Seth Kaplan
What the World Bank Does Not Understand About “Doing Business”
In its 10-year history, the World Bank’s Doing Business Report has achieved enormous influence. The annual study, one of the flagship knowledge products of the World Bank, is the leading tool to judge the business environments of developing countries, generating … Continue reading
More on Economic Development, Foreign aid, Governance, Policies
Political Culture – Deeply Entrenched, But Not Impossible to Change
In his landmark study of the civic traditions of Italy, Robert Putnam showed how differences in the norms and patterns of behavior that drove societies in northern and southern Italy had profound influence on development outcomes, governance, innovation, and the … Continue reading
More on Central Asia, Elections, Europe, Governance, Politics, Review
Organizations and Economic Development – An Essential But Unappreciated Linkage
The ability to nurture and manage a wide variety of large-scale organizations is essential to any country’s ability to promote economic development. In fact, in some ways economic development is simply a product of a society’s growing capacity to create … Continue reading
More on Fragile States
What the OECD Does Not Understand About Fragile States
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and its International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) do an admirable job bringing together policymakers, collecting and synthesizing information, and helping set the agenda for donors. But, … Continue reading
More on Foreign aid, Fragile States, Identity, Policies, Review
Social Covenants: The Missing Ingredient in State Building Efforts
Political theorists have for the most part focused on the state when thinking about how to make countries work better for their populations. This has naturally led to a concern with state-society relations, how governments are chosen and run, and … Continue reading
Discordant Development – Progress That Increases Instability
Samuel Huntington argued in his 1968 classic Political Order in Changing Societies that rapid development could be highly destabilizing: Social and economic change—urbanization, increase in literacy and education, industrialization, mass media expansion—extend political consciousness, multiply political demands, broaden political participation. … Continue reading
A Multidimensional Approach to Resolving Conflict: The Eastern DRC
Problems that have been intractable for decades are very likely the product of many different issues that intertwine with each other in a way that makes attempts to fix things highly problematic. Simple solutions — changing a person, introducing a … Continue reading
More on Africa, Conflict and Security, Foreign aid, Governance
Bahrain: The Three Conflicts Shaping the Broader Crisis
Justin Gengler, who recently completed his PhD dissertation on Bahrain, presented a keen analysis of the social and political dynamics driving the conflict in the country during a presentation at the Brookings Institute in Doha at the end of November. … Continue reading
Prioritization — The Easiest Way to Improve Governance
Fragile states have limited capacity to govern. They have few highly trained policymakers, few managers able to organize departments and ministries, and few officials able to implement decisions. They have very limited financial resources and little prospect (unless they have … Continue reading
Is the Development Community’s Focus on Fighting Poverty Passé
Fighting poverty is the most important issue to the development community. It stirs passions, brings in the money, attracts the most attention—and thus sits at the top of everyone’s agenda. When the new head of the World Bank, Dr. Jim … Continue reading
More on Economic Development, Foreign aid, Governance, Poverty
