Rethinking Development Policies at Home and Abroad

Over the past 20 years, 1.2 billion people worldwide have left extreme poverty. While we celebrate this achievement, it is expected that over 500 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, with wealth inequality remaining a significant factor in this issue across the globe. Our guests today will be speaking with us on policy gaps in the anti-poverty sector both in Canada and abroad calling for more evidence-based policy development. 

Amy Dodd is the Head of Engagement at Development Initiatives, which is based in London, UK. Before joining Development Initiatives, she ran the UK Aid Network for 5 years, a coalition of NGOs working on joint policy, analysis and advocacy for better and more effective aid and development cooperation. 

Arjan de Haan is the Director of IDRC’s Inclusive Economies program. He leads a multidisciplinary team that strengthens policy research capacity in developing countries on issues of economic policy, governance, and health systems. 

Amanda Glassman is executive vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and also serves as chief executive officer of CGD Europe. Her research focuses on priority-setting, resource allocation and value for money in global health, as well as data for development. She previously served as director for global health policy at the Center from 2010 to 2016, and has more than 25 years of experience working on health and social protection policy and programs in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world. 

Lorenzo Gonzales and Weseem Ahmed are independent researchers at Ontario 360, a think-tank based in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. They have recently written a paper on the possible use of Opportunity Zones in Ontario to address the urban-rural divide. 

Special thanks to Senior Producer Nimmi Augustine, Junior Producer Hongyu Xiao, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.