Chris Blattman

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Development drumming

Economist (and blogger) Owen Barder is podcasting development news at Development Drums.

Reforming the global aid system is the inaugural episode’s modest goal. Owen invites Simon Maxwell, Director of the Overseas Development Institute, to discuss the Accra High Level Forum from their front row seats in Ghana.

What I liked best were Owen and Simon’s tales of finance ministers who contend with hundreds of foreign delegations a year, and dozens upon dozens of donor systems, requirements, and quirks. How are they to get the real work of governing done?

The Accra meeting is all about donor harmonization, an more effective aid. Terrific idea. But Owen asks whether Accra’s is a misguided, Stalinist-style solution. Simon suggests that there might be a better way to rationalize, move to multilaterals, but still maintain some choice and competition. I recommend a full listen.

P.S. Owen and his needling are more or less responsible for this blog you see before you. He says I’ll be just as enthusiastic a podcaster–on his show, of course. For now, I much prefer the security of editing and polishing responses that comes with the written post (and not the errant podcasted comment). But I may one day relent.

3 Responses

  1. Any idea what happened to the development drums series of podcasts? I can’t seem to find it past 14/11/08. If anyone knows I would love to find out – I was really enjoying them.

  2. Chris

    Thanks. I definitely intend to go on trying to persuade you to come on some time in the future. You’ll be a natural!

    Owen

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