Episode 15: Peter Singer
Professor Peter Singer talks on Development Drums about his new book, The Life You Can Save. This book sets out an ethical case for why people should give more money to people in developing countries.
Here are the links mentioned in the podcast.
- The Life You Can Save website
- Buy The Life You Can Save from Amazon
- Give Well (the charity Peter Singer recommends in the podcast)
- Famine, Affluence, and Morality
Running time 58 minutes; size 22.1 Mb.
Episode 14: Philanthrocapitalism
Matthew Bishop and Mike Green talk about their book, Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World and Why We Should Let Them
Running time 1 hour 5 minutes; size 33.8 Mb.
Click here for full transcript
Episode 13: Butijira
Andrew Mitchell MP, the shadow Secretary of State for International Development in the British Conservative party, talks about whether and how UK policy on development would change if the Conservatives win the next General Election.
Running time 25 minutes 56 seconds; size 16.9 Mb.
Click here for full transcript
Episode 12: The Hague
The authors of the WrongingRights blog, Kate Cronin-Furman and Amanda Taub, help to clear up the mysteries of international criminal law.
Running time: 46 minutes 47 seconds. Size: 22Mb
In this episode of Development Drums we talk about the International Criminal Court and the arrest warrant that has been issued for the President of Sudan. Some links:
- Amanda’s blog post on Bashir
- Nicholas Kristof (New York Times)
- Alex de Waal and Julie Flint
- Human Rights Watch
Also - Facebook Group for Development Drums
Episode 11: Moorgate
Nancy Birdsall (CGD) and Simon Maxwell (ODI) reflect on the London Poverty Summit on 9th and 10th March; and Minouche Shafik (DFID) talks about the forthcoming DFID White Paper.
Running time: 1 hour and 11 minutes. File size: 32.4 Mb
The British Government held a 2 day conference on 9th and 10th March, bringing together some of the leading thinkers and practitioners on international development.
- Speech by Gordon Brown
- Speech by Douglas Alexander
- Eliminating world poverty: Building our common future
(5mb) - Background paper to conference by ODI - DFID White Paper Consultation website
- Andrew Natsios review of “Fixing Failed States”
Episode 10: Oxford
Paul Collier is Professor of Economics at Oxford University and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies.
In The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier points out that poverty is falling quite rapidly for about eighty percent of the world. He argues that the real crisis lies in a group of 58 failing states, home to the bottom billion, whose problems defy traditional approaches to alleviating poverty. He argues that these countries are the scene of a struggle between reformers and corrupt leaders. Collier analyzes the causes of failure, pointing to a set of traps that snare these countries, including civil war, a dependence on the extraction and export of natural resources, and bad governance. He argues that our standard solutions do not work against these traps: aid is often ineffective, and globalization can actually make matters worse, driving development to more stable nations. The Bottom Billion, was the winner of the 2008 Lionel Gelber Prize for the world’s best book on international affairs, and the 2008 Gold Medal Winner of the Arthur Ross Book Award, given by the Council on Foreign Relations.
In his new book, Wars, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places, Paul Collier investigates the violence and poverty in the countries at the bottom of the world economy that are home to a billion people. He argues that pressures to introduce partial democratic reforms may have been counterproductive and that this may have increased the risk of political violence. He argues for 3 key policy measures that the rich world should implement to reverse the declining fortunes of these countries.
Episode 9: Rome
Are donors living up to their promises? Eckhard Deutscher (Chair of the Development Assistance Committee) and Richard Carey (Director of the Development Cooperation Directorate of the OECD) talk about the 2009 Development Cooperation Report, progress towards increasing aid and the way it is delivered, and the work of the DAC.
Episode 8: Timkat
Jonathan Glennie talks about his new book, The Trouble With Aid.
Jonathan Glennie is the Christian Aid country representative in Bogota, Colombia, and he campaigned as part of Make Poverty History. His new book, The Trouble With Aid, argues that when you take into account all the effects that aid has, it can do more harm than good. In this episode of Development Drums, Jonathan explains why he thinks that many countries should make it a priority to reduce their dependence on aid.
Episode 7: Sophiatown
The food crisis and international tax reform, discussed by Alex Cobham (Christian Aid) and Stephen Devereux (Institute for Development Studies).
Running time: 52 minutes. File size: 20Mb.
In this episode of Development Drums, we discuss the continuing food crisis. What are the causes, and are we doing enough to tackle it? We discuss policies to increase the incomes of farmers, and the impact of social transfer programmes. We also look ahead to the forthcoming conference in Doha to discuss financing for development, particularly at proposals to reform the international tax rules so that developing countries get paid more tax.
And we mourn the passing of Miriam Makeba.
Episode 6: Grant Park
What will the US elections means for US foreign assistance? Guests Ruth Levine (Center for Global Development), Paul O’Brien (Oxfam America) discuss the implications for US foreign assistance of the US elections. Dana Hovig (Marie Stopes International) explains the US global gag rule.
Running time: 51 minutes. File size: 24 Mb
In this episode of Development Drums, we look at what President-Elect Obama and an increased Democrat majority in Congress might mean for US foreign assistance to developing countries. Will the new administration implement administrative and legal reforms that enables US aid to be more effective? Will the administration be able to double foreign assistance as they pledged during the campaign? Who might be put in charge of an “elevated” agency to oversee aid? The panel is cautiously optimistic that change will come, but it will be incremental.
Dana Hovig explains the Mexico City Policy, known as the Global Gag Rule. Fist implemented by Ronald Reagan, it was overturned by Bill Clinton on his first day in office, and reinstated by George W. Bush on his first day. But the panel does not expect President Obama to tackle this on his first day.
Links
- Modernising Foreign Assistance Network
- Center for Global Development
- OxfamAmerica - aid reform
- Mexico City Policy (Global Gag Rule)
- Marie Stopes International
- Obama-Biden Foreign Policy
Declaration of interest: my partner works for Marie Stopes International.
