Below I identify some of my efforts to cross traditional academic-policy boundaries as well as the media coverage these efforts have attracted.
Illicit Financial Flows
Banking Bad reports available here, here, and here. [TBA 2023]
Global Shell Games book here and policy report here and Monkey Cage here. Covered widely including TED, NPR Planet Money here and here, Economist here and here, the New York Times, and UK Channel 4, among many others. Policy work includes collaborations or contracts with UN FACTI and World Bank StAR. Based on a 60 Minutes report, our research motivated an investigation by Global Witness, which catalyzed further support for bipartisan legislation in the U.S., which was signed into law earlier this year. We have also been told that the research motivated or supported efforts for reform in many other countries, including the UK and British Virgin Islands.
Global Shell Games book here and policy report here and Monkey Cage here. Covered widely including TED, NPR Planet Money here and here, Economist here and here, the New York Times, and UK Channel 4, among many others. Policy work includes collaborations or contracts with UN FACTI and World Bank StAR. Based on a 60 Minutes report, our research motivated an investigation by Global Witness, which catalyzed further support for bipartisan legislation in the U.S., which was signed into law earlier this year. We have also been told that the research motivated or supported efforts for reform in many other countries, including the UK and British Virgin Islands.
Impact Evaluation Approaches
USAID DRG Impact Evaluation Retrospective [TBA]
Data4Peace: Academic-Policy Hackathons
I pioneered a new approach to bridge academic work with the public/private sector. See report from our hackathon on the peace process in Colombia. [link here]
Geocoding
I initiated and continue to work on mapping critical political and economic phenomena. For some of the geocoding approaches, see Open Aid Partnership, Intl Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), AidData, World Bank, AfDB, and Malawi Government & CCAPS. Most recently, AidData was awarded a $25 million grant from USAID to broaden and deepen the impact of mapping in development.
- World Bank - AidData partnership to geo-reference all active WB projects [world bank page] [open aiddata]
- African Development Bank - AidData partnership to geo-reference all active AfDB projects. Results published in AfDB Annual Development Effectiveness Reviews [2011 here and 2012 here].
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program - AidData joint initiative to geo-reference about 60,000 foreign aid projects in Africa [see map here] [see official codebook]
- University of Texas CCAPS - AidData partnership to geo-reference all active projects from 28 donors in the country of Malawi [see aid, poverty map]. See World Bank working paper here. Materials published in official Malawi Aid Atlas 2010/11, Ministry of Finance. Mapping materials being used by USAID in 5-year strategic planning. Coverage of maps: ONE, AidData. Link to data and maps through AidData [here] and CCAPS [here].
- International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) adopted our georeferencing standards (see IATI page)
Peacebuilding
- Impact Evaluation of the UN Peacebuilding Fund's Operations in Burundi. See report here.
- Technology and Peacebuilding Learning and Evaluation White Paper. Build Peace 2014 Conference. See paper here.
- Ongoing large-scale evaluations with USAID in Colombia and East Africa. Baseline report attached here and appendix available through USAID mission. Midline report attached here and appendix available through USAID mission. Endline report attached here and appendix available through USAID mission.
Selected Talks to Policy Audiences
U.K. Department for International Development, U.S. State Department (3 times), United States Agency for International Development Geo-center, United States Agency for International Development Office of Transition Initiatives, Global Financial Integrity, United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, United Nations Development Program, World Bank (3 times), South by Southwest Eco, and Development Gateway Aid Management Meetings in Nairobi and Dakar, among others.
Miscellaneous
Crowdsourcing development using mobile phone technologies. U-report with UNICEF Uganda. Paper link here.
BuildPeace workshop memo. Paper link here.
BuildPeace workshop memo. Paper link here.