![\"Bloomberg](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/09\/bloomberg.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 555 Pennsylvania Ave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington, DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 9:30AM-10:45AM Panel 1: How Did we Get Here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The contraction of foreign aid, not just in the U.S. but in Europe as well, has shaken the international infrastructure of development. This panel considers what happened, and tries to understand why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11-12:15: Panel 2: Where Do we Go from Here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s next for the international development agenda? Will aid ever recover prior levels? Is a shift away from foreign aid, and towards investment, necessary? The panelists in this session aim to develop blueprints and new ways forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12:15-1 lunch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1-2:15 Panel 3: Crisis as Opportunity: Rethinking Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Development aid was always heavily criticized, from all sides of the political spectrum. Can the crisis help us develop a more promising and inclusive model of international development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2:30-4:00 Panel 4: Making the Pivot: Finding a Meaningful Career in a Shifting Landscape<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The contraction of aid also meant the collapse of aid careers. Join us for a panel discussion with aid professionals who have successfully made the pivot to other careers. The panel will be followed by a networking session over coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n September 18, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sebasti\u00e1n Rojas Cabal and Mar\u00eda Ximena D\u00e1vila Contreras<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n October 2, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nilanjan Raghunath, Singapore University of Technology and Design<\/p>\n\n\n\n October 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Milena Arancibia<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n November 13, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thangsiandong Guite<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n December 4, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anjali Chauhan<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n January 29, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nazreen Fatima<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n February 12, 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ziyang Cai<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n March 5, 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clara Lemani<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n April 2, 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glory Mzama<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n *************************************************************************************************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n April 17, 2026 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Book Talk<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stefan Kruse<\/p>\n\n\n\n How Ordinary People Make Aid Work: Civic Engagement and Health Aid Effectiveness<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Johns Hopkins University Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/AIUL2SirFVR1FMwybgy82Z__h8FMQf_pskC5af1pUHSBdWqIan8VTeoe77uwiMQ5.0m3tNMPODUHUB2mw?startTime=1776452582000 This talk draws on How Ordinary People Make Aid Work<\/em> to argue that the effectiveness of foreign aid to the health sector depends less on formal political institutions than on civic engagement, social capital, and the broader cultural context in which aid operates. Using survey data spanning more than twenty years and over sixty countries, it shows that aid is more likely to work where citizens are organized, connected, and active in community life, even in settings with weak political institutions. At a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of foreign aid, the talk considers what this insight means for solving global poverty: lasting progress requires not only resources and institutional reform, but also a deeper understanding of the social fabric that shapes how aid works in practice, and a stronger commitment to grounding the design and implementation of aid programs in those realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n April 3, 2026 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dean Karlan<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Why and How of Foreign Aid<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance, Northwestern University<\/p>\n\n\n\n Co-Director, Global Poverty Research Lab at Northwestern University<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/1PRne-AAtWVQrHjkv9q8FsTLjKY7Xwe3craK0W4xUIPR1hCCdvCkP8uazis8kkc1.6WJlFI_nJLnJ1SJF?startTime=1775242914000 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Foreign aid serves multiple purposes \u2014 benefiting donors directly, building soft power, expressing national generosity, and providing global public goods \u2014 and these motivations overlap more than political rhetoric suggests. This paper organizes the “why” of foreign aid into these three categories while arguing that clarity of purpose, even amid disagreement, yields more durable policy. The “how” of foreign aid \u2014 how to deploy resources effectively \u2014 depends critically on evidence. The paper proposes a decision framework: when strong evidence exists, use it; when evidence is fragmented, synthesize it; when it is absent, generate it. Drawing on more than 5,000 randomized controlled trials, the paper illustrates these strategies through examples of embedded evidence labs in Peru and Rwanda that build governments’ own capacity to demand, apply, and generate (when needed) rigorous evidence. Improving the “how” does not merely achieve productive efficiency \u2014 it can also ultimately shift allocative decisions about which problems receive resources at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n March 20, 2026, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Deborah Rubin, Director, Cultural Practice, LLC<\/p>\n\n\n\n Potentials and Pitfalls for Women Agri-entrepreneurs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/4tGz8mUwVrwPJIJI4hhygd5SrSDIGIAxDL91Mp4lyA1bnErSABf5F33urRbKxnkd.k1EdCEsz_zqJdNMm?startTime=1774033212000 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n For two decades both public and private sectors invested in building inclusive agricultural systems, strengthening women\u2019s engagement in food and market systems. USAID launched the Women\u2019s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) in 2012 to measure their progress. In 2019, Congress passed Women\u2019s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act paralleling growing corporate and foundation initiatives supporting women\u2019s economic empowerment (WEE). With USAID\u2019s termination, these efforts were quickly dismantled. Although some national and foundation efforts are beginning to replenish public health funding, scant attention is being given to women\u2019s agricultural enterprises. What happened to the idea that, as stated in the 2019 law, \u201cwomen\u2019s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment is important to achieve inclusive economic growth at all levels of society\u201d? This talk looks at current approaches to preserve gains achieved in law and practice for women\u2019s entrepreneurship in agri-business, and how they might be extended in the new environment for foreign assistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n February 20, 2026, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fridah Mubichi-Kut, The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cornell SC Johnson College of Business & College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Aid: How Emerging Technologies Can Promote Development in the Absence of Foreign Aid<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/snrE-Ej-Snb19b9lV9H7BX8zp_uSn_L3uW-6WGmIl9xNHpcKbUVQcCagNhsn3ec3.QqJqSHL7qMiiVzl0?startTime=1771617768000 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Development aid has played a significant role in many of Africa\u2019s economic development efforts. Funding focused on education, agriculture, and health care have influenced institutional development, policy, and poverty reduction strategies over the last 60 years. Over this extended period, aid also exacerbated dependency, worsened corruption, and stifled innovation as many prioritized securing donor funds and programs that offered technology transfer. Following the loss of bilaterial aid, particularly from the USA, this talk examines two broad questions. First, how have governments and the local private sector adjusted their priorities following the drastic shifts in bilaterial aid? Second, knowing the African Union has prioritized artificial intelligence (AI) for economic development, how can social enterprises supported by AI encourage investments instead of aid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n January 16, 2026, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rachel Glennerster, President, Center for Global Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stimulating Innovation for Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/o3CkNWuMJN9-dWvpg1ViGPIZ_sR0Sp_iGb676OUkNtcGZnKflaYem7fYYWFahk0.fWa1ndfrwXfr3RH2?startTime=1768593550000 Innovation is the main driver of long-term growth and development. It has also allowed substantial improvements in human welfare at a given level of income: life expectancy for low-income countries is much higher now than it was when advanced economies were at similar levels of income. A major reason is the invention and dissemination of simple health technologies like vaccines. But as a world we underinvest in innovation, particularly innovations that benefit low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) or address global public goods like climate change or anti-microbial resistance. In this talk I will discuss using innovative financing techniques such as Advance Market Commitments to stimulate private sector innovation to fill critical needs for new technologies for development. I will end by discussing innovations needed in how we do aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n November 14, 2025, 3 PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Woolcock, World Bank\/Harvard<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not Charity, not Decoration: Fulfilling our Mandate in Tough Times<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slides available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n NotDecorationBeyondCharity(JHU3am)14Nov2025.pptx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/-Ejkrd8M6kK1wL3pg3e9RWW-SxyAu-qUMwjUSxRlx07vdhSSzDDyTFjTSlx-GkF1.6GHoT-8SEV6ZEMGF?startTime=1763150606000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passcode: S!5.x0vo<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n In this moment of apparent crisis for international development many are calling for a strident focus on using remaining resources to fund clear, tangible, \u2018proven\u2019 interventions targeting the most vulnerable groups in the most difficult contexts. But if sophisticated charity becomes the best multilateral agencies and large philanthropies can do, then development professionals will have \u201cdefined development down\u201d to the point of abandonment. No country<\/em> has ever graduated from low to middle-income status or escaped the \u201cmiddle income trap\u201d on a strategy prioritizing a series of calibrated, technical, micro-interventions, though of course many individuals<\/em> have benefited from such approaches. Achieving national goals \u2013 economic growth, infrastructure, public health, education, housing, transport, regulation, justice \u2013 requires comprehensive national strategies and public sector ministries led by qualified teams with high levels of professional ethics, policy skills, and implementation capability. Sustainable national development enhancing the lives of billions is achieved by consistently solving (ever larger, more complex, and often novel) problems, not selling (small-scale, relatively simple, predetermined) solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n October 24, 2025, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary-Collier Wilks, University of North Carolina-Wilmington<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reimagining Aid: Foreign Donors, Women’s Health, and New Paths for Development in Cambodia<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/u7dLjyZNGKK_-HlGyRuksaS8rOa4OdM6qd_A356v9BMxsK3Qtg_Z21z3ugKRcWE.I25BiQWVABncZgLF?startTime=1761332558000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passcode: zvx1eKt=<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Norms of \u201cglobal\u201d development, often based on industrialized nations in the West, are being reimagined. In her forthcoming book, Wilks takes readers to Cambodia, a country at the heart of this transformation. Based on a multi-sited ethnography examining aid donors from Japan and the U.S., and the implementation of their aid to women\u2019s health in Cambodia, the book documents two processes in the reimagining of regional development norms. The first is that, foreign donors from the U.S. and Japan bring distinctive priorities alongside their aid programming. The second is that, development actors in Cambodia use differences in donor priorities to argue for two model paths to development, one stereotypical \u201cWestern\u201d and the other new and \u201cAsian.\u201d Combining elements of each model, Cambodians construct their own hybrid visions of the role that the state, market, civil society, and gender should play in development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n October 17, 2025, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rob Bertram, Food Security Leadership Council, ex-USAID<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ending Extreme Poverty and Accompanying Hunger and Child Stunting<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording available at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/zoom.us\/rec\/share\/NU6zCqlauMT_DbVNVFy59dKn4EGLcYePLhl9BIoBaV_u38lMFQeJluqIyQq5DKf2.w6KLvHy1BH-k7IE1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Passcode: =eb205hd<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Extreme poverty, well beneath the \u201cpoverty line\u201d, persists and is concentrated in rural areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Even so, it presents opportunities for focused improvement in which families and communities help themselves. Economics and social science offer powerful tools and evidence for what refocused investment should look like. Results from recent investments to mitigate high food and fertilizer prices feature examples of promising, demand-driven, and market-led solutions reaching scale. The demise of USAID is a setback in the task of ending the worst concentrations of extreme poverty and associated morbidity and mortality, but in its wake a sharper, clearer focus will be needed to achieve fundamental 21st<\/sup> century goals, for example Ending Hunger, Sustainable Development Goal 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n September 19, 2025, 3PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n George Ingram, Brookings Institution<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aid in an Era of Disruption<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The presentation will cover the changed global context, hindrances to effective development, and elements of a new aid effectiveness agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday, May 21, 12PM Eastern time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable Development Virtual Workshop<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennifer Keahey, \u201cIndigenous Critiques of Sustainable Development\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discussant: Monica Prasad<\/p>\n\n\n\n contact Sarai Richter smricht1@asu.edu<\/a> for Zoom link<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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2026-27<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sebastian](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Sebastian-and-Maria.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Milena](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Milena-Arancibia-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Thangsiandong](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Guite-Thangsiandong.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Anjali](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Anjali-Photo-796x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>![\"Nazreen](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/NAZREEN.PICTURE-947x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>![\"Ziyang](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/ZiyangCaiProfile-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Clara](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Picture_Clara-683x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>![\"Glory](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/03\/Glory-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>Past Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Stefan](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2026\/04\/5-Stefan-Kruse.jpeg\")
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Passcode: 5yBSG*8A<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Dean](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/11\/Karlen-Dean.jpg\")
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Passcode: @yle3&v*<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Deborah](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/11\/RubinDeborah.jpg\")
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Passcode: 2Br*M@5^<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Friday](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/11\/Mubichi-Kut.jpg\")
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Passcode: ?74w.#W^<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/10\/RachelGlennerster-5-1024x683.jpg\")
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Passcode: 7j6.kuqu<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Michael-Woolcock-2021bw-photo.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Mary-Collier](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/09\/Mary-Collier-Wilks.jpg\")
<\/figure>![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/09\/Bertram.jpg\")
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![\"George](\"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/cgp\/files\/2025\/09\/ingram-1.jpg\")
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