Charles Kenny
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social
3K followers 340 following 1K posts
Fellow at the Center for Global Development, author of Getting Better and The Plague Cycle. (CGD doesn't have institutional positions, so don't blame it for mine).
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charlesjkenny.bsky.social
From new ODI multilateral bank client survey.

IADB Research Department: take a bow.

media.odi.org/documents/Ar...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
At its peak, about 1 in 7 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa caused by HIV/AIDS. It is now one in 20. PEPFAR takes a lot of credit. Since the launch of PMI in 2005, death rates from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa are down by a third. This is the time to double down, not walk away.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
At its peak, about 1 in 7 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa caused by HIV/AIDS. It is now one in 20. PEPFAR takes a lot of credit. Since the launch of PMI in 2005, death rates from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa are down by a third. This is the time to double down, not walk away.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
In high prevalence settings, putting just 4% of the population on lenacapavir might prevent 20% of new HIV infections.

And HIV vaccines are on the horizon. An Operation Warp Speed for highly effective, cheap-to-manufacture malaria and HIV vaccines would be game-changing.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
We now have some of the tools to achieve this vision: We have the potential to vaccinate all children at risk against malaria in the next couple of years and save over 800,000 children’s lives by 2030.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
The way to speed transition isn’t to wait until countries like Malawi has the capacity and income required to provide the services to fight these diseases today, it is to dramatically reduce the capacity and income required to successfully fight these diseases tomorrow.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Maybe possible in eg South Africa, but what about Malawi: health spending is $40 per person per year (or 0.3% US level), less than 25% of healthcare providers demonstrate an ability to both diagnose and treat malaria with anaemia.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Also good: more government-to-government, integration, unified health information systems, cutting-edge innovations.

But: strategy is US assistance levels will decline from 2027, & very rapid universal transition to government provided and then recipient government paid.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Welcome that—at least in the short term—the strategy promises to “ensure funding for 100% of all frontline commodity purchases and 100% of all frontline healthcare workers who directly deliver services to patients.”
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Blog with Ramona Godbole: Unpacking the US’s New Global Health Strategy: Retreating When We Could Be Winning.

There's stuff to like in the US global health strategy, but its built around rapidly sunsetting finance rather than rapidly sunsetting HIV & malaria deaths. Not Great...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
leecrawfurd.bsky.social
Another call for better aid reporting. Axel Dreher says we should distinguish & report separately on:

1. Humanitarian aid
2. Global public goods
3. Development aid

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com
Reposted by Charles Kenny
mclem.org
This is true, & backed by the best peer-reviewed research.

@kevinshih.bsky.social of @ucrchass.bsky.social uses large shocks to international student supply in the past to test the hypothesis that they crowd out natives. They crowd *in* natives, via tuition revenue—>

doi.org/10.1016/j.jp...
djvanness.bsky.social
A lot of people think that every international student admitted means one fewer spot for domestic students, when the opposite is more likely true - the tuition revenue international students bring allows public universities to provide substantial discounts to domestic students, improving access.
nickfleisher.bsky.social
30% drop year over year!
Reposted by Charles Kenny
unctad.bsky.social
When trade deals expire: What’s at stake for Africa and the US?

Market access to the United States could further deteriorate for many African countries if the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is not renewed before its expiration on 30 September 2025.

Full data story: ▶️ ow.ly/Hq0w50X3E9a
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Apparently people in client countries trust the World Bank more than people in donor countries (I'd argue that's a piece of evidence that the World Bank is doing its job right).

It appears the US has pulled out of an international organization that is comparatively trusted within the US (WHO).
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
This, from a survey paid for by Rockefeller Foundation, interesting on who trusts which international organizations worldwide....
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Update:

USASpending still reporting non-zero obligations to only 11 international orgs this fiscal year (which ends tomorrow). This excludes (ia) World Trade Organization, NATO, WHO, FAO, UPU, ITU IMO, WMO, WIPO...

www.usaspending.gov/federal_acco...
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
From what we know, I don't think much of this spending is going to be targeted toward the most effective uses of development assistance.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Good news for UK, EU countries, Korea and Japan though, you're eligible for spending! (Sorry Canada, New Zealand and Australia, better luck next time).
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
... 'preventing mass migration" subsidizing US firms to compete with Chinese firms, "conservation work in Greenland", subsidizing US firms to build mines, and "activities to incentivize partners to support US immigration policies." ...
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Some good stuff! peacebuilding between Armenia and Azerbaijan, community based policing in Latin America, energy in Ukraine, stabilization in DRC... and then...