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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · 1d

Cholera deaths are rising in sub-Saharan countries. While the data suggest the US responded to this in the past, now we see programs cancelled. Colleagues and I take a look at these patterns in a new blog: www.cgdev.org/blog/cholera...

Cholera in Africa: Rising Deaths, Shrinking US Aid

The United States—long the world’s largest provider of lifesaving assistance and the largest humanitarian donor to many countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa—saw a sharp reversal in early 2025. ...

www.cgdev.org

Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · 4d

In a new blog @cgdev.org colleagues and I add up the effects of changes in foreign economic policy (aid, tariffs, remittance taxes)- which countries are the most heavily hit and which are least - some surprises:
www.cgdev.org/blog/who-bea...

Who Bears the Burden? Tracking the Global Impact of Recent US Foreign Policy Shifts

Since January, the United States has adopted a range of foreign economic policies with negative impacts on the rest of the world, including higher tariffs on exports, taxes on remittances, and reducti...

www.cgdev.org

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · 10d

Alongside this year's #AnnualMeetings, experts are convening at CGD to unpack novel AI approaches and why they matter for policymakers.

With: @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Rebecca Sharp, Temina Madon, Gabriel Demombynes, and @markusgold.bsky.social.

Happening Oct. 14—join us:
https://bit.ly/42m2Vcl

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · 16d

Totally proud of the PRO team, making this announcement in NYC this morning. Excellent to hear from Helen Keller International what a difference this was making on the ground. Go PRO!

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · 16d

The PRO Initiative, hosted by CGD, has reached a major milestone: every first-wave urgent, high-impact project is funded for 12 more months, sustaining life-saving aid for 41M people in 30+ countries.

See what's next: https://bit.ly/46DY5bQ

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jeeanews.bsky.social @jeeanews.bsky.social · Aug 29

Forthcoming article "Safe Spaces for Teenage Girls in a Time of Crisis" by Oriana Bandiera, Niklas Buehren, @markusgold.bsky.social Imran Rasul and Andrea Smurra
@eeanews.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1093/jeea...

Safe Spaces for Teenage Girls in a Time of Crisis

Abstract. Adolescent girls across low-income countries face disadvantages stemming from limited agency over their bodies and barriers to investing in their

doi.org

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Aug 13

My new blog discussing the faulty math that underlies US visa restrictions:
www.cgdev.org/blog/do-us-v...

Do US Visa Restrictions Target Overstays or Poor Countries?

The US administration justifies its restrictions on visas to citizens from certain countries by citing high overstay rates. But taken together, the targeted countries account for only a small share of...

www.cgdev.org

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Jul 30

Our new paper in the JEEA shows BRAC's ELA program offsets the pregnancy and drop-out impacts of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone:

academic.oup.com/jeea/advance...

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David Evans @daveevansphd.bsky.social · Jul 25

How much does it cost to provide a healthy diet? How does this vary across countries? www.worldbank.org/en/programs/... Will Masters shares an open-access resource that seeks to compare across countries at #ABCDE2025.

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David Evans @daveevansphd.bsky.social · Jul 24

[email protected]: "Lead exposure could explain 1/5th of the learning gap between rich & poor countries"

academic.oup.com/wbro/article... #ABCDE2025

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Jul 15

One month left to submit papers for this year's NEUDC: neudc2025.com:

NEUDC 2025

neudc2025.com

Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Jul 14

A recent blog by my colleagues @helen-dempster.bsky.social, Charley Ward and @samhuckstep.bsky.social shows the stark impact of the just-passed remittance tax on poorer countries, adding to the impact of aid cuts:https://www.cgdev.org/blog/even-1-percent-us-remittance-tax-hits-poor-countries-hard

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Jun 24

Thoughtful and wrenching stories of the waste and damage caused by the abrupt cutting of USAID: www.thisamericanlife.org/862/some-thi...

Some Things We Don't Do Anymore - This American Life

Trump froze U.S. foreign aid and dismantled USAID. We examine the agency’s impact and hear from people trying to navigate this chaotic moment.

www.thisamericanlife.org

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Jun 21

The Waste Musk Created www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/o...

Opinion | The Waste Musk Created

www.nytimes.com

Helen Dempster @helen-dempster.bsky.social · May 28

The World Bank has released their IDA21 plans, with the $2.4bn Window for Host Communities and Refugees now part of a broader regional window. In this new @cgdev.org blog, @thomasginn.bsky.social and I spell out the good, the bad, and where to go from here.

www.cgdev.org/blog/window-...

The Window for Host Communities and Refugees Survives, but What Does the Future Hold Under GROW?

Recently, the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) released their plans for IDA21, including for the Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR), now placed under a new umbrella...

www.cgdev.org

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · May 27

Globally, women’s land rights remain informal, leaving widows at high risk of losing access to their homes.

In a new working paper, @markusgold.bsky.social‬ & fellow experts study if large-scale land formalization programs can improve widows’ tenure security ⬇️
bit.ly/43xQR7y

Certified to Stay? Long-Run Experimental Evidence on Land Formalization and Widows’ Tenure Security in Benin

In many parts of the world, women’s land rights remain informal, leaving widows—especially those without a male heir—at high risk of losing access to their land and homes when their husbands die. We…

bit.ly

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · May 22

Proud of our education team, partnering with the FCDO and the Global Partnership with Education to support the launch of the Ministerial taskforce against violence in and around schools. Excited to see us build the data and evidence on what works to address this issue.
www.cgdev.org/article/mini...

Ministers Launch International Taskforce to End School Violence

Eleven countries have come together to launch a new international taskforce to tackle violence in and around schools at a high-level roundtable organised by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development O...

www.cgdev.org

Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · May 21

In the wake of the abrupt dismantling of USAID, there are taxpayer funded vaccines, food, and bednets sitting in warehouses, going bad. My colleagues Robert Rosenbaum, Caitlin Tulloch, and Cindy Huang blog about an initiative trying to make sure less people die: www.cgdev.org/blog/buildin...

Building the Future of Aid—Starting Now: Strategic Lessons from a Crisis

Despite what administration officials have claimed about preserving life-saving work, many of the programs delivering interventions known to save the most lives per dollar spent have not received the ...

www.cgdev.org

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · May 20

Despite it's ability to cause substantial harm to human health, lead chromate is still not regulated by the Rotterdam Convention, likely due in part to bureaucratic inertia.

More from @leecrawfurd.bsky.social & @rorytodd98.bsky.social:
www.cgdev.org/blog/childre...

Children Are Being Poisoned Because of Bureaucratic Inertia

This month saw joint meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention. These meetings are held once every two years, and are the key mechanisms for in...

www.cgdev.org

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · May 10

My colleague @hanshengchia.bsky.social and I cut through the noise and lay out some ideas on identifying smart bets on AI for development:
www.cgdev.org/blog/cutting...

Cutting through the Noise: Identifying Smart Bets in AI Applications for Development

There are more than 450 AI applications targeting health or education outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, but not every application will prove cost-effective. How can the development sector ...

www.cgdev.org

Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · May 2

Looking for some weekend reading? My colleague Han Sheng Chia and coauthors lay out a map for evaluating AI interventions in the development sector (spoiler: it does not start with an RCT): www.cgdev.org/blog/ai-eval...

An AI Evaluation Framework for the Development Sector

There's a common concern that AI systems are black boxes prone to unexpected behavior, from Google recommending users eat rocks to Sora’s AI videos depicting gymnasts sprouting extra limbs. While some...

www.cgdev.org

David Evans @daveevansphd.bsky.social · Apr 29

Professional update: In June, I’ll be joining the @cgdev.org as a Senior Fellow. I’m enthusiastic to generate and disseminate policy-actionable research with fabulous colleagues under @rglenner.bsky.social’s leadership.

Im Thinking Im Back John Wick GIF

ALT: Im Thinking Im Back John Wick GIF

media.tenor.com

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · Apr 17

📅 On Apr. 25, @cgdev.org & @theirworld.bsky.social invite you to a discussion on the benefits of supporting early childhood development & childcare, and how to increase investment in these years to achieve the triple dividend for children, women, & economies.

RSVP ⬇️
bit.ly/4jENeDt

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Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · Apr 11

Sub-Saharan African countries will bear the brunt of US & UK aid cuts.🌍

Join CGD & Africatalyst for a #SpringMeetings discussion on responses to the new development landscape, how leaders can react, & ways to move away from aid dependency.

RSVP!⬇️
bit.ly/4j9H8uQ

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Charles Kenny @charlesjkenny.bsky.social · Apr 10

Come work with @markusgold.bsky.social and me on global development stuff.

centerforglobaldevelopment.applytojob.com/apply/Yb82j2...

Research Assistant - Center for Global Development - Career Page

Apply to Research Assistant at Center for Global Development in Washington, DC.

centerforglobaldevelopment.applytojob.com

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Corinne Low @corinnelow.com · Apr 10

Educating international students is a massive export of services. They pay us money earned in a foreign nation for a product the US has, until now, had an absolute advantage in. We cannot effectively sell these services if these students can be deported, detained, and even kidnapped at random.

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Mar 31

Last month, Jishnu Das revisited his work showing the impact of US aid in the wake of the Pakistan earthquake. Particularly relevant given last week's USAID RIFs and the Myanmar quake: www.linkedin.com/pulse/pity-u...

Pity the U.S (or what 08:50:39, 10/08/2005 tells us about aid).

The sudden slew of "Stop Work" emails shows that the basic decency of providing some warning before cutting off aid was not afforded to the poorest in the world. Having trusted the U.

www.linkedin.com

Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Mar 28

@jmadankeller.bsky.social & @charlesjkenny.bsky.social take a look at the consequences of the US cancelling support for GAVI. 20-500K additional deaths: www.cgdev.org/blog/why-tru...

Why the Trump Administration's Plan to Cut Funding to Gavi is Shortsighted

In a list of thousands of terminated USAID awards that was sent to Congress this week is a devastating cut suggesting the Trump administration might be planning to end funding to Gavi, the global init...

www.cgdev.org

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Markus Goldstein @markusgold.bsky.social · Mar 21

My colleague @charlesjkenny.bsky.social offers some trenchant thoughts on the reality of waste, fraud and corruption in US foreign assistance: www.cgdev.org/blog/thinkin...

Thinking Through Waste, Fraud and Corruption in US Foreign Assistance

The US Administration has presented a weak case for its argument that US foreign assistance was so riddled with abuse and fraud that the only answer was to shut down USAID and reboot. The lists of ter...

www.cgdev.org

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