This is a time of transition in politics and policy. What contribution can ODI make?
We are always careful not to be party political and not be tarred as advocates or campaigners. Nor do we have an institutional view which might constrain researchers. ODI’s reputation rests on its ability to privilege high-quality research, and use evidence to inform policy debates.
Nevertheless, it is incumbent on us to be useful. How can we help new leaders in the UK, France, the World Bank, the United Nations, and elsewhere? As we reported last year, and in a continuing series of public events, we have been debating ‘What’s Next in International Development?’ Good question. What’s the answer?
Of course there is no single institutional answer. The mandate of researchers is specifically to challenge consensus. What follows, therefore, is a personal prospectus.
The key question is whether the Millennium Development Goals provide sufficient purchase for current development policy. The ‘poverty reduction paradigm’ has been a powerful driver of both thinking and action in international development – certainly since the publication of the 1990 World Development and Human Development Reports.
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