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Saturday November 22, 2008

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Global Views

“Global Views” are short research briefs by Brookings scholars that are focused on potential policy solutions and/or new analysis regarding current challenges in the global economy and development fields. “Global Views” are intended to foster discussion on critical issues and Brookings welcomes feedback on these policy papers.

In this Series

2008

Scaling Up Through Aid: The Real Challenge

October 2008

Scaling up—expanding, adapting, and sustaining successful projects, programs, or policies over time—can substantially reduce poverty. Johannes Linn and Arntraud Hartmann outline the actions that bilateral and multilateral donors and private aid agencies need to take in order to support scaling up for effective, sustainable development.

The IMF and the World Bank: A Case for Separating the Conjoined Twins

October 2008

In advance of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in Washington, Lex Rieffel asserts that both institutions, which were created in 1944 to be at the center of a sound and dynamic international financial system, have overlapping responsibilities and antiquated governance structures that have undermined their legitimacy. In this policy brief, Rieffel offers steps to visibly differentiate the two institutions and improve their effectiveness, including moving the headquarters of the World Bank to Europe.

Ten Times the Peace Corps: A Smart Investment in Soft Power

September 2008

Reversing the negative attitudes toward the United States that prevail in many parts of the world will require a mix of hard power and soft power instruments. Brookings Fellow Lex Rieffel and National Peace Corps Association President Kevin F. F. Quigley provide recommendations for scaling up the Peace Corps and argue that such an effort could contribute measurably to strengthening America’s relations with the rest of the world.

Directing Foreign Aid for Basic Education: Taking Account of Political Will

May 2008

At least 77 million children worldwide do not attend primary school, a problem which is often fueled by a lack of resources but also by a lack of political will. In a new Brookings Global policy brief, Stephen Kosack examines the issue of political will and its affect on primary education access.

2007

Banking Sector Opening: Policy Questions And Lessons For Developing Countries

February 2007

After decades of zealously protecting their banking markets, in the 1990s many developing and transition economies began to scale down or eliminate barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI) in the banking sector. Today, policymakers in a second wave of countries are in the early stages of opening their banking sectors or are under considerable political pressure to do so.

How Cronyism Harms the Investment Climate

January 2007

Cronyism undermines markets in several ways. It increases the costs of doing business for firms excluded from inner, "favored" circles. It encourages firms to spend more on cultivating political ties and less on innovation. It allows regulators and policymakers to benefit privately from relationships with certain firms. Reducing the inequality in influence between the most-powerful and least-powerful firms—the "influence gap"—can limit the harmful effects of cronyism. This can be done through support for greater public accountability, anti-monopoly enforcement, and more inclusive consultation mechanisms.

2006

Reducing Urban Violence in Developing Countries

November 2006

Urban violence is a serious development constraint in developing countries and increasingly dominates the daily lives of citizens across the globe. The accompanying increase in fear and insecurity has led to a wide-scale preoccupation with the phenomenon.

Global Views

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