In Pursuit of Development

As India’s stature across the globe increases, there is considerable interest in better understanding how its foreign policy is likely to evolve. In a new book – India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present – Shivshankar Menon examines India’s foreign and security policy choices through history, with a particular focus on India’s responses to the rise of China and other regional powers. Shivshankar Menon served as the Foreign Secretary from 2006 to 2009 and as the National Security Adviser to the prime minister of India from 2010 to 2014. He has previously authored Choices: Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy and is current a Visiting Professor at Ashoka University. Twitter:  @ShivshankaMenon Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/ HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Ine Eriksen Søreide served as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021 – the first woman in the country’s history to hold the position. She represents the Conservative Party and is the current Chair of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as Minister of Defense. Ine's official Facebook pageNorway’s Role and Interests in Multilateral Cooperation (white paper)Handing over power with a hug (the viral photo)Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/ HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor at Columbia University in New York. He was the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University (2002-2016) and currently heads the Center for Sustainable Development. He is a commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, an SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.Books by Jeff SachsRecent news articlesBook club with Jeffrey SachsJeffrey Sachs' speech at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit (video)Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/  HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Vijaya Ramachandran argues that blanket bans on fossil-fuel funds will entrench poverty. By pushing a renewables only model on developing countries, and expressing fear about the future emissions of these countries, including those on the African continent, rich countries such as Norway are promoting  colonialism in green. Vijaya is an economist with extensive experience in public policy and academia, having worked for the World Bank and the UN as well as serving on the faculty of Duke University and Georgetown University. She is currently director for energy and development at the Breakthrough Institute, and a non-resident fellow at the Energy for Growth Hub and the Center for Global Development. Why India Can’t Wean Itself Off CoalRich Countries’ Climate Policies Are Colonialism in GreenBlanket bans on fossil-fuel funds will entrench povertyWhy the Climate Panic About Africa Is Wrong (with Todd Moss)Vijaya Ramachandran on Twitter: @vijramachandranHost:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod  HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Nic Cheeseman is Professor of Democracy at the University of Birmingham and was formerly the Director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. He works on democracy, elections and development, including election rigging, political campaigning, corruption, “fake news” and executive-legislative relations. Nic is the author or editor of ten books, including Democracy in Africa (2015), Institutions and Democracy in Africa (2017), How to Rig an Election (2018), Coalitional Presidentialism in Comparative Perspective (2018), and The Moral Economy of Elections in Africa (2021). Resources:Almost all of Nic's academic articles are available to download for free at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nic-Cheeseman-2 This includes his recent article on democracy in Africa, and the kind of democracy people want:  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352974495_African_Studies_Keyword_DemocracyAlso see his review of democracy in Africa in 2020: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343713587_The_State_of_Democracy_in_Africa_2020_A_Changing_of_the_Guards_or_A_Change_of_SystemsMany of Bic's blogs on democracy and elections can be found at: https://theconversation.com/profiles/nic-cheeseman-180800/articlesNic's articles and newspaper columns on African politics for the Mail & Guardian newspaper can be found here: https://mg.co.za/author/nic-cheeseman/He also writes a popular column, called "Political Capital", for the Africa Report - you can read it here: https://www.theafricareport.com/in-depth/political-capital/Many  of Nic's pieces, along with those of hundreds of other researchers, can be found on the website that he founded and co-edits: http://democracyinafrica.org/Nic Cheeseman on Twitter: @Fromagehomme  Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia. While announcing the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted the efforts of these two extraordinary journalists to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.Henrik Urdal is the director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Twitter: @h_urdal Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Nanjala Nyabola, the Kenya-based writer, advocate, activist and political analyst has written a wonderful new book titled "Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a life on the move”. She explore show travel and migration reveal numerous aspects of race, identity politics and culture and why the world order has become hostile to human mobility. In this beautifully written book, Nanjala tackles several important questions: What are the joys and pains of holidays for people of colour, when guidebooks are never written with them in mind? How are black lives today impacted by the othering legacy of colonial cultures and policies? And what can travel tell us about our sense of self, of home, of belonging and identity? Resources:Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the MoveNanjala Nyabola on TwitterHost:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Justin Yifu Lin is the  former Chief Economist of the World Bank. He is one of China’s leading economists and has worked extensively on the industrialization policies of rapidly developing countries. Justin is currently the Dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University. At the same university, he is also the Dean of the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development and Professor and Honorary Dean of the National School of Development. ResourcesWorld Bank names Chinese academic as chief economistWorld Bank archives on Justin LinBeating the Odds: Jump-Starting Developing Countries (Justin Yifu Linand Célestin Monga) Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/  HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Bangladesh has witnessed a remarkable turnaround in recent decades. From being termed as a “basket case” by the American Under Secretary of Political Affairs in 1971, it is now frequently talked of a development success, having achieved fast economic growth and considerable poverty reduction. While Bangladesh’s per capita GDP was the tenth lowest in the world upon independence in 1971 and by 2015, the country had reached lower-middle-income status. Over the past decade, Bangladesh has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It has among others benefited from a demographic dividend, strong ready-made garment exports, and stable macroeconomic conditions. While literacy rates have soared, infant mortality has plunged. And Bangladesh is now on track to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 2026.Imran Matin studied for a PhD in Economics at the University of Sussex and is the executive director of the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development in Dhaka. He has worked extensively on poverty reduction, financial inclusion, governance, health, and social protection. Imran previously served as a Country Director of the International Growth Centre in Bangladesh.ResourcesNo time for perfection when poor are in dire need of food (op.ed)Need for an Empathetic Understanding of the Migrants’ Issues (op.ed.)Bringing in Citizens’ Voices in Decision Making: The DIMAPPP Experience (op.ed.)Exploring a new governance agenda: What are the questions that matter? (Oxfam blog)Finding out fast about the impact of Covid-19: The need for policy-relevant methodological innovation (journal article, open access)An adaptive governance and health system response for the COVID-19 emergency (journal article, open access)Long-Term Strategies to Control COVID-19 in Low and Middle-Income Countries: An Options Overview of Community-Based, Non-Pharmacological Interventions (journal article, open access)Imran Matin on Twitter Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/   HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Simone Dietrich is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Geneva. Her research interests are in International Development, international and comparative political economy and democratization. She is a member of the EGAP network that promotes rigorous knowledge accumulation, innovation, and evidence-based policy across development domains. Prior to her academic career, she was development practitioner in Bosnia and Herzegovina.In her new book States, Markets and Foreign Aid, Simone explores why some donors (e.g. US, UK, Sweden) systematically bypass local authorities in recipient countries while implementing aid projects, while others (such as Germany, France, and Japan) tend to engage and work closely with local authorities. She argues that ideological orientations about the role of the state in donor countries shape the structure of foreign aid bureaucracies and, therefore, influence current aid delivery patterns and how donors approach international development.  Resources:"States, Markets, and Foreign Aid" (Cambridge University Press, 2021)"Elite Experiments: Strengthening Scholarship While Bridging the Gap" (Duck of Minerva, 2021)"From Text to Political Positions on Foreign Aid: Analysis of Aid Mentions in Party Manifestos from  1960 to 2015" (International Studies Quarterly, 2020)"Overseas Credit-Claiming and Domestic Support for Foreign Aid" (Journal of Experimental Political Science, 2019)"Foreign Aid, Foreign Policy, and Domestic Government Legitimacy: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh" (Journal of Politics, 2018)"Foreign aid can help combat anti-Western sentiment in Bangladesh" (Monkey Cage, Washington Post 2016)For other research on foreign aid and democracy promotion etc please consult Simone Dietrich`s research profile.  Host:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/   HostDan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)Apple Spotify YouTube Subscribe:https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.comhttps://globaldevpod.substack.com/