Charles Kenny
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social
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).
New CGD Note: Aid Isn't Fairy Dust.
The need for a wholesale rethink of the role of aid based on just the past 12 months exaggerated, but long-term changes as well as lessons from the past decade suggest rhetoric around what aid can accomplish needs to be dialed down. (Thread)
The need for a wholesale rethink of the role of aid based on just the past 12 months exaggerated, but long-term changes as well as lessons from the past decade suggest rhetoric around what aid can accomplish needs to be dialed down. (Thread)
November 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
New CGD Note: Aid Isn't Fairy Dust.
The need for a wholesale rethink of the role of aid based on just the past 12 months exaggerated, but long-term changes as well as lessons from the past decade suggest rhetoric around what aid can accomplish needs to be dialed down. (Thread)
The need for a wholesale rethink of the role of aid based on just the past 12 months exaggerated, but long-term changes as well as lessons from the past decade suggest rhetoric around what aid can accomplish needs to be dialed down. (Thread)
Reposted by Charles Kenny
Two new CGD papers on World Bank climate finance, by @euanaritchie.bsky.social and me. We agree ‘mitigation’ projects overwhelmingly look designed to be ‘development first, mitigation... second?’ Thread including bonus paper by @jonathanbeynon.bsky.social …
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Two new CGD papers on World Bank climate finance, by @euanaritchie.bsky.social and me. We agree ‘mitigation’ projects overwhelmingly look designed to be ‘development first, mitigation... second?’ Thread including bonus paper by @jonathanbeynon.bsky.social …
Two new CGD papers on World Bank climate finance, by @euanaritchie.bsky.social and me. We agree ‘mitigation’ projects overwhelmingly look designed to be ‘development first, mitigation... second?’ Thread including bonus paper by @jonathanbeynon.bsky.social …
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Two new CGD papers on World Bank climate finance, by @euanaritchie.bsky.social and me. We agree ‘mitigation’ projects overwhelmingly look designed to be ‘development first, mitigation... second?’ Thread including bonus paper by @jonathanbeynon.bsky.social …
Important update from @ecollinson.bsky.social & Jocilyn Estes on US foreign assistance spending. Lots of reasons to caveat, & it is a *bad* picture for ongoing disaster assistance & development assistance, but global health picture better than previously forecast.
www.cgdev.org/blog/reports...
www.cgdev.org/blog/reports...
Reports of (US) Aid’s Death Have Been (Somewhat) Exaggerated
Data recently published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) offers insight into the status of major aid accounts at the end of fiscal year 2025.
www.cgdev.org
November 4, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Important update from @ecollinson.bsky.social & Jocilyn Estes on US foreign assistance spending. Lots of reasons to caveat, & it is a *bad* picture for ongoing disaster assistance & development assistance, but global health picture better than previously forecast.
www.cgdev.org/blog/reports...
www.cgdev.org/blog/reports...
Blog related to earlier note: If You Want China to Win Fewer Development Bank Financed Contracts, Increase Policy Lending.
1. This is all pretty silly. Evidence is Chinese contractors deliver quality at low price (in part b/c China subsidizing —good for MDB clients!)...
1. This is all pretty silly. Evidence is Chinese contractors deliver quality at low price (in part b/c China subsidizing —good for MDB clients!)...
October 31, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Blog related to earlier note: If You Want China to Win Fewer Development Bank Financed Contracts, Increase Policy Lending.
1. This is all pretty silly. Evidence is Chinese contractors deliver quality at low price (in part b/c China subsidizing —good for MDB clients!)...
1. This is all pretty silly. Evidence is Chinese contractors deliver quality at low price (in part b/c China subsidizing —good for MDB clients!)...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
"Louisiana sugarcane farmers say they depend heavily on migrant workers from Mexico" lailluminator.com/2025/10/28/l...
Sugarcane, eh? 🤔
Sugarcane, eh? 🤔
October 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM
"Louisiana sugarcane farmers say they depend heavily on migrant workers from Mexico" lailluminator.com/2025/10/28/l...
Sugarcane, eh? 🤔
Sugarcane, eh? 🤔
New note: A number of multilateral development banks have implemented or are considering mandated local content or labor requirements in their procurement rules. This is a *very bad idea.*
(thread)
(thread)
October 28, 2025 at 7:07 PM
New note: A number of multilateral development banks have implemented or are considering mandated local content or labor requirements in their procurement rules. This is a *very bad idea.*
(thread)
(thread)
More immigrants = lower crime rates. Again.
www.cgdev.org/publication/...
(This time Venezuela and Ecuador)
www.cgdev.org/publication/...
(This time Venezuela and Ecuador)
Data Against Fear: What the Numbers Say About Venezuelan Migrants and Crime in Ecuador
To devise and design all immigration policy solely through the lens of crime—particularly as part of broader efforts to combat gangs—is misguided and likely to be ineffective. Instead, policy should f...
www.cgdev.org
October 28, 2025 at 2:55 PM
More immigrants = lower crime rates. Again.
www.cgdev.org/publication/...
(This time Venezuela and Ecuador)
www.cgdev.org/publication/...
(This time Venezuela and Ecuador)
The World Bank Group is planning to reorganize its research functions. The results could be even uglier than the powerpoint: an end to independent research at the institution and conflicts of interest all over...
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
October 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
The World Bank Group is planning to reorganize its research functions. The results could be even uglier than the powerpoint: an end to independent research at the institution and conflicts of interest all over...
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
New blog with @eeshani.bsky.social, link in reply.
Reposted by Charles Kenny
The number of low-income countries fell from 63 in 2000 to 26 today—but progress has stalled.
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social urges the #G20 to take action on aid, investment, and migration to reignite growth:
https://bit.ly/47nMG07
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social urges the #G20 to take action on aid, investment, and migration to reignite growth:
https://bit.ly/47nMG07
Zero LICs by 2040: A Call for G20 Action
Between 2000 and 2023, the number of low-income countries (LICs) worldwide, with GNI per capita below $1,145, declined from 63 to 26. Graduates included G20 member India (China graduated in 1998). If ...
bit.ly
October 24, 2025 at 12:59 AM
The number of low-income countries fell from 63 in 2000 to 26 today—but progress has stalled.
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social urges the #G20 to take action on aid, investment, and migration to reignite growth:
https://bit.ly/47nMG07
@charlesjkenny.bsky.social urges the #G20 to take action on aid, investment, and migration to reignite growth:
https://bit.ly/47nMG07
Billions to Trillions, which was dead...
www.cgdev.org/blog/did-par...
...But then came staggering back to life like a zombie demonic pony ...
www.worldbank.org/en/news/spee...
...Is now dead again?
www.globalcapital.com/globalmarket...
www.cgdev.org/blog/did-par...
...But then came staggering back to life like a zombie demonic pony ...
www.worldbank.org/en/news/spee...
...Is now dead again?
www.globalcapital.com/globalmarket...
Did Paris Call It Quits on Billions to Trillions?
The post-conference statement from the recently concluded Paris Summit for A New Global Financing Pact undercuts the calculations at the core of the idea we could take billions of multilateral finance...
www.cgdev.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Billions to Trillions, which was dead...
www.cgdev.org/blog/did-par...
...But then came staggering back to life like a zombie demonic pony ...
www.worldbank.org/en/news/spee...
...Is now dead again?
www.globalcapital.com/globalmarket...
www.cgdev.org/blog/did-par...
...But then came staggering back to life like a zombie demonic pony ...
www.worldbank.org/en/news/spee...
...Is now dead again?
www.globalcapital.com/globalmarket...
Telecoms pricing remains weird.
There are 252 million phones in India without internet. It costs those users 85,000 times more to get a byte of data. This is price discrimination in the access of the world's poor to AI. A post by Daniel Björkegren lays out the costs, the why and what to do about it: www.cgdev.org/blog/sms-cha...
SMS Charges May Be Inhibiting the Use of AI for 1 Billion People
Smartphone users across the globe increasingly have access to a variety of services that make use of AI, but high markups on text messages will prevent the world’s poorest from making use of the techn...
www.cgdev.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Telecoms pricing remains weird.
Update regarding the status of international organizations I talked about in the blog linked in thread: Universal Postal Union, NATO, WTO, ITU, CCC, WIPO (and more) now added to UN, IAEA, PAHO, OAS as organizations that got assessed contributions obligations in FY25. Yay...
October 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Update regarding the status of international organizations I talked about in the blog linked in thread: Universal Postal Union, NATO, WTO, ITU, CCC, WIPO (and more) now added to UN, IAEA, PAHO, OAS as organizations that got assessed contributions obligations in FY25. Yay...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
Great news on @malengo.org: With a new large investment from The Shapiro Foundation (theshapirofoundation.org), we'll be able to bring several hundred vocational training and university students from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda to Europe over the coming years!
More here: malengo.org/malengo-secu...
More here: malengo.org/malengo-secu...
October 23, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Great news on @malengo.org: With a new large investment from The Shapiro Foundation (theshapirofoundation.org), we'll be able to bring several hundred vocational training and university students from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda to Europe over the coming years!
More here: malengo.org/malengo-secu...
More here: malengo.org/malengo-secu...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
"Between 2000 and 2023, the number of low-income countries worldwide ... declined from 63 to 26." But current growth rates suggest "as few as three additional graduations by 2035 & three more in the 15 years 2035 to 2050." www.cgdev.org/publication/... @charlesjkenny.bsky.social's call to action!
October 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
"Between 2000 and 2023, the number of low-income countries worldwide ... declined from 63 to 26." But current growth rates suggest "as few as three additional graduations by 2035 & three more in the 15 years 2035 to 2050." www.cgdev.org/publication/... @charlesjkenny.bsky.social's call to action!
A call for G20 action: Zero Low Income Countries by 2040.
LICs not only home to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, also fragile states at high risk of conflict, with limited capacity to provide global public goods from security to biodiversity and pandemic control.
LICs not only home to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, also fragile states at high risk of conflict, with limited capacity to provide global public goods from security to biodiversity and pandemic control.
October 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM
A call for G20 action: Zero Low Income Countries by 2040.
LICs not only home to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, also fragile states at high risk of conflict, with limited capacity to provide global public goods from security to biodiversity and pandemic control.
LICs not only home to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, also fragile states at high risk of conflict, with limited capacity to provide global public goods from security to biodiversity and pandemic control.
This is great. S&P says that MDBs/DFIs releasing data on risk of their investments means they need to hold less capital to cover their liabilities --so can lend more.
Onwards to greater transparency in contracting!
www.publishwhatyoufund.org/2025/10/cred...
Onwards to greater transparency in contracting!
www.publishwhatyoufund.org/2025/10/cred...
Credit (risk) where it’s due
After years of patient technical work by the Global Emerging Markets (GEMS) Risk Database and advocacy from CSOs, the private sector, media and many more, a significant breakthrough has just been anno...
www.publishwhatyoufund.org
October 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This is great. S&P says that MDBs/DFIs releasing data on risk of their investments means they need to hold less capital to cover their liabilities --so can lend more.
Onwards to greater transparency in contracting!
www.publishwhatyoufund.org/2025/10/cred...
Onwards to greater transparency in contracting!
www.publishwhatyoufund.org/2025/10/cred...
New CGD note by Ramona Godbole on the status of PEPFAR delivery.
Picture: in Uganda, whether or not there have (likely) been big disruptions to PEPFAR provision of support/HIV meds depends if you happen to live in a district where USAID managed delivery awards rather than CDC.
Picture: in Uganda, whether or not there have (likely) been big disruptions to PEPFAR provision of support/HIV meds depends if you happen to live in a district where USAID managed delivery awards rather than CDC.
October 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
New CGD note by Ramona Godbole on the status of PEPFAR delivery.
Picture: in Uganda, whether or not there have (likely) been big disruptions to PEPFAR provision of support/HIV meds depends if you happen to live in a district where USAID managed delivery awards rather than CDC.
Picture: in Uganda, whether or not there have (likely) been big disruptions to PEPFAR provision of support/HIV meds depends if you happen to live in a district where USAID managed delivery awards rather than CDC.
I have been slow on this, but a dangerous idea --World Bank Group is moving to a single country manager for both private (IFC, MIGA) & public (IBRD, IDA) arms.
For eg: IFC sponsoring a noncompetitive energy project with lock in take or pay agreements (they do that)...
For eg: IFC sponsoring a noncompetitive energy project with lock in take or pay agreements (they do that)...
October 16, 2025 at 12:22 PM
I have been slow on this, but a dangerous idea --World Bank Group is moving to a single country manager for both private (IFC, MIGA) & public (IBRD, IDA) arms.
For eg: IFC sponsoring a noncompetitive energy project with lock in take or pay agreements (they do that)...
For eg: IFC sponsoring a noncompetitive energy project with lock in take or pay agreements (they do that)...
oof.
Short thread on new blog + paper by @euanritchie on ODA data.
Below: Because EU's own borrowing costs fell in 2022, loans to developing countries with *exactly the same terms* stopped being counted as other official flows, ecame ODA --no more money, lots more reported aid.
Short thread on new blog + paper by @euanritchie on ODA data.
Below: Because EU's own borrowing costs fell in 2022, loans to developing countries with *exactly the same terms* stopped being counted as other official flows, ecame ODA --no more money, lots more reported aid.
October 16, 2025 at 12:03 PM
oof.
Short thread on new blog + paper by @euanritchie on ODA data.
Below: Because EU's own borrowing costs fell in 2022, loans to developing countries with *exactly the same terms* stopped being counted as other official flows, ecame ODA --no more money, lots more reported aid.
Short thread on new blog + paper by @euanritchie on ODA data.
Below: Because EU's own borrowing costs fell in 2022, loans to developing countries with *exactly the same terms* stopped being counted as other official flows, ecame ODA --no more money, lots more reported aid.
With respect, and definitely agreeing we need to reform how aid works:
It isn't right that "Foreign Aid Is Mostly Gone" (this added by an editor?).
And, thankfully, it is unlikely that 14m people will die because of US assistance cuts.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/o...
It isn't right that "Foreign Aid Is Mostly Gone" (this added by an editor?).
And, thankfully, it is unlikely that 14m people will die because of US assistance cuts.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/o...
Opinion | Foreign Aid Is Mostly Gone. It’s Being Replaced With Something Better.
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:33 PM
With respect, and definitely agreeing we need to reform how aid works:
It isn't right that "Foreign Aid Is Mostly Gone" (this added by an editor?).
And, thankfully, it is unlikely that 14m people will die because of US assistance cuts.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/o...
It isn't right that "Foreign Aid Is Mostly Gone" (this added by an editor?).
And, thankfully, it is unlikely that 14m people will die because of US assistance cuts.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/o...
Reposted by Charles Kenny
Blog with CGD colleagues: Cholera in Africa: Rising Deaths, Shrinking US Aid.
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
October 9, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Blog with CGD colleagues: Cholera in Africa: Rising Deaths, Shrinking US Aid.
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
Blog with CGD colleagues: Cholera in Africa: Rising Deaths, Shrinking US Aid.
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
October 9, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Blog with CGD colleagues: Cholera in Africa: Rising Deaths, Shrinking US Aid.
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...
Africa seeing rising cholera deaths, but US foreign assistance not responding...