A CGD blog. How much do World Bank targets, rules about project appraisals considering mitigation and adaptation, and a shadow price of carbon make a difference to what the World Bank actually finances? In a new policy paper, I try to answer that question looking at both finance trends and the project appraisal…

A CGD blog. I have just published a note about enforced local preferences in multilateral development bank (MDB)-financed procurement. The paper assumes the reader believes such preferences might be good for client countries. Of course, many of those calling for such preferences are not as concerned with develo…

A CGD blog with Eeshani Kandpal. A recent PowerPoint presentation presents the outline for the institutional structure of “The WBG Knowledge Bank.” But a knowledge bank owes it to its stakeholders impartial and transparent consideration of all the available evidence, as well as the generation of new evidence where it is needed. And…

A CGD blog with Sanjeev Gupta. As the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings get underway, five CGD experts lay out what they’re paying attention to, from sovereign debt swaps to US comments about IMF mission creep.

A CGD blog with Markus Goldstein. The United States-long the world’s largest provider of lifesaving assistance and the largest humanitarian donor to many countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa-saw a sharp reversal in early 2025. The US administration imposed a temporary funding freeze, cancelled most assistance awards, and clos…

A CGD blog with Ramona Godbole. After months of devastating news about cuts to US global health programming, the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy presents some grounds for optimism. It signals continued US commitment to global health, including the delivery of lifesaving assistance, alongside containing …

A CGD blog with Helen Dempster. Since January, the United States has adopted a range of foreign economic policies with negative impacts on the rest of the world, including higher tariffs on exports, taxes on remittances, and reductions in US foreign assistance. We construct a ranking assessing the combined impact of these changes:…

A CGD blog. This week in New York, foundations that work in global development are busy discussing their role in a changed world. I think they have a critical role, but it is a role that acknowledges, advertises and responds to their limits. They can and should help directly save some of the lives and…

A CGD blog with Vijaya Ramachandran et al. What counts as climate finance? We replicated the scraping technique of an earlier paper to look at World Bank climate projects in FY23 and FY24. It still appears that almost everything counts in small amounts: the pattern of labeling a little bit of a lot of projects…

A CGD blog. The US Administration has made no secret of its intention to considerably reduce America’s engagement with international organizations. It has already announced withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and has declared it wi…