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PODCAST

In Pursuit of Development

Step into conversations that travel across continents and challenge the way you think about progress. From democracy and inequality to climate resilience and healthcare, Dan Banik explores how societies navigate the complex terrain of democracy, poverty, inequality, and sustainability. Through dialogues with scholars, leaders, and innovators, In Pursuit of Development uncovers how ideas travel, why policies succeed or fail, and what it takes to build a more just and resilient world. Expect sharp

science social sciences

All Episodes

01:03:46

Legislative development in Africa — Ken Ochieng' Opalo

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/09/23

Studying the role of institutions and their evolution often helps us better understand political and economic development in countries all over the world. And one such key institution is the legislature, which plays a critical role in democratic consolidation by providing a stable system of horizontal accountability. Legislatures craft legislation, pass laws, exercise oversight of the executive branch and thereby provide the institutional mechanism which allows societies to perform representative

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01:04:46

Why AIDS interventions in Africa often fail — Kim Yi...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/09/16

As the international community addresses numerous development challenges, we must often pause, reflect, and ask: Do good intentions lead to good results? If so, when? And how? There are innumerable development agendas and a multitude of stakeholders involved in saving lives as well as promoting long-term development in many developing countries. What really is the impact of their activities? Are such activities well-coordinated? How effectively can external actors make a meaningful contribution to

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01:02:17

India’s development and the political economy of...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/09/09

With the phenomenal growth of its economy in recent years and its longstanding democratic record, India — the world's largest democracy — has emerged as a major global power. Not only has democracy survived in India, but in recent decades the country has also established itself as a beacon of hope for other developing countries striving to achieve a similar combination of democracy, development, and the rule of law. India’s management of the COVID pandemic, however, has made news headlines in recent

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00:57:34

Globalization, the Nordic model and the economics of...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/09/02

Martin Sandbu has an exciting new book, The Economics of Belonging: A Radical Plan to Win Back the Left Behind and Achieve Prosperity for All (Princeton University Press).Martin argues that the western social order has rested on three crucial pillars. First, political principles centered on individual rights, equality before the law, robust and independent institutions and regular, free and meaningful elections. The second pillar consists of a social market economy, that is a capitalist system in

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00:53:09

The historic court ruling in Malawi annulling the...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/08/26

In a landmark ruling in February of this year, Malawi’s High Court concluded that the country’s president Peter Mutharika was “not duly elected”. The Court thus annulled the May 2019 elections in Malawi citing massive irregularities. It ordered new elections within five months and concluded that the Malawi Electoral Commission had failed to carry out its responsibilities according to the constitution and electoral law. The lengthy, meticulously detailed, and unanimous ruling by the five judges has

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00:57:07

The need to politicize development economics — Ingrid...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/08/19

Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven's research focuses on the role of finance in development, structural features of underdevelopment, the political economy of development (including the role of international institutions), and critically assessing the economics field.Dr. Kvangraven is currently an Assistant Professor in International Development at the University of York’s Department of Politics. She is the founder and editor of Developing Economics and founder and steering group member of Diversifying and

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00:58:32

Pakistan's healthcare system and its recent success...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/08/12

As the Covid pandemic continues to dominate world headlines, there is growing interest in better understanding how some low and middle-income countries have achieved considerable success in responding to this global crisis. Vietnam is one such country that has been successful in combating Covid. Another is Cuba. And the state of Kerala in India has also received much praise for its handling of the pandemic. But for the past few weeks a rather unlikely, success story has emerged. It is that of

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01:06:26

How Black Lives Matter is also a reckoning for...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/08/05

Many have highlighted the need for equity and justice in the field of foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Local civil society organizations (CSOs) or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the frontline workers, risking their lives to access areas that well-funded international NGOs or even UN agencies cannot access. However, critics of the current system claim that the local NGO is often the sub-contractor and not a real partner that is allowed to contribute to the design of the project. If

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01:33:02

How is India handling the pandemic? A conversation...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/07/29

Although India faces numerous challenges – a huge population, rising unemployment, growing environmental vulnerabilities – there is general agreement that, despite many odds, democracy has not only survived but is now firmly entrenched in the social and political fabric of the country. In recent months, however, the country has been rocked by nationwide protests following the enactment of the Citizen Amendment Act in December 2019. And then Covid struck. On the 24th of March, Prime Minister Modi

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01:25:36

The relevance of foreign aid — Bård Vegar Solhjell

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/07/22

For decades, the mantra of globalization supported increased foreign aid to, and trade with, low-income countries. The proclaimed goal was to reduce poverty and promote economic growth and development. But aid policies have increasingly become both complex and fragmented. Some argue that there is an unprecedented international policy overload when it comes to aid and development. Indeed, some even claim that we are witnessing aid fatigue. Many traditional donors are also revisiting the role and

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01:01:04

Chinese aid and South-South Cooperation — Marina Rudyak

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/07/08

China is on everyone’s mind these days. It is not just related to the origins of Covid. There is considerable global attention on Beijing’s tense relations with Washington, Ottawa, New Delhi, Tokyo, and even many European capitals. But China wields great influence in large parts of the world, including in low and medium incomes countries, through its investments and aid. And in recent years, Beijing has steadily expanded its global influence through its signature foreign policy project – The Belt

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01:05:08

State capacity in Latin America — Benedicte Bull

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/07/01

There have been numerous news reports in recent weeks pointing to how Covid will damage Latin America more severely than many other world regions. Several commentators and scholars have argued that the pandemic will wipe out several decades of social progress, pushing millions back into poverty. To discuss economic growth and poverty and inequality reduction in Latin America both before and after Covid, in addition to key political trends in the region, I am joined by my colleague Benedicte

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01:20:21

Erik Solheim on sustainable development

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/24

Our world is facing considerable challenges, not just in relation to the Covid crisis, but also in terms of our desire to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and address the adverse impacts caused by climate disruption.Despite such challenges, we cannot underestimate the numerous developmental successes that the world has witnessed in recent decades. In relation to health, prosperity, safety, peace, and happiness, humanity is much better off today than ever before in history. And although such

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01:19:18

Democracy, development and Covid response in Africa —...

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/17

Malawi is my second home. Every year, for the past fifteen years, I have made numerous trips from Norway to this beautiful country in Southern Africa to conduct research and to teach at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College. During this time, I have been privileged to strike up many friendships with Malawians from all walks of life. I miss my friends. With borders closed all over the world, I worry that I may not be able to return to this beautiful country for a very long time. My initial

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00:30:16

The population question

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/08

Much of Africa is experiencing high birth rates and certain countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are projected to witness massive increases in their populations in the next few decades. An explosive growth in population will in turn pose major challenges for government policies aimed at promoting development and well-being of citizens. Are governments reluctant to talk about birth control. If so, why? And what can policymakers learn from the Indian and Chinese experiences

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00:27:02

Dreaming of electricity

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/08

In this episode, I begin by discussing India's achievements in improving access to electricity before providing a brief overview of electricity access at the global level. I then go on to identify some of the major challenges that hundreds of millions of people on the African continent face in trying to access electricity. Most countries on the continent are struggling to promote clean and renewal forms of energy, but there are certain exceptions, such as Rwanda and Ethiopia. And then there are

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00:27:07

Crises and leadership

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/08

Covid-19 has confronted leaders with a crisis that they probably never expected in their lifetime. With the growing demand for, and resistance against, strict quarantines and national lockdowns, which entail severe restrictions on the freedom of movement and assembly of citizens, democracies as well as non-democracies around the world are being tested. There is also growing frustration, especially among the youth in Africa on the inability of the current political system to provide them with better

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00:36:31

China in a post-Covid world

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/08

In this episode, I discuss why China’s role and influence will continue to expand in a post Covid-19 world. In the initial months of the crisis in early 2020, the main narrative coming from China was very much inward-looking in that Beijing was projecting for its citizens as well as to the world that it could control the outbreak and that no other country would be able to perform better on this matter that it was already doing. Gradually, however, the narrative began to shift to one where Beijing

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00:03:09

Introducing: In Pursuit of Development

In Pursuit of Development ·

2020/06/08

Hi everyone, I’m Dan Banik. And welcome to the In Pursuit of Development podcast. I am a professor of political science at the University of Oslo, where I also direct the Oslo SDG Initiative on Sustainable Development. For the past couple of decades, I have been conducting research on the politics of poverty. Some of the countries I have been studying include China, India, Malawi, Kenya and Rwanda. So, if you are interested in democracy, poverty eradication, and climate change, this is your go-to

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