With populist politicians taking power around the world, policymakers are relying less
on research and expertise, as their political narratives prioritise emotion and identity
over facts. This may have long-term consequences for global development: not least
in the US, where the Agency for International Development has been dismantled,
with thousands of staff laid off. Critical development programs have been halted, and
the future of US foreign assistance is in limbo. In the latest episode of the
collaboration between Yale’s Economic Growth Center and VoxDev, host Catherine
Cheney asks Rory Stewart, former UK Secretary of State for International
Development, Stefan Dercon of the University of Oxford and formerly chief
economist of the UK Department for International Development, and Trudi Makhaya,
former economic advisor to the President of South Africa, how we can ensure that
facts and evidence still matter in policymaking.
Check out the full show notes here:
https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/development-dialogues-future-evidence-based-policymaking-and
