In a speech at CGD, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced a new USAID initiative: promoting primary health care systems in developing countries. Will this welcomed initiative last beyond her tenure at the agency?

In this piece, I recap a few key messages on USAID’s call to action, honing in on the role of data and evidence in driving policy and decision-making. I argue that we need better data on the progress of maternal and child survival through improved health information systems as well as greater use of...

Last month, the Center for Global Development (CGD), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Office of Management and Budget co-hosted an Evidence Forum as part of the White House Year of Evidence for Action, featuring USAID Administer Samantha Power. The event celebrated pr...

Ahead of the holiday break, US lawmakers reached agreement on a final FY2023 spending deal. After months of stalled negotiations, an omnibus appropriations package was far from guaranteed. But concerns about the consequences of a long-term continuing resolution—and the prospect of adding a major tas...

A new bipartisan bill, introduced by Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Young Kim (R-CA), looks to advance innovation in US development policy, embracing a definition of innovation that captures both technological advancements and novel approaches to development programming.

In the past two decades, health has been the darling of the relationship between the United States and Africa. But there’s a risk now that impact is mistaken for success, with other priorities competing for resources and attention in US-Africa policy. The US-Africa Leaders Summit provides an excelle...

Foreigners don’t receive much of America’s $35 billion annual foreign aid budget, at least not directly. Less than ten percent goes to local charities, companies, or governments in developing countries. The Biden administration, like past administrations, is trying to reform the system. But it needs...

The Office of Foreign Assistance performs three core functions. First, it coordinates the formulation of future USAID and State Department foreign assistance budget requests—a process that begins two years before the start of a fiscal year. Second, it manages the execution of the current fiscal year...