In Pursuit of Development

Can Africa achieve its own economic miracle? Despite persistent challenges of poverty, inequality, weak institutions, and political instability, there are growing reasons to be optimistic about the continent's economic future. But what will it take to turn that potential into sustained growth, productive jobs, and widespread prosperity?
Development economist and bestselling author Joe Studwell joins Dan Banik to discuss his latest book, How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World's Last Developmental Frontier. Building on the influential arguments in his earlier bestseller, How Asia Works, Studwell examines whether the policies that transformed East Asian economies can offer valuable lessons for Africa. He challenges conventional explanations for Africa's development struggles and argues that agricultural productivity, manufacturing, and strategic economic policies remain essential for long-term transformation.
Drawing on the experiences of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Botswana, and Mauritius, the conversation explores the role of political leadership, democracy, governance, and development-oriented political coalitions. Can African economies leapfrog traditional industrialization through artificial intelligence and digital technologies? Why have some countries achieved impressive economic growth without generating sufficient employment? And how important are regional trade and stronger domestic institutions?
At a time of growing uncertainty about the global economy, this conversation offers a cautiously optimistic perspective on the African continent's development prospects, challenging familiar narratives of failure while examining what it will actually take to unlock the continent's enormous economic potential.

Host:
Professor Dan Banik,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-banik/

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What if foreign aid is not just funding development, but also shaping who wins elections and who holds political power? As governments across the world reconsider their foreign aid commitments, an important question deserves greater attention: Does foreign aid strengthen democracy, or does it undermine political accountability?
In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Ryan Jablonski, Associate Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics and author of Dependency Politics: How Foreign Aid Shapes Electoral Behavior (Cambridge University Press, 2026).
Drawing on extensive research in Malawi and other aid-dependent democracies, Ryan challenges conventional assumptions about foreign aid, corruption, and political accountability. Their conversation explores how politicians negotiate with international donors and NGOs, why voters reward politicians who attract development projects, and how foreign assistance influences electoral competition and government legitimacy.
They also examine the growing influence of China and other emerging donors, the consequences of declining Western aid, and the difficult trade-offs between development effectiveness and democratic accountability.
At the heart of the discussion is a fundamental question: How can foreign aid help countries deliver essential public services while also strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring that governments remain accountable to their citizens?

Host:
Professor Dan Banik,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-banik/

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Who gets to decide how the world develops, and why have the same countries dominated that conversation for so long? Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, countries are increasingly challenging the traditional hierarchies of international development and asserting their right to shape their own futures. But can the growing influence of the Global South fundamentally change the rules of global cooperation?
In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), about the growing influence of the Global South and the renewed momentum behind cooperation among developing countries. They explore why countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are increasingly looking to one another for solutions to shared challenges, from agricultural productivity and public health to digital infrastructure and climate change.
The conversation examines the expanding roles of emerging powers, the importance of solidarity and reciprocity, and the potential of triangular cooperation to bring together expertise, financing, and institutional support. But it also raises difficult questions about inequalities of power within the Global South, the financing of development, and whether ambitious political declarations can translate into meaningful results.
Looking ahead, Dan and Dima discuss the need to reform international institutions, strengthen the voices of developing countries, and engage civil society, academia, and regional organizations more actively in development cooperation. They also explore the UN's efforts to build new partnerships through a new global alliance for South-South and triangular cooperation.

Host:
Professor Dan Banik,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-banik/

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Is corruption the world's favorite scapegoat for failed development? And why are wealthy democracies so eager to lecture poorer countries about good governance while struggling with corruption at home?
In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Michael Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Colgate University and one of the world's leading scholars of corruption.
Drawing on decades of research, Johnston challenges conventional thinking about corruption, arguing that it goes far beyond bribery and illegal transactions. The conversation explores how political influence, elite networks, and the abuse of power shape societies, including some of the world's most established democracies.
They discuss Johnston's influential four syndromes of corruption, the limitations of global corruption rankings, the relationship between corruption and economic development, and the dangers of politicians weaponizing anti-corruption rhetoric. The discussion also examines the shortcomings of international efforts to promote good governance.

Host:
Professor Dan Banik,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-banik/

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The Global South is more visible, more vocal, and more organized than at any point in recent decades. But has that translated into real power? In this season-opening episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik challenges the familiar claim that the Global South is simply “rising.” His argument is more demanding. Gaining voice in global governance is not the same as gaining authority over the rules, institutions, and decisions that shape the international order.
Against the backdrop of collapsing foreign aid, an expanding BRICS, greater representation of developing countries in the G20, negotiations over a new UN tax convention, debates over IMF reform, and the selection of the next UN Secretary-General, the episode asks where power is actually shifting. And where it is not. The emerging pattern is striking. The Global South has made significant gains in institutions based on sovereign equality, but much less progress where weighted voting, veto power, and great-power privilege still dominate.
The episode also questions whether “the Global South” can meaningfully be treated as a single bloc. Instead, Dan argues that we are increasingly seeing flexible issue-based coalitions, in which countries cooperate on taxation, climate finance, debt, or institutional reform while competing fiercely on other questions. And as the traditional aid era recedes, the politics of development may increasingly shift toward domestic taxation, accountability, South–South cooperation, and new forms of financial power.
The central question for Season 7 is therefore not whether the Global South is rising. It is whether contestation can become renegotiation. And whether greater voice can ultimately be converted into the authority to write the rules.

Host:
Professor Dan Banik,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-banik/

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