Development Drums
Owen Barder
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Development Drums takes an in depth look at key issues in international development and global poverty.
Available episodes
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Jun 3, 2022
Episode 48: Stefan Dercon – Gambling on Development
Stefan Dercon is Professor of Economic Policy and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford. He is a former DFID chief economist and a policy advisor to the UK foreign secretary. Stefan Dercon argues that countries develop if they achieve an elite bargain, in which the country’s […]
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Sep 17, 2015
Episode 47: Todd Moss – The Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
Bestselling author Todd Moss is a former senior State Department official who led America’s response to coups and crises in West Africa. He is also my colleague at the Center for Global Development, where he is a Senior Fellow and Chief Operating Officer.
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Jun 7, 2015
Episode 46: Morten Jerven
Morten Jerven explains why we know less than we should about what is happening in African economies, and why this is leading economists to the wrong recommendations. His first book, Poor Numbers: How We are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do About It explained the problems with Africa’s economic data; an his […]
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May 3, 2015
Episode 45: Mind, Society and Behaviour (Varun Gauri)
Varun Gauri talks about the relevance of behavioural economics to international development.
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Sep 15, 2014
Episode 44: The Data Revolution
Everyone seems to be talking about the data revolution these days. In this episode of Development Drums, I speak with two people who have thought more about what it is, how to make it happen, and what it means for development than just about anyone else.
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Jul 24, 2014
Episode 43: Complexity
In this episode of Development Drums, I speak with Ben Ramalingam and Stefan Dercon about whether complexity and systems thinking offers actionable insights for better development interventions.
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Mar 10, 2014
Episode 42: The Idealist (Nina Munk on Jeff Sachs)
Nina Munk’s latest book, The Idealist, is about Jeffrey Sachs and the Millennium Villages Project. It is also a book about the efforts that people in industrialised countries make to help poor people. It is a book about vision, passion and hubris.
In this episode of Development Drums, Nina Munk tells the story of how she came to write the book, and what she learned about Jeff Sacha, and about development aid, as she did so.
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Dec 21, 2013
Episode 41: The Great Escape (Angus Deaton)
Professor Angus Deaton talks about his book, The Great Escape, which brings together his research into health, well-being, and economic development. The podcast includes a discussion in the second half of Professor Deaton's criticisms of the aid industry.
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May 4, 2013
Episode 40: Why Nations Fail
Daron Acemoğlu and James Robinson talk about their best-selling book, Why Nations Fail.
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Mar 22, 2013
Episode 39: Bob Geldof (full version)
Full interview with Bob Geldof
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Mar 22, 2013
Episode 38: Bob Geldof (edited)
This podcast presents the edited version (about half an hour) of a longer interview with Bob Geldof; if you prefer you can listen to the full interview (1 hr 15 minutes) in episode 39 of Development Drums instead. Bob Geldof is a singer, songwriter, author, actor and part-time political activist. As lead singer of the […]
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Mar 1, 2013
Episode 37: From Poverty to Power
Duncan Green, Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam, talks about his book From Poverty to Power.
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Feb 24, 2013
Episode 36: Accountability and Openness
Rakesh Rajani and Martin Tisné discuss accountability and openness.
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Dec 1, 2012
Episode 35: Migration and Development
Michael Clemens from the Center for Global Development talks about the relationship between migration and development.
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Oct 10, 2012
Episode 34: The Economics Of Enough
In this episode, Owen talks with author and economist Diane Coyle about her latest book ‘The Economics Of Enough, How To Run The Economy As If The Future Matters’. In the first section, Diane shares her thoughts on economic growth as a satisfactory goal for economic and social policy, and discusses the measure of Gross Domestic […]
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Aug 20, 2012
Episode 33: Complexity and Development
This is a special edition of Development Drums. Instead of interviewing a guest, as normal, we bring you a presentation on Complexity and Development by Owen Barder. This is the audio-only version of an online presentation with slides, which is available from the Center for Global Development. You can also download the slides and full transcript. […]
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Aug 10, 2012
Episode 32: Gender and Development
Andrea Cornwall of the Institute of Development Studies and Prue Clarke of New Narrative discuss gender and development.
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May 28, 2012
Episode 31: David Roodman on Microfinance
Center for Global Development Senior Fellow David Roodman talks about his latest book ‘Due Diligence, An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance’. David discusses the evidence surrounding the effects of microfinance on the lives of the world’s poor and its implications on aid donors, within the context of his book’s key findings. David then goes on to speak about […]
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May 14, 2012
Episode 30: Interviews with EBRD Candidates
In this episode we interview four of the five candidates for the next president of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development on their vision for the Bank's future.
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Apr 19, 2012
Episode 29: Toby Ord on Giving What We Can
Toby Ord is a moral philosopher at Balliol College, Oxford and the president of Giving What We Can, an international society dedicated to eliminating poverty in the developing world. In this interview, Toby firstly talks about consequentialism and the implications for development, with particular focus on cost-effectiveness. Secondly, Toby explains his personal decision to donate a substantial proportion of his income to the developing world, and shares […]
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Feb 23, 2012
Episode 28: Tim Harford on Adapt (why success always begins with failure)
Tim Harford is a journalist at the Financial Times and the author of The Undercover Economist and, most recently, of Adapt: Why Success Always Begins with Failure.
In this interview, Tim talks about the implications for development of his idea that successful complex systems emerge from a process of trial and error.
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Jun 17, 2011
Episode 27: Tony Blair
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair talks about his Africa Governance Initiative, about globalization, development, democracy and governance in Africa, leadership, the role of the Department for International Development, and his own future.
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May 3, 2011
Episode 26: China in Africa
Professor Deborah Bräutigam discusses her book, The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa about China Africa relations. Professor Bräutigam blogs at chinaafricarealstory.com. Running time 1 hour 1 minute; size: 29.6 Mb. Download transcript (pdf)
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Feb 10, 2011
Episode 25: Global development challenges
Malini Mehra from the Center for Social Markets and Alex Evans from the Center on International Cooperation at NYU discuss ten big global challenges for development.
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Dec 4, 2010
Episode 24: The New Bottom Billion
Andy Sumner (IDS) and Claire Melamed (ODI) discuss the implications of Andy's paper, Global Poverty and The New Bottom Billion.
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Oct 18, 2010
Episode 23: Famine and Foreigners
Peter Gill talks on Development Drums about his new book, Famine and Foreigners: Ethiopia Since Live Aid.
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May 2, 2010
Episode 22: Enough – Hunger in an Age of Plenty
Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman talk about their book Enough: Why The World’s Poorest Starve In An Age of Plenty. Download transcript (pdf)
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Apr 19, 2010
Episode 21: Randomized Evaluation
In this edition of Development drums, Owen talks to Rachel Glennerster, Director of the Poverty Action Lab, about rigorous evaluation of development programmes. Rachel explains how rigorous evaluation techniques can give important insights into the effectiveness of development programmes. She explains the role (and limitations) of randomised controlled trials, and she addresses some of the […]
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Nov 4, 2009
Episode 20: Corruption
Daniel Kaufmann and Mushtaq Khan debate the role and importance of tackling corruption as part of a development strategy. Download transcript (pdf)
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Oct 26, 2009
Episode 19: Beyond Planning
Guest presenter Alison Evans, Director of ODI, interviews Owen Barder about his new paper, Beyond Planning: Markets and Networks for Better Aid, and Roger Riddell, author of two key books on aid and a non-executive director of Oxford Policy Management. This podcast is in collaboration with the Overseas Development Institute. Download transcript (pdf)
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Aug 29, 2009
Episode 18: Portfolios of the Poor
Daryl Colliins and Jonathan Morduch discuss their book, co-authored with Stuart Rutherford and Orland Ruthven, Portfolios of the Poor. Forty percent of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. You may be surprised by the extent to which they use financial services. Daryl and Jonathan describe their work and their findings. Running […]
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Jul 19, 2009
Episode 17: Obama in Ghana
President Obama spoke in Ghana on July 11, 2009 about US policy towards Africa. In this episode of Development Drums, Todd Moss and Chris Blattman join me to talk about the speech, and what it means for the US and Africa. President Obama’s speech Chris Blattman’s blog Comments on the speech from Bill Easterly Comments […]
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Jul 18, 2009
Episode 16: False Economy
Alan Beattie, World Trade Editor of the Financial Times, talks about his new book, False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World, with Professor Robert Wade of the London School of Economics. Running time 41 minutes; size 17.8 Mb. Download transcript (pdf)
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Jun 14, 2009
Episode 15: Peter Singer
Professor Peter Singer talks on Development Drums about his new book, The Life You Can Save. This book sets out an ethical case for why people should give more money to people in developing countries. Here are the links mentioned in the podcast. The Life You Can Save website Buy The Life You Can Save […]
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May 23, 2009
Episode 14: Philanthrocapitalism
Matthew Bishop and Mike Green talk about their book, Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World and Why We Should Let Them Running time 1 hour 5 minutes; size 33.8 Mb. Download transcript (pdf)
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May 13, 2009
Episode 13: Butijira
Andrew Mitchell MP, the shadow Secretary of State for International Development in the British Conservative party, talks about whether and how UK policy on development would change if the Conservatives win the next General Election. Download transcript (pdf) Running time 25 minutes 56 seconds; size 16.9 Mb
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Mar 24, 2009
Episode 12: The Hague
The authors of the WrongingRights blog, Kate Cronin-Furman and Amanda Taub, help to clear up the mysteries of international criminal law. Running time: 46 minutes 47 seconds. Size: 22Mb Download transcript (pdf) In this episode of Development Drums we talk about the International Criminal Court and the arrest warrant that has been issued for the […]
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Mar 14, 2009
Episode 11: Moorgate
Nancy Birdsall (CGD) and Simon Maxwell (ODI) reflect on the London Poverty Summit on 9th and 10th March; and Minouche Shafik (DFID) talks about the forthcoming DFID White Paper. Running time: 1 hour and 11 minutes. File size: 32.4 Mb Download transcript (pdf) The British Government held a 2 day conference on 9th and […]
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Mar 6, 2009
Episode 10: Oxford
Paul Collier talks about his prize winning book The Bottom Billion, and his new book published this month in the UK, Wars Guns and Votes.
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Feb 20, 2009
Episode 9: Rome
Are donors living up to their promises? Eckhard Deutscher (Chair of the Development Assistance Committee) and Richard Carey (Director of the Development Cooperation Directorate of the OECD) talk about the 2009 Development Cooperation Report, progress towards increasing aid and the way it is delivered, and the work of the DAC.
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