Listeners’ Choice: Top Ten Wonkcasts of 2012

Here’s a list of the ten most popular Wonkcasts of this year, and the number of times each audio file has been downloaded. Of course, downloads aren’t listens. Some files may have been downloaded once and listened to more than once. I suspect that more commonly they are downloaded but not played.Still, I figure the Wonkcasts are worth it, even if only a fraction of the downloads are heard, in part because conducting the interviews gives me a chance to learn more about the work of my wonderful CGD colleagues. And I like to think that the write-ups on the Wonkcast blog offer readers useful summaries, even if they don’t have time to listen.Not included in the Wonkcast top ten list but among my favorite podcasts are those that CGD’s Owen Barder records and posts on Development Drums, which we also include in the CGD Multimedia Feed. My all-time favorite podcast of 2012 is the audio version of Owen’s UNDP Kapuscinski Lecture on Complexity and Development (also available as a slide show). If you aren’t yet a podcast listener, this is reason enough to put podcast listening near the top of your New Year’s resolutions list.I welcome your suggestions on how I can make the Wonkcasts better (and attract more listeners!). Please post your advice and suggestions below or write to me directly.

Wonkcast	Downloads
Grameen Bank Heist and Burma Debt, with David Roodman	2,666
More Money, More Problems for US Development in Pakistan, with Milan Vaishnav and Danny Cutherell	2,133
Family Planning is Back, with John May	2,041
Ag Aid and Tech Breakthroughs, with Kimberly Ann Elliot	1,680
Identity and Development, with Alan Gelb and Julia Clark	1,577
The Global Fund and Value for Money, with Amanda Glassman	1,454
From Schooling Goals to Learning Goals, with Lant Pritchett	1,431
What Comes After the Millennium Development Goals?, with Charles Kenny	1,422
Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance, with David Roodman	1,419
CGD in Europe, with Owen Barder	1,325