Foreign aid remains one of the most contested tools of international policy. This program rethinks the assumptions underlying development assistance by asking a simple but often neglected question: what does it mean for communities to govern their own development? Drawing on comparative fieldwork and policy analysis, we explore when aid enables problem-solving and when it undermines local initiative.
Our research highlights the importance of feedback loops, accountability, and learning from the ground up. Rather than focusing on aid volume or donor intent, we examine institutional design—how to build systems that recognize the dignity and capability of communities. The program contributes to global debates on localization, sustainability, and the moral foundations of assistance in an interdependent world.
The Future of Aid: Rethinking Assistance in an Era of Global Change, January 18, 2026
Drawing on his work expanding access to knowledge across the Middle East, Al Mutar will discuss new approaches to empowering local actors, strengthening human capital, and rethinking traditional models of aid and development.
Book Talk: The Laissez-Faire Peasant: Post-Socialist Rural Development in Serbia, December 11, 2025
The Laissez-Faire Peasant challenges the idea that rural residents are passive recipients of state development schemes, or that planning is the only path to prosperity. Instead, it shows that peasants actively shape their own wellbeing through autonomy, flexible cooperation, and spontaneous, locally driven practices.
Rethinking Aid Delivery: FinTech and the Future of Development, November 21, 2025
The Center for Governance and Markets will host a webinar, “Rethinking Aid Delivery: FinTech and the Future of Development,” featuring Skyler Badenoch, Chief Executive Officer of Hope for Haiti.
Adapting to the Changing Landscape of DA: Bridging Policy and Reality in Development Implementation, November 10, 2025
This conversation featuring Deji Olaore will explore how international development professionals can navigate a rapidly changing field.
Development in Crisis: Can Blockchain Save What’s Left of the Aid System, October 31, 2025
Paul Wong discusses if blockchain can save what’s left of the aid system
FinTech and Capital Markets Development, October 17, 2025
Carole Biau gives the talk FinTech and Capital Markets Development. Carole Biau is Director of Global Market Development at the Milken Institute, where she advances financial and economic policy in emerging markets.
Let's Get the Prince Back into Hamlet, October 14, 2025
Lant Pritchett hosted the talk National Development: Let's get the Price Back into Hamlet. Pritchett is a development economist and co-founder and Research Director of Labor Mobility Partnerships. His research spans economic growth, state capability, education, labor mobility, and development assistance.
National Digital Currency Strategy, September 26, 2025
Tristan Thoma discusses the design and implementation of national digital currencies, drawing on his experience leading El Salvador’s pioneering crypto system.
The Future of FinTech, September 19, 2025
Paul Brigner explores how emerging financial technologies are reshaping global development, bringing insights from his leadership in technology policy and fintech innovation.
The Future of Development Assistance, June 5, 2025
In response to recent shifts in U.S. foreign policy and growing scrutiny of aid effectiveness, this workshop will convene leading scholars to examine how development assistance can be restructured to promote human flourishing.
Reimagining the Future of Foreign Assistance , May 8, 2025
CGM hosted an interactive, solutions-focused workshop in response to the elimination of USAID and broader uncertainty in the foreign aid landscape.
Transforming Landscapes of Aid: How Gulf Business, the War in Ukraine, and Equestrian Sports Change Small-Town Kyrgyzstan, April 16, 2025
Till Mostowlansky examines how Gulf business, the war in Ukraine, and equestrian sports are reshaping aid, redistribution, and social life in small-town Kyrgyzstan.
Doing Policy that Prioritizes People: The Challenge of Reflexivism, April 2, 2025
Vijayendra Rao introduces “Reflexivism,” a people-centered approach to policymaking that emphasizes community voices, local democracy, and overcoming inequalities.