Center for Global Development
The Center for Global Development (CGD) is a nonprofit think tank founded in November 2001 by Edward Scott Jr., C. Fred Bergsten, and Nancy Birdsall, headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an additional office in London established in 2011.[1] Its mission centers on reducing global poverty and enhancing lives via innovative economic research aimed at informing superior policy and practice among decision-makers.[1] CGD positions itself as independent and nonpartisan, rejecting funding restrictions that could compromise its research or publications, and discloses grants exceeding $30,000 for transparency.[1] CGD conducts analysis on international development topics including aid effectiveness, global health, migration, climate policy, and multilateral institutions, producing tools such as the Commitment to Development Index to evaluate wealthy nations' contributions to poorer countries.[2][3] Its work has influenced reforms like improved aid transparency initiatives and incentives for results-based financing in development assistance.[3] Under presidents like Nancy Birdsall and current leader Rachel Glennerster, CGD has advocated evidence-driven approaches, critiquing inefficient aid models while promoting pragmatic solutions such as cash transfers and private sector engagement.[1][4] Although generally regarded for rigorous scholarship, some assessments characterize its policy advocacy—favoring expanded foreign aid and international cooperation—as aligning with left-center perspectives, potentially reflecting funding from progressive foundations.[5] No major scandals have marred its operations, distinguishing it from more ideologically driven organizations in the development field.[6]Founding and Early History
Establishment and Founders
The Center for Global Development (CGD) was established in November 2001 as a nonpartisan think tank focused on reducing global poverty and improving lives through rigorous economic research and policy analysis.[1] The organization emerged amid heightened international attention to development assistance and poverty alleviation following events like the Millennium Development Goals, aiming to bridge gaps in independent, evidence-based evaluation of aid effectiveness that were perceived as lacking in existing institutions.[7] Initial funding came primarily from philanthropist Edward W. Scott Jr., who committed resources to support its operations from inception.[8] CGD's founders were Edward W. Scott Jr., C. Fred Bergsten, and Nancy Birdsall, who jointly envisioned an entity that combined scholarly research with actionable policy advocacy on global development issues.[1] Edward W. Scott Jr., a technology entrepreneur who co-founded BEA Systems (later acquired by Oracle), served as the primary financial backer and board chair, drawing from his experience in philanthropy and prior establishment of nonprofits to prioritize empirical approaches over ideological ones.[9] C. Fred Bergsten, an economist and founder of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, contributed expertise in international economics and trade policy, emphasizing the need for data-driven critiques of development finance.[10] Nancy Birdsall, an economist with prior roles including executive vice president at the Inter-American Development Bank, brought deep knowledge of development institutions and focused on accountability in aid delivery, having co-authored influential works on inequality and governance.[10] Their collaboration reflected a shared commitment to causal analysis of policy impacts rather than uncritical support for prevailing aid paradigms.[11]Initial Focus and Growth (2002–2010)
Following its founding in November 2001, the Center for Global Development concentrated its early efforts on independent policy research aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of foreign aid, promoting debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries, and evaluating rich nations' contributions to global development through tools like the Commitment to Development Index (CDI), first published in 2003.[12][13] The CDI ranked 21 high-income countries based on seven policy components, including aid quantity and quality, trade openness, investment barriers, environmental sustainability, security contributions, technology transfer, and migration policies, providing a composite score to assess holistic development support beyond mere aid volumes.[13] Key early publications included "Delivering on Debt Relief from HIPC to PRSP, the Importance of Getting the Basics Right" in 2002, which critiqued implementation flaws in debt relief initiatives and advocated for better poverty reduction strategies.[14] During 2002–2004, CGD's activities encompassed research on trade policies, global public goods such as health and security, and challenges in weak states, complemented by public outreach materials like the "Rich World, Poor World" brief series to educate policymakers and the public on development interconnections.[12] The organization grew from a small team of researchers, bolstered by initial philanthropic funding from board chair Edward Scott, to establishing specialized programs by the mid-2000s, including the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Monitor in 2005 to track U.S. aid selectivity and the HIV/AIDS Monitor to evaluate global health funding efficacy.[15][14] This expansion reflected increasing support from foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, enabling recruitment of senior fellows and policy experts.[14] By 2010, CGD had solidified its influence through initiatives like the Advance Market Commitments (AMC) for vaccines, launched in 2005 and culminating in a $1.5 billion pilot agreement in 2009 to incentivize development of vaccines for diseases affecting low-income countries, and the Evaluation Gap Working Group, which contributed to the founding of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) in 2009.[14] Policy impacts included advocacy supporting $30 billion in debt relief for Nigeria in 2005 and $1.2 billion for Liberia in 2009, demonstrating CGD's role in shaping international financial mechanisms.[14] Staff had expanded to include approximately 20 senior fellows and several directors by the end of the decade, with annual revenue reaching $9.4 million in 2010, primarily from grants, underscoring institutional maturation amid a focus on evidence-based reforms in global health, education, and aid architecture.[14]Organizational Structure and Operations
Leadership and Governance
The Center for Global Development (CGD) operates as a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit think tank governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.[1] The board comprises prominent figures from public policy, finance, academia, and the private sector, providing strategic oversight and ensuring alignment with CGD's mission to reduce global poverty through evidence-based research.[16] Governance emphasizes transparency and accountability, with policies prohibiting funders from influencing research findings or publications.[1] Executive leadership is led by President Rachel Glennerster, who succeeded Masood Ahmed (now President Emeritus) and also serves as a trustee for CGD Europe.[17] The senior team includes Vice Presidents and Senior Fellows Markus Goldstein and Clemence Landers, appointed on February 19, 2025, to oversee research and policy programs; and Mikaela Gavas, Managing Director for Europe and Senior Policy Fellow.[18][19] These roles focus on directing operations across CGD's Washington, D.C., and London offices, with decision-making informed by empirical analysis rather than partisan agendas.[1] CGD Europe functions as a distinct entity, registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales and as a charity, supervised by its own Board of Trustees responsible for regional activities.[20] Overall, CGD's structure prioritizes institutional independence, with no formal committees detailed in public disclosures beyond board-level guidance.[1]Staff and Fellows
The Center for Global Development maintains a staff comprising economists, policy experts, and researchers dedicated to analyzing international development challenges, with operations spanning offices in Washington, D.C., and London. The organization employs between 51 and 200 professionals, including full-time researchers, program directors, and support personnel, as reported in professional networking data.[21] Staff expertise covers areas such as global health, finance, governance, and gender equity, often drawing from academic, governmental, and multilateral institution backgrounds. Leadership is headed by President Rachel Glennerster, an economist with prior experience as chief economist at the UK Department for International Development and executive director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, who took office in May 2024.[22] [23] Other key executives include Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow Amanda Glassman, who also serves as CEO of CGD Europe; Vice President and Senior Fellow Markus Goldstein, specializing in development economics; and Managing Director for Europe and Senior Policy Fellow Mikaela Gavas.[24] [19] Masood Ahmed holds the title of President Emeritus, reflecting his prior tenure.[19]| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Rachel Glennerster | President |
| Amanda Glassman | Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow |
| Markus Goldstein | Vice President and Senior Fellow |
| Mikaela Gavas | Managing Director, Europe and Senior Policy Fellow |
| Kehinde Ajayi | Director, Gender Equality and Inclusion Program and Senior Fellow |
| Charles Kenny | Senior Fellow |
| Rachel Bonnifield | Director, Global Health Policy Program and Senior Fellow |
Research Programs and Priorities
Core Research Areas
The Center for Global Development (CGD) organizes its research into several interconnected core areas, emphasizing evidence-based analysis to influence policies that address global poverty and development challenges. These areas encompass education, global health policy, migration and humanitarian policy, sustainable development finance, technology and development, and the impact of government policies on development outcomes.[30] This structure allows CGD to tackle systemic issues through economic research, policy recommendations, and targeted initiatives, often prioritizing measurable impacts on human capital, resource allocation, and institutional effectiveness.[1] In education, CGD examines factors affecting equal life opportunities and human capital formation, including gender disparities in access, intergenerational mobility barriers, and variations in school quality across regions. Research in this area critiques inefficiencies in educational systems and advocates for reforms to enhance learning outcomes and equity, drawing on data from low- and middle-income countries.[30] [31] Global health policy constitutes a major focus, with studies on constructing resilient health systems, optimizing financing mechanisms, bolstering global health security against pandemics, and mitigating disease burdens through equitable treatment access and fiscal incentives. CGD's work here analyzes aid effectiveness and policy trade-offs, such as vaccine distribution and health spending priorities in resource-constrained settings.[30] [32] Research on migration, displacement, and humanitarian policy addresses economic integration for migrants, refugees, and host communities, evaluating development-oriented responses to crises like forced displacement. This includes assessments of labor mobility's role in poverty reduction and critiques of restrictive policies that hinder opportunity creation in affected regions.[30] Sustainable development finance explores strategies to mobilize and direct capital toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including innovations in funding allocation, debt management, and private sector involvement to bridge financing gaps in infrastructure and social services.[30] The technology and development domain investigates how digital tools, automation, and innovations like biometric identification can enhance service delivery, financial inclusion, and governance, while addressing risks such as data privacy and inequality amplification from technological adoption. Recent emphases include AI applications for outcomes like improved literacy and reduced mortality rates.[30] [33] [34] Finally, governments and development scrutinizes the policies of major donors, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and European nations, through tools like the Commitment to Development Index, which quantifies contributions to global development via aid, trade, and environmental policies. This area also covers institutional reforms in international bodies and regional dynamics, particularly in Africa and fragile states.[30] [35] [36] Cross-cutting themes, such as climate and energy transitions, gender equality, and financial inclusion, integrate into these cores, with dedicated initiatives like the Energy for Growth Hub promoting affordable energy access in developing economies.[1] [37]Key Publications and Outputs
The Center for Global Development (CGD) produces a range of outputs including over 600 working papers since 2003, policy briefs, books, and reports focused on empirical analysis of development policies, aid effectiveness, and global health interventions.[38] These publications emphasize data-driven evaluations, often drawing on randomized controlled trials and econometric methods to assess causal impacts of policies in low-income countries.[39] A flagship series is Millions Saved, which compiles evidence of successful global health programs that averted millions of deaths. The original 2004 volume by Ruth Levine examined 17 cases, such as vitamin A supplementation and expanded immunization programs, arguing that targeted investments can yield high returns when scaled with rigorous monitoring.[40] Updated editions, including Millions Saved: New Cases of Proven Success in Global Health (2016) edited by Amanda Glassman, Dan Silverman, and others, added 13 new studies on interventions like conditional cash transfers and antiretroviral therapy rollout, while critiquing failures to underscore the need for adaptive, evidence-based scaling.[41] The series has influenced donor prioritization by highlighting cost-effective strategies, with case studies updated through 2021 to include COVID-19 responses.[42] Influential working papers include "Solutions When the Solution Is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development" (2005) by Michael Woolcock, which applied institutional economics to critique top-down aid models and advocate for context-specific reforms.[43] Another is "New Data, New Doubts: Revisiting 'Aid, Policies, and Growth'" (2004) by David Roodman, which reanalyzed cross-country data to question optimistic links between foreign aid and economic growth, finding weaker evidence after controlling for endogeneity and policy interactions.[44] In 2018, CGD released "Guaranteed Employment or Guaranteed Income?" by David Newhouse et al., comparing rights-based programs like India's MGNREGA with cash transfers, concluding that income guarantees often provide more efficient poverty reduction without distorting labor markets.[45] CGD's policy reports, such as those from the 2022 case studies on organizational impact, evaluate internal initiatives like the Advance Market Commitment for vaccines, attributing them to accelerated development of pneumococcal vaccines saving over 700,000 child lives by 2020.[46] Outputs also include annual updates to indices like the Commitment to Development Index, ranking rich countries on policies affecting poor nations, with 2023 data showing declines in trade openness scores amid protectionist trends. These works prioritize verifiable metrics over advocacy, though critics note potential selection bias in success narratives favoring interventionist approaches.[5]Policy Advocacy and Initiatives
Major Initiatives
The Center for Global Development has launched several targeted initiatives aimed at influencing development policy through evidence-based recommendations and innovative financing mechanisms. These efforts often focus on optimizing resource allocation, enhancing policy evaluation tools, and addressing specific global challenges such as health prioritization and labor mobility.[30] One prominent initiative is the Commitment to Development Index (CDI), first published in 2003, which annually ranks 40 high-income countries based on the development impact of their policies across seven components: aid, finance, trade, investment, migration, environment, and technology. The index quantifies how domestic policies in wealthy nations affect the 5 billion people living in poorer countries, with the 2023 edition showing Finland leading the rankings due to strong performance in environment and migration policies, while the United States ranked 23rd, hindered by lower scores in environment and technology transfer. CGD uses the CDI to advocate for reforms that align rich-country policies more effectively with global poverty reduction.[47] The Project Resource Optimization (PRO) Initiative, established to identify high-impact, cost-effective funding opportunities amid disruptions like U.S. foreign aid cuts, reached a milestone in September 2025 by facilitating funding for approximately 80 projects totaling $110 million, primarily in global health and nutrition programs previously supported by USAID. Hosted by CGD, PRO employs rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis and networks with donors to redirect resources, emphasizing empirical evaluations to maximize lives saved per dollar spent, such as prioritizing deworming and vitamin supplementation interventions with proven high returns.[48][49] In health policy, the International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI), co-hosted by CGD since 2013, provides technical assistance to low- and middle-income countries for evidence-based priority-setting to achieve universal health coverage. iDSI has supported over 20 countries in institutionalizing health technology assessment processes, leading to reallocations like Thailand's prioritization of cost-effective cancer treatments and Vietnam's vaccine investment decisions grounded in economic modeling. The initiative collaborates with global partners to build local capacity, countering inefficiencies in aid-driven health spending.[50] Other notable efforts include the Labor Mobility Partnerships (LAMP), initiated to connect international labor markets and boost economic opportunities for migrants from developing countries through bilateral agreements that facilitate temporary work visas, with pilot programs demonstrating potential GDP gains of up to 5% for origin countries via remittances and skill transfers. Additionally, the Energy for Growth Hub, launched in 2017, advocates for pragmatic energy access strategies in sub-Saharan Africa, challenging over-reliance on renewables by promoting hybrid models incorporating natural gas to accelerate electrification for 600 million people without reliable power, based on analyses showing faster deployment and lower costs compared to solar-only approaches.[51][52]Events and Public Engagement
The Center for Global Development conducts public engagement through diverse events such as high-profile conversations, technical seminars, and book talks, which disseminate research findings and foster dialogue on global poverty reduction and policy innovation.[53] These gatherings attract participants from governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, academia, and media to discuss evidence-based approaches to development challenges.[53] CGD actively participates in international forums, including the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, where it hosts sessions on topics like inflation dynamics in Latin America, lead exposure mitigation, international cooperation mechanisms, private capital mobilization, and progress at institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.[54] The organization also co-organizes major conferences, such as the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics, to bridge research and policymaking.[55] Specific events illustrate this engagement, including discussions on U.S. foreign assistance lessons and priorities, involving experts from policy, business, and international finance.[56] Recent examples encompass panels on sustainable solutions to the global health financing crisis, rethinking European development cooperation amid shifting geopolitical contexts, and the Growth Summit emphasizing economic growth and structural transformation in development agendas.[57][58][59] The CGD Society enhances public involvement by providing members—ranging from professionals to advocates—with advanced notice of public conferences, invitations to informal briefings with experts and policymakers, and opportunities for idea exchange across sectors.[60] Membership tiers offer escalating benefits, including priority event access and complimentary publications, supporting broader outreach.[60] Historical high-profile engagements include a January 6, 2010, address by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on 21st-century development strategies.[53]Funding and Financial Model
Sources of Funding
The Center for Global Development (CGD) derives its funding primarily from unrestricted or flexibly restricted grants provided by philanthropic foundations, bilateral government aid agencies, multilateral organizations, and individual donors, with a policy of rejecting any contributions that could compromise research independence, findings, or publications.[61] This model supports an annual budget sustained through multi-year commitments, emphasizing diversity to mitigate reliance on single sources.[61] CGD discloses all grants exceeding $30,000 publicly, earning high ratings for transparency from evaluators such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator.[61] In 2024, major funders included several multimillion-dollar contributors from the philanthropic sector. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Founders Pledge, and Lakeshore Foundation each provided over $1,000,000.[61] Additional significant support came from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Open Philanthropy, the Ford Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust, among others in the $200,000–$999,999 range.[61]| Contribution Range | Selected Funders |
|---|---|
| $1,000,000+ | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Founders Pledge, Lakeshore Foundation[61] |
| $500,000–$999,999 | Bloomberg Philanthropies, Open Philanthropy, European Union, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Echidna Giving[61] |
| $200,000–$499,999 | Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Ford Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Norad (Norway)[61] |