lessons in international development throughout 2015. The episode provides a wide-ranging review across issues such as climate change, health, global data, migration, finance, trade, and education. The discussion also touches on how global interdependence has made development an issue of self-interest for wealthier nations, not just moral responsibility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Climate Change Takes Center Stage

• Nancy Birdsall (00:52):

  • 2015’s main issue: Climate change, especially responses following the Paris Summit.
  • CGD’s focus: Tackling tropical deforestation, acknowledging its vital role in climate mitigation and the livelihoods of the poor.
  • REDD Pay-for-Performance Agenda: Promoting the payment of forest countries for the ecological service their trees provide, hoping this UN framework gains momentum.

• Jonah Busch (07:44):

  • Marks 2015 as "the turning point year on the international politics of climate change."
  • Bookended by U.S.-China climate cooperation and the unprecedented Paris Agreement.
  • Notable for Pope Francis's framing of climate change as a moral issue profoundly affecting the world’s poor.

2. Development’s Global Relevance Beyond Charity

• Owen Barder (02:33):
  • Policymakers, especially in rich countries, realize development impacts them directly.
  • Cites Ebola and the Syrian refugee crisis as examples—rich countries now see global health and migration as security and economic issues for themselves, not just humanitarian causes.

3. The Data Revolution and Its Challenges

• Amanda Glassman (03:18):
  • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pose a measurement challenge: "17 goals, 169 targets, many, many indicators."
  • Finding: Less than 2% of aid supports data collection.
  • CGD helped launch the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data to address data gaps and promote openness for true accountability.

4. Identification as a Development Accelerator

• Alan Gelb (04:30):
  • The inclusion of an identification target in the SDGs is significant—ID technology (especially biometrics) can enable progress in numerous other development goals.
  • Highlights the ID4Africa initiative: 27 countries convened to discuss identity technologies for development.

5. Unintended Impacts of Financial Regulation

• Vijaya Ramachandran (05:38):
  • Examined how anti-money laundering (AML) policies are leading banks in rich countries to sever ties with people and businesses in poor nations, creating barriers to financial inclusion.
  • U.S. Treasury responded in 2015 by recognizing the issue and launching new initiatives.
  • Celebrates Africa being polio-free for a year—significant health milestone.

6. Trade and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)

• Kim Elliott (06:47):
  • The TPP's conclusion is a major economic event, involving countries responsible for 40% of global GDP.
  • Raises concerns: Most developing countries are excluded from the TPP, and Vietnam (the poorest TPP member) may see limited benefits due to U.S. protectionism.
  • Advocates renewed focus on multilateral trade to safeguard the interests of all nations.

7. Economic Shocks and Growth Concerns

• Liliana Rojas-Suarez (08:34):
  • 2015 was "the worst year since the early 2000s" for economic growth in developing countries.
  • Causes: Bad domestic policies, declining commodity prices, and global financial uncertainty—especially concerning U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate moves.
  • Result: Stalled or reversed growth in the middle class and increased hardship for the poor.

8. China’s Ascent in Multilateral Development Finance

• Scott Morris (09:41):
  • China’s launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) marks its emergence as a key global development player.
  • Importance: 56 countries joined AIIB, challenging the U.S. and existing institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
  • Opens debate about cooperation vs. rivalry among old and new Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs).

9. Rethinking Development Finance – Domestic Resource Mobilization

• Casey Dunning (10:48):
  • Shift from aid to domestic resource mobilization (DRM): Helping countries build tax systems to pay for their own development.
  • 2015 saw the U.S. double its DRM commitment at the Financing for Development Conference in Ethiopia.
  • Implication: DRM supports ownership and priority-setting by developing countries themselves.

10. The Migration Crisis – Policy Challenges and Human Opportunity

• Michael Clemens (11:43):
  • 2015 was marked by a surge of refugees and migrants to Europe from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and elsewhere.
  • “Fundamentally, these are people who are looking for the kind of basic security and opportunity that most people born in rich countries have by birthright.”
  • Raises major questions: Can aid deter migration? Should it? How can migration be turned into shared economic opportunity?

11. Ebola’s Lessons for Health Systems

• Todd Moss (12:57):
  • The Ebola outbreak highlighted gaps in international response and African health infrastructure.
  • By late 2015, affected countries were nearly Ebola-free and economically recovering.

12. Education: From Enrollment to Learning

• Justin Sandifer (13:49):
  • Shift in focus from just getting kids into schools to ensuring quality learning outcomes.
  • CGD’s RISE project (Research on Improving Systems of Education) and the UN's Global Goals now emphasize learning quality alongside access.

13. Global Progress: Fewer Famines, Lower Child Mortality

• Charles Kenny (15:02):
  • “The biggest thing that happened last year is something that didn’t happen at all, and that’s famine."
  • No major famines in 2015; polio cases eradicated in Africa; falling child mortality.
  • “2015 was the best year to be alive for humanity as a whole. And I think 2016 is going to be even better.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Climate Change and Poverty:

  “The big issue this year on the development agenda has been the climate problem…how important it can be in mitigating or reducing climate change and how important it is for livelihoods of poor people in the developing world.”
  — Nancy Birdsall (00:52)

• The New Relevance of Development:

  “2015 was the year in which policymakers realized that development matters for them, not just as a moral issue or an issue of charity, but because what happens in the rest of the world affects us.”
  — Owen Barder (02:33)

• The Data Revolution:

  “Less than 2% of all aid goes to support data...if the data is not out there being used, all of these great accountability ideas aren’t going to happen.”
  — Amanda Glassman (03:18)

• Migration as Opportunity:

  “Fundamentally, these are people who are looking for the kind of basic security and opportunity that most people born in rich countries have by birthright.”
  — Michael Clemens (11:43)

• Unprecedented Progress:

  “For the first time ever, there were no cases of polio anywhere in Africa…2015 was the best year to be alive for humanity as a whole.”
  — Charles Kenny (15:02)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:52 – Nancy Birdsall on climate change and forests
• 02:33 – Owen Barder on development’s direct relevance to the rich world
• 03:18 – Amanda Glassman on the SDGs and data revolution
• 04:30 – Alan Gelb on identification and SDGs
• 05:38 – Vijaya Ramachandran on financial regulation and polio in Africa
• 06:47 – Kim Elliott on TPP and trade implications
• 07:44 – Jonah Busch on the turning point for global climate politics
• 08:34 – Liliana Rojas-Suarez on economic growth and shocks
• 09:41 – Scott Morris on the rise of China and the AIIB
• 10:48 – Casey Dunning on domestic resource mobilization
• 11:43 – Michael Clemens on migration and refugees
• 12:57 – Todd Moss on Ebola and recovery in West Africa
• 13:49 – Justin Sandifer on education and learning outcomes
• 15:02 – Charles Kenny on famine, child mortality, and global progress

Tone and Style

The episode is conversational and reflective, with each expert offering personal insights and hopes for the future. There’s a persistent undercurrent of cautious optimism, concern for vulnerable populations, and emphasis on the need for smarter, more inclusive global policies.

Conclusion

"So That Was 2015" offers a wide-angle lens on the year’s progress and setbacks in international development, examining not only landmark events (like the Paris Agreement and migration crisis) but also shifts in policy focus (data, DRM, learning outcomes), and signs of silent but substantial progress (no major famines, polio’s retreat in Africa). The podcast captures a sector wrestling with both immediate crises and fundamental changes in the way development is understood, measured, and financed.