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Commentaries on International Development

Students, alumni, and faculty occasionally write commentaries on issues related to international development, which we are proud to feature here.

America Could Do More to Get the World Vaccinated
After waging its own withering battle with COVID-19, the United States appears to be coming to grips with the pandemic and its economy is recovering. Now could be the time for America to play a greater role in global vaccination, both out of generosity and self-interest.
May 4, 2021
Demystifying the Belt and Road Initiative
Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China works with more than 70 countries to design and implement large infrastructure projects. Why are countries of all stripes turning to China for funding when the world is awash with cash?
Jul 6, 2020
The Unintended Consequences of a Proposed Cure for COVID-19
The very discussion of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as therapeutic options against COVID-19 has decreased their availability for proven treatments, exacerbated global shortages, fueled an already rampant counterfeit drug market in Africa, and worsened trade tensions. Student Sangita Baxi (cohort '17) and professors Krishna Kumar and Todd Richmond ask, What can be done to deal with the unintended consequences caused by the elevated profile of these drugs?
Apr 29, 2020
Prof: After COVID-19, America Needs to Reengage with the World, Not Retreat
The COVID-19 pandemic should lead to a further strengthening of the national and international response capacity, writes Prof. Krishna Kumar. The alternative of erecting barriers and closing America off to the world would leave it more vulnerable to the next big shock.
Apr 1, 2020
Economic Experiments for Global Impact
Implementing effective solutions for global socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation is a daunting challenge. However, RAND has seen over its decades of work in this area that data-based decisions can improve the welfare of the world's most vulnerable populations.
Oct 23, 2019
Europe's Great Challenge: Integrating Syrian Refugees
Since March, 2011, close to 1 million Syrian refugees have requested asylum in European countries, with Germany being the primary destination. Students Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13) and Gabriela Armenta ('15) say social and economic policies to deal with the refugee crisis will require collaborative planning, monitoring, and assessment efforts to be successful.
Apr 20, 2018
Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Student Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13) writes that increased poverty and major shifts in traditional gender roles for Syrian refugees have worsened interpersonal tensions, increased the risk of domestic violence, and caused challenges for aid workers.
Mar 22, 2018
Gaza on the Brink
The combined risk of violence and pandemic in Gaza makes this small coastal enclave a ticking time bomb, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). While neither Israel nor the U.S. has the solutions to all of Gaza's water and health woes, the United States' decision to withhold funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency could only make things worse.
Mar 9, 2018
A Colombian Survivor's Crusade to Strengthen Punishment for Acid Attacks
Acid attacks—one of the most extreme forms of violence against women and girls—have devastating, lifelong consequences for survivors. Student Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13) writes that governments can, like Colombia, impose tougher punishments on attackers and support programs to build survivors' self-confidence.
Jul 17, 2017
How Uganda Could Benefit from a Center for Food Innovation
A training and innovation center that trains and certifies street food vendors to address issues related to food hygiene, safety, and quality would accelerate the growth of a new Ugandan cuisine that capitalizes on nutritious local ingredients in a sustainable manner, write student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen.
May 23, 2017
What Street Food Vendors in Uganda Need to Succeed
Street vendors in Kampala, Uganda, would benefit from infrastructure development, food safety standards, rules of hygiene, and greater focus on healthy products, write student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen. The city's growing population also would benefit from increased access to nutritious and affordable foods.
May 16, 2017
A New Ugandan Cuisine: Showcasing Superfood Qualities of Millet and Sorghum
The results of a series of cooking contests in Uganda to promote the use of drought-tolerant, nutritious traditional grains—millet and sorghum—signal that a new food trend may be on the horizon. Student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen describe their Pardee Initiative "Superfoods" project in this first of three blog posts.
May 9, 2017
Lessons from Northern Uganda: Post-Conflict Integration of 'Children Born of War'
Children conceived as a result of sexual violence during armed conflict face socioeconomic marginalization, family rejection, stigmatization, and violence. Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13) examines ways societies can address the unique needs of the thousands of "children born of war."
Apr 12, 2017
The Hot Spots of the World
Scarcity of food, energy, and water endangers the lives of millions. So Pardee RAND professors and students created a tool with the potential to help make aid initiatives more effective.
Oct 13, 2016
After Decades of Conflict, Learning to Reap the Benefits of Taxes in Northern Uganda
The post-conflict regions of northern Uganda need more health care, legal services, psychological support, and counseling. A women's community organization is trying to get Ugandans to pay taxes while teaching them how to get the local government to spend tax money on improving public services, writes student Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13).
Mar 17, 2016
A Promising Approach for Expanding Health Insurance to Nigeria's Informal Sector
The Kwara Community Health Insurance program in Nigeria provides a remarkable proof-of-concept and template for addressing the challenge of providing risk protection for the poor in the developing world, writes student Yemi Okunogbe (cohort '13).
Jan 22, 2016
What to Do About Informal Employment in Developing Countries
The staying power of informal employment in developing countries is a concern, because informal employees (e.g., day laborers) tend to receive lower wages, fewer benefits, and fewer legal protections. Prof. Shanthi Nataraj asks, How can policymakers improve conditions for informal workers?
Jan 22, 2016
Africa Succeeds in Meeting Many Long-Term U.N. Development Goals
Africa's great strides toward meeting the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals are a compelling reminder of the continent's potential to create a more prosperous and sustainable environment for its people, writes Pardee RAND student Mahal Woldetsadik (cohort '13).
Dec 7, 2015
In Latin America, Breaking the Cycle of Intimate-Partner Abuse One Handwritten Letter at a Time
Latin America has one of the highest rates of intimate-partner violence in the world, writes Mahal Woldetsadik (cohort '13), but a series of high-profile cases, including the murder of a journalist by her policeman husband, have propelled intimate-partner violence to the fore of Bolivia's public agenda.
Sep 30, 2015
What Durban Can Teach Detroit: Getting Customers to Pay Their Water Bills
South Africa is proving that governments in poor cities can provide water and collect payment without turning off the water spigot. Detroit and Baltimore might consider exploring models like this that have been successfully tested in even more challenging settings, writes Julia Pollak (cohort '12).
Jul 29, 2015
Family Planning Must Be Part of the Humanitarian Response in Africa's Conflict Zones
Worldwide, nearly 800 women die every day due to mostly preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. More than half of these deaths occur in fragile states torn by armed conflict and generalized violence, writes student Mahal Woldetsadik (cohort '13).
Jul 1, 2015
Reaching the 80 Percent: Q&A with Krishna Kumar
Pardee RAND professor Krishna Kumar discusses studying agriculture in China, low-income housing in India, and labor markets in Bangladesh, and how research can help the developing world.
Jun 15, 2015
What the Ebola Crisis Taught Us About Emergency Preparedness
The 2014 Ebola outbreak was the most severe of its kind in history, writes Pardee RAND student Yemi Okunogbe (cohort '13). At the height of the crisis, there were 800 to 1,000 new reported cases per week in Africa across the three most heavily affected countries. As of the last week of May, there were only 12 confirmed cases. Now the question is, What must be done to prevent and mitigate future crises of this nature?
Jun 4, 2015
What's at Stake in Nigeria's Elections
Next to ethnic and religious predilections, security is by far the biggest issue for Nigerians in Saturday's election, writes Tobi Oluwatola (cohort '12). For more than 50 years, since Nigeria's independence from British rule, its military has played an important role in peacekeeping across the continent. Paradoxically, the country has struggled with an insurgency within its own borders.
Mar 27, 2015
Mental Health Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
Depression is the leading cause of disability throughout the world and is especially prevalent among low-income African countries, where 75 percent of the people who suffer from mental illness do not have easy access to the mental health care they need, writes Mahlet A. Woldetsadik (cohort '13).
Mar 10, 2015