Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s Blog

As a recent World Bank report makes clear, hard times accentuate the importance of kith and kin. Nowhere is this more true than in developing countries, where automatic stabilisers are weak and vulnerability is high. Support from friends and family abroad is more constant than fragile states and footloose businesses.  In the boom years, development [...]

The recent debate about aid, sparked by Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid, has polarised the development community.  However, effective aid has an important role to play in the quest for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.
In her book, Ms Moyo suggests that government bonds can take the place of development assistance. This is probably unrealistic. [...]

After the co-ordinated rate cuts by the major economies, in October, the Chinese cut interest rates in a show of solidarity. Now the rest of the world is talking about fiscal stimulus, and China is charging ahead. The State Council has announced a vast fiscal stimulus programme to pull China through the coming grim years. [...]