Eyes on Development

Erica Field and Alessandra Voena explore the relationship between deeply entrenched gender norms and global economies. They discuss the sticky nature of informal societal rules, the double-edged sword of technology and remote work in shifting household dynamics, and how gender transitioned from a niche topic into a mainstream pillar of modern economic research. Erica Field is a James B. Duke Disti...

Michael Callen, Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Noosheen Hashemi Visiting Fellow at the King Center, explores how conflict and institutional instability reshape the path to economic progress. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Afghanistan and beyond, Callen examines the hurdles of policy implementation when the landscape is in flux. He also discusses why the insights gaine...

Rachel Glennerster, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD), discusses the need for smarter, more cost-effective aid, especially in a time of shrinking budgets. Glennerster stresses the value of focusing aid on areas with proven high-impact returns, and the critical role of research and innovation. She also calls for communicating more clearly with the public to rebuild trust and supp...

Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal, the Global Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), dives into the shifting landscape of global development as foreign aid faces cuts. He discusses how we can address the significant changes—through new coalitions and evidence-based solutions—and why strategic philanthropy is more crucial than ever. Dhaliwal leads J-PAL's global strategy, resea...

New host Asha Sundaram, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland and former visitor at the King Center, chats with Alex Odundo about his journey in tackling period poverty, the "inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation and hygiene facilities and education and awareness to manage menstrual health." Odundo is a Kenyan engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur sp...

Faculty Director Katherine Casey speaks with Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University and Chief Economist at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He is also the Founder and former President of Innovations for Poverty Action , a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting solutions to global poverty problems.

Guest host Alice Evans, Senior Lecturer in the Social Science of Development at King’s College London speaks with Saumitra Jha, Associate Professor of Political Economy at Stanford University, on political polarization. Professor Jha's research focuses on the effectiveness of organizations and innovations that societies have developed to address the problems of violence and political risk in the p...

Guest host Alice Evans, Senior Lecturer in the Social Science of Development at King’s College London speaks with Soledad Artiz Prillaman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, on women’s political participation. In 2023, Professor Prillaman published her book, The Patriarchal Political Order , in which she shares her King Center-funded research. She analyzes data from m...