Owen Barder
@owen.org
Economist. ex No10, Treasury, CGD, PxD. Former visiting Professor @ LSE. Development Drums podcast. Team GB triathlete age-grouper. Olympic volunteer. Feminist, internationalist. Set up the first UK Government website. Helped invent AMCs.
Sweden is the most development-friendly country for the third year running.
With shrinking aid budgets, attention is shifting to how rich countries support development beyond aid.
🌟 Explore CGD’s Commitment to Development Index to see how the richest nations rank, how they affect the poorest, and where they must step up ⬇️🧵
https://go.cgdev.org/49ZJoD5
🌟 Explore CGD’s Commitment to Development Index to see how the richest nations rank, how they affect the poorest, and where they must step up ⬇️🧵
https://go.cgdev.org/49ZJoD5
Commitment to Development Index 2025
With levels of development finance falling, it is more important than ever to look beyond aid. The Commitment to Development Index (CDI) does just that—ranking the world’s most powerful countries on p...
go.cgdev.org
December 5, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Sweden is the most development-friendly country for the third year running.
31 years ago I set up the first UK government website to publish the budget online - the first country to do so.
I took an ASCII version of the documents from the typesetters, and worked overnight to put in HTML tags by hand.
I didn't FTP it to the server until the Chancellor sat down.
I took an ASCII version of the documents from the typesetters, and worked overnight to put in HTML tags by hand.
I didn't FTP it to the server until the Chancellor sat down.
November 27, 2025 at 8:58 AM
31 years ago I set up the first UK government website to publish the budget online - the first country to do so.
I took an ASCII version of the documents from the typesetters, and worked overnight to put in HTML tags by hand.
I didn't FTP it to the server until the Chancellor sat down.
I took an ASCII version of the documents from the typesetters, and worked overnight to put in HTML tags by hand.
I didn't FTP it to the server until the Chancellor sat down.
Reposted by Owen Barder
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.
🧵 1/7
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October 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.
🧵 1/7
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Haha. Academia.edu account duly cancelled.
September 18, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Haha. Academia.edu account duly cancelled.
Reposted by Owen Barder
September 3, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I would happily buy a smart speaker that responds to voice commands to play music or the radio, and to control lights and other home automation, but which does not make recordings nor send data to a tech company. Why does this not exist? Is there not a big enough market for it?
September 2, 2025 at 8:14 AM
I would happily buy a smart speaker that responds to voice commands to play music or the radio, and to control lights and other home automation, but which does not make recordings nor send data to a tech company. Why does this not exist? Is there not a big enough market for it?
The evidence in favour of unconditional cash transfers continues to mount.
NEW: A new study by @oxfordcsae.bsky.social reveals that giving unconditional cash transfers to pregnant women in rural Kenya significantly reduces infant and child mortality.
Read more ⬇️
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-08...
Read more ⬇️
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-08...
Study finds giving pregnant women cash transfers cuts infant
A new study by Associate Professor Dennis Egger (Department of Economics and Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford) and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley
www.ox.ac.uk
August 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The evidence in favour of unconditional cash transfers continues to mount.
This does not signal a high degree of tech literacy among UK civil servants (at least, not the ones in DEFRA responsible for water). It might have been a good idea to check this with DSIT.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
August 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
This does not signal a high degree of tech literacy among UK civil servants (at least, not the ones in DEFRA responsible for water). It might have been a good idea to check this with DSIT.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Lots of people seem to want to produce content using AI, but nobody seems to want to consume content produced by AI.
August 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Lots of people seem to want to produce content using AI, but nobody seems to want to consume content produced by AI.
Giving cash has low overheads and it demonstrably works. (Though I don't think that evidence is driving decisions about foreign assistance right now.).
This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.
With $1K in cash aid, he built a life-changing barbershop. Now cash aid is under fire
This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.
n.pr
August 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Giving cash has low overheads and it demonstrably works. (Though I don't think that evidence is driving decisions about foreign assistance right now.).
Why we need government digital identities and how to do it safely.
New by me, restating what was clear 20 years ago.
owen.org/blog/12159/
New by me, restating what was clear 20 years ago.
owen.org/blog/12159/
Why we need government digital identities and how to do it safely - Owen Abroad
The Government is considering whether and how to introduce digital government identities. This is partly because the Tony Blair Institute has made the case (here) and also because - as the Institute c...
owen.org
August 4, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Why we need government digital identities and how to do it safely.
New by me, restating what was clear 20 years ago.
owen.org/blog/12159/
New by me, restating what was clear 20 years ago.
owen.org/blog/12159/
New from me: are we 'freeloading' on US innovation?
President Trump thinks we are.
Q: is this important? A: Yes, very.
Q: Is President Trump's solution a good one? A: No.
Q: What should we do instead? A: see my blog post ...
owen.org/blog/12125/
President Trump thinks we are.
Q: is this important? A: Yes, very.
Q: Is President Trump's solution a good one? A: No.
Q: What should we do instead? A: see my blog post ...
owen.org/blog/12125/
Are we ‘freeloading’ on US innovation? – Owen Abroad
owen.org
August 1, 2025 at 8:53 AM
New from me: are we 'freeloading' on US innovation?
President Trump thinks we are.
Q: is this important? A: Yes, very.
Q: Is President Trump's solution a good one? A: No.
Q: What should we do instead? A: see my blog post ...
owen.org/blog/12125/
President Trump thinks we are.
Q: is this important? A: Yes, very.
Q: Is President Trump's solution a good one? A: No.
Q: What should we do instead? A: see my blog post ...
owen.org/blog/12125/
Has anyone written (or read) anything that explains why the Government does not offer a simple age verification service?
For example, I log in to a gov.uk verification service, verify who I am, get a token on my device, and use that token to verify that I am over 18 for any site that needs to know.
For example, I log in to a gov.uk verification service, verify who I am, get a token on my device, and use that token to verify that I am over 18 for any site that needs to know.
gov.uk
July 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Has anyone written (or read) anything that explains why the Government does not offer a simple age verification service?
For example, I log in to a gov.uk verification service, verify who I am, get a token on my device, and use that token to verify that I am over 18 for any site that needs to know.
For example, I log in to a gov.uk verification service, verify who I am, get a token on my device, and use that token to verify that I am over 18 for any site that needs to know.
Reposted by Owen Barder
Economists reading news explanations that the deduction of imports from GDP is a "statistical quirk"
kermit the frog is sitting at a desk with his feet up holding a cell phone
ALT: kermit the frog is sitting at a desk with his feet up holding a cell phone
media.tenor.com
July 30, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Economists reading news explanations that the deduction of imports from GDP is a "statistical quirk"
Reposted by Owen Barder
Happy Birthday, Rosalind Franklin. She captured an X-ray diffraction image of DNA and stated that a helical structure was probable. Watson and Crick then created a detailed model based on her results. They initially received credit for the discovery and were awarded the Nobel Prize after her death.🧪
July 26, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Happy Birthday, Rosalind Franklin. She captured an X-ray diffraction image of DNA and stated that a helical structure was probable. Watson and Crick then created a detailed model based on her results. They initially received credit for the discovery and were awarded the Nobel Prize after her death.🧪
Assuming these screenshots are genuine then Twitter's AI bot (Grok) is spewing anti-semitism on Twitter. There is a case for Ofcom to prevent Twitter from being accessed in the UK. It is ludicrous that UK public institutions, including the Government and the BBC, are still posting on Twitter.
If you search "every damn time" on X right now (a popular phrase among Nazis to claim Jews are always behind horrible things) you can see Elon Musk has dialed up Grok's antisemitism to new levels.
July 9, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Assuming these screenshots are genuine then Twitter's AI bot (Grok) is spewing anti-semitism on Twitter. There is a case for Ofcom to prevent Twitter from being accessed in the UK. It is ludicrous that UK public institutions, including the Government and the BBC, are still posting on Twitter.
This surprised me.
More than a quarter of people think MPs expenses are one of the top three costs for government. A higher % than think the same for pensions or education.
July 8, 2025 at 9:35 AM
This surprised me.
Reposted by Owen Barder
🎈 360Giving is 10 years old today!
To celebrate, we invited 10 people who have been a key part of our story over the first 10 years to reflect on moments that shaped our evolution ⬇️
www.360giving.org/2025/07/01/1...
To celebrate, we invited 10 people who have been a key part of our story over the first 10 years to reflect on moments that shaped our evolution ⬇️
www.360giving.org/2025/07/01/1...
10 years of open grants data - 360Giving
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we invited some of those who’ve been part of our evolution to reflect on key moments in 360Giving’s story.
www.360giving.org
July 2, 2025 at 7:50 AM
🎈 360Giving is 10 years old today!
To celebrate, we invited 10 people who have been a key part of our story over the first 10 years to reflect on moments that shaped our evolution ⬇️
www.360giving.org/2025/07/01/1...
To celebrate, we invited 10 people who have been a key part of our story over the first 10 years to reflect on moments that shaped our evolution ⬇️
www.360giving.org/2025/07/01/1...
Reposted by Owen Barder
Evaluating the Impact of AI in Development
Webinar starting in 1 hour, w/ @cgdev.org, @j-pal.bsky.social & @agencyfund.bsky.social, we are joined by @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Samantha Carter & Farhan Abrol to discuss the potential applications of AI.
Register: cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Webinar starting in 1 hour, w/ @cgdev.org, @j-pal.bsky.social & @agencyfund.bsky.social, we are joined by @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Samantha Carter & Farhan Abrol to discuss the potential applications of AI.
Register: cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
June 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Evaluating the Impact of AI in Development
Webinar starting in 1 hour, w/ @cgdev.org, @j-pal.bsky.social & @agencyfund.bsky.social, we are joined by @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Samantha Carter & Farhan Abrol to discuss the potential applications of AI.
Register: cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Webinar starting in 1 hour, w/ @cgdev.org, @j-pal.bsky.social & @agencyfund.bsky.social, we are joined by @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Samantha Carter & Farhan Abrol to discuss the potential applications of AI.
Register: cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Important and under-recognised issue being discussed at @cgdev.org today
June 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Important and under-recognised issue being discussed at @cgdev.org today
Cycling fans who did not watch it live will enjoy the highlights of today's Giro D'Italia. A day to remember.
May 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Cycling fans who did not watch it live will enjoy the highlights of today's Giro D'Italia. A day to remember.
Investing in information for smallholder farmers is:
- high impact for people in extreme poverty
- staggeringly good value for money
- hugely scaleable
- increases agency of farmers
Precision Development has taken another huge step forward. Kudos to the whole team.
www.linkedin.com/posts/precis...
- high impact for people in extreme poverty
- staggeringly good value for money
- hugely scaleable
- increases agency of farmers
Precision Development has taken another huge step forward. Kudos to the whole team.
www.linkedin.com/posts/precis...
#digitalagriculture #foodsecurity #climateresilience #development #impact… | Precision Development (PxD)
🌾 Evidence to Impact: Our 2024 Annual Report is Here 🌾
This year marked a major leap forward for PxD. We reached 18.5 million farmers - an 85% increase - launched new programs, and gathered compelli...
www.linkedin.com
May 29, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Investing in information for smallholder farmers is:
- high impact for people in extreme poverty
- staggeringly good value for money
- hugely scaleable
- increases agency of farmers
Precision Development has taken another huge step forward. Kudos to the whole team.
www.linkedin.com/posts/precis...
- high impact for people in extreme poverty
- staggeringly good value for money
- hugely scaleable
- increases agency of farmers
Precision Development has taken another huge step forward. Kudos to the whole team.
www.linkedin.com/posts/precis...
Reposted by Owen Barder
Germany & the Philippines created the first nursing Global Skill Partnership—where the destination country pays for the training of needed workers in the country of origin.
@helen-dempster.bsky.social & fellow experts explore the partnership, lessons, & next steps:
www.cgdev.org/blog/hundred...
@helen-dempster.bsky.social & fellow experts explore the partnership, lessons, & next steps:
www.cgdev.org/blog/hundred...
Hundreds of Nurses Trained Through Philippines-Germany Global Skill Partnership
In 2019, Germany and the Philippines established the world’s first nursing Global Skill Partnership (GSP). In a GSP, the destination country pays for the training of much-needed workers within the cou...
www.cgdev.org
May 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Germany & the Philippines created the first nursing Global Skill Partnership—where the destination country pays for the training of needed workers in the country of origin.
@helen-dempster.bsky.social & fellow experts explore the partnership, lessons, & next steps:
www.cgdev.org/blog/hundred...
@helen-dempster.bsky.social & fellow experts explore the partnership, lessons, & next steps:
www.cgdev.org/blog/hundred...
Reposted by Owen Barder
🚨Development Economists!🚨Do you use Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS Program) data, which had been supported by USAID? IPUMS ( @ipums.bsky.social ) and the UN Statistics Division have a survey for you. I just filled it out. You can too. #econsky
Users of the Demographic and Health Surveys, please take the United Nations Statistics Division DHS impact survey (form.jotform.com/250913880478...) regarding recent cuts. Replies inform future planning and advocacy. All responses are confidential and presented only in aggregate.
Questionnaire on the use of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com
April 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
🚨Development Economists!🚨Do you use Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS Program) data, which had been supported by USAID? IPUMS ( @ipums.bsky.social ) and the UN Statistics Division have a survey for you. I just filled it out. You can too. #econsky