In the aftermath of war securing economic stability and reviving institutions are among the first priorities. As a CFR Working Paper I wrote last year noted, “negative economic shocks of just 5 percent can increase the risk of a civil war by as much as 50 percent in fragile environments. Additionally, donor assistance, which can account for 20 percent to as much as 97 percent of a country’s GDP, is unsustainable in the long term. Building local business capacity and supporting homegrown entrepreneurs can help curb this risk.” The private sector plays a pivotal role as a “stabilizing force.”

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Much attention has been devoted to Afghanistan’s upcoming political and security transition, with Secretary of State John Kerry arriving in Kabul today for meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. But one critical piece of the stability equation has been largely overlooked to date: economic transition. As 2014 approaches, a great deal of progress will either be built upon or lost.

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On his blog this week, CFR senior fellow John Campbell reviewed a new report on U.S. policy toward failing states. As Campbell explains: Read more »

Counter-intuitively, economic growth (a prerequisite for reducing poverty in the world’s poorest countries) and the well-being of the worst-off and most vulnerable populations are often at odds in the developing world. This tension between poverty, equity, and economic growth is most visibly salient in disputes over land—a key resource for the food security and livelihoods of the poor, but also an essential resource for growth-enhancing investments in energy production and industrial manufacturing. Simmering land disputes that pit growth against equity roil just beneath the surface in many countries; just this past week, these conflicts have boiled over for different reasons across continents, from Kenya to China to Myanmar.

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Yesterday on his blog, CFR senior fellow John Campbell wrote about the dire poverty facing Malians, a situation only exacerbated by the current conflict. As he notes:

Infant mortality exceeds 10 percent. Life expectancy at birth is among the shortest in the world. Read more »

Emerging Voices features regular contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. This article is from Zachary D. Kaufman, an attorney, political scientist, social entrepreneur, adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, and the editor of Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities: Changing Our World. He describes his new book and highlights three lessons for social entrepreneurs.

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In a post yesterday on Isobel Coleman’s blog and an October article in Fast Company, CFR fellow Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses tenacious Afghan entrepreneurs who are building successful technology businesses in the face of daunting challenges. As Lemmon writes on the blog: Read more »

Emerging Voices features regular contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. This article is from Tae Yoo, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Cisco. She discusses the importance of developing broadband infrastructure in Afghanistan and Cisco’s contributions to this effort.

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This week on his blog, CFR Senior Fellow John Campbell discussed the humanitarian crisis in Mali and polio in Nigeria. Writing on Mali, he took stock of malnutrition and displacement, along with the international response: Read more »

Emerging Voices features regular contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. This article is from Blair Glencorse, Founder and Executive Director of the Accountability Lab. He analyzes the challenges of integrity and accountability in Liberia’s colleges and universities, arguing that failures in higher education threaten the country’s progress toward peace and development. You can follow Glencorse on his blog and on Twitter at @blairglencorse. Read more »