In Pursuit of Development

Is corruption really the biggest obstacle to development, or are we asking the wrong questions? Dan Banik speaks with renowned corruption scholar Michael Johnston about power, democracy, and how citizens can help build more accountable and just societies.

The Global South is increasingly visible in global governance. But visibility is not the same as power. In this season-opening episode, Dan Banik asks whether the real transformation underway is not the “rise” of the Global South, but a far more consequential struggle over who gets to write, enforce, and legitimize the rules of the international order.

In this Season 6 finale of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik asks why hope has come to seem naïve at precisely the moment we need it most. Drawing on global poverty, democracy, climate anxiety, and the politics of collective action, he argues for evidence-based hope as a disciplined and realistic alternative to both denial and despair.

As aid shrinks and donor priorities shift, civil society organizations are being forced to rethink how they survive, adapt, and continue serving communities. Dan Banik speaks with Tikhala Itaye about funding cuts, local ownership, social entrepreneurship, gender equality, accountability, and why Malawi’s development future may depend on new forms of innovation and collaboration.

Rwanda is often celebrated as one of Africa’s most striking development success stories. But how durable is that success, and who has benefited from it? Dan Banik speaks with Pritish Behuria about Rwanda’s services-led growth model, powerful national brand, and the unresolved challenges of jobs, inequality, foreign dependence, and structural transformation.

African scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders, and practitioners are rethinking development amid aid cuts, geopolitical fragmentation, climate pressures, and the rise of AI. Drawing on recent conversations in Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Blantyre, and Mauritius, Dan Banik reflects on African agency, the limits of donor-driven development, and why the future must be shaped by those most affected by it.

Dan Banik speaks with Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett about state capture and development. Together, they explore how corruption moves beyond bribes to reshape institutions, weaken accountability, deepen inequality, and allow powerful political and business actors to rewrite the rules in their own favor.

Dan Banik speaks with Alanna O’Malley about the hidden history of the United Nations, showing how actors from the Global South helped shape global governance, decolonization, development, and the struggle for a more just international order. The conversation explores why the UN looks very different when viewed from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and why these debates matter so much in today’s crisis-ridden world.

Why does tuberculosis still kill more than a million people every year despite being preventable and curable? Dan Banik speaks with Madhukar Pai about TB, poverty, undernutrition, primary healthcare, decolonizing global health, and the enduring legacy of Paul Farmer.

How is global development cooperation changing in an age of aid cuts, geopolitical fragmentation, and shifting national priorities? In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Elina Scheja, Chief Economist at Sida, about the future of foreign aid, poverty reduction, jobs, evidence, and what effective development policy looks like in a more uncertain world.

Dan Banik speaks with Philip Schellekens, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at UNDP, about what Asia’s extraordinary rise can (and cannot) teach us about development today. They explore growth, inequality, jobs, aging, AI, and why the future of development depends on moving beyond crisis language toward a more inclusive and opportunity-focused vision.

Dan Banik speaks with Benjamin Bradlow about urban inequality, informal settlements, and why access to housing, sanitation, and transport remains so unequal in many of the world’s fastest-growing cities. The conversation explores how local politics, state capacity, and civil society shape whether cities become spaces of exclusion or inclusion.

Dan Banik speaks with Homi Kharas about the rise of the global middle class and why it has become central to the story of modern development. The conversation explores how middle-class growth is reshaping economies, politics, and aspirations around the world, and why its future will matter for inequality, sustainability, and global change.

Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare, education, and governance. Dan Banik and Francesco Marcelloni explore the risks and benefits, and why human judgment must remain central in the AI era.

India-China relations have entered a phase of cautious re-engagement, but beneath the diplomatic optics lie deep structural fault lines shaped by power asymmetry, border tensions, economic interdependence, and great power rivalry. Dan Banik speaks with Manoj Kewalramani about whether the relationship is stabilizing into a cold peace or simply entering another cycle of strategic competition with global consequences.

In a world defined by rising great-power rivalry, declining solidarity, and shrinking aid budgets, the Yale philosopher Thomas Pogge joins Dan Banik to discuss whether global justice and human rights still matter or whether power politics has won. From the erosion of soft power to bold proposals like the Ecological Impact Fund, this conversation explores how values, innovation, and institutional reform could reshape a fractured international order.

Dan Banik speaks with David McNair about the shifting politics of global development in an era of debt distress and declining humanitarian funding. They explore how activism must adapt to a changing global financial landscape, the rise of agency in the Global South, and what it will take to reform development finance for the years ahead.

David Engerman takes Dan Banik inside the lives and rivalries of six South Asian economists who helped define what “development” would mean in the postcolonial world. From Cambridge seminars to global institutions, the conversation reveals how their debates on trade, planning, inequality, and human welfare still shape the choices governments face today.

Dan Banik speaks with Lindsey Moore about how ethical AI and predictive analytics can transform decades of development evaluations into structured and searchable evidence for better decisions. They explore what it takes to build context-aware models grounded in clear taxonomies and local perspectives, enabling AI to strengthen institutional learning and advance equity.

Vietnam is a celebrated development success story, but rapid growth is also reshaping everyday life through rising inequality, changing consumption, and mounting environmental pressures. Dan Banik speaks with Arve Hansen about what Vietnam’s next phase of development may look like and the trade-offs it will require.

Dan Banik speaks with Todd Moss about why electrification has surged in some countries but continues to lag across much of Africa. Together they unpack why “access” is only the starting point when electricity is expensive, unreliable, and unable to power jobs and growth.

As the year draws to a close, Dan Banik takes stock of the major ideas and debates that have defined Season 6 of In Pursuit of Development. From shifting global power and democracy to climate, energy, and artificial intelligence, this episode looks back at what we have learned and ahead to what is next.

Climate change is increasingly shaping development and security outcomes, not as a single cause of conflict but as a force that intensifies existing vulnerabilities in fragile contexts. Dan Banik and Florian Krampe discuss why separating climate, development, and security is no longer tenable and how climate action might become a pathway to resilience and peace rather than instability.

As aid budgets shrink and multilateralism weakens, Dan Banik speaks with Nilima Gulrajani about what’s worth saving, what must change, and how global cooperation can still deliver in an uncertain world.

Dan Banik speaks with Benedicte Bull about how Latin America fits into the shifting idea of the “Global South.” Together, they explore what this identity means in practice, how the region balances ties to China and the United States, and what its experience reveals about power, justice, and development in a changing world order.

Dan Banik and Max Gallien explore how smuggling operates as a deeply embedded part of state–society relations in North Africa, rather than a simple threat to state authority. They discuss what this reveals about governance, livelihoods, and the political bargains that shape life in border regions.

Dan Banik speaks with Cecilia Marcela Bailliet about what solidarity truly means in a world increasingly turning inward. Together, they explore how solidarity, human rights, and peace intersect—and why real solidarity requires action, inclusion, and a renewed commitment to our shared humanity.

Dan Banik speaks with Dean Karlan about his efforts to strengthen evidence use and cost-effectiveness inside USAID during a period of dramatic institutional change. Together, they explore what the agency’s recent dismantling means for global development, U.S. soft power, and the future of aid in an increasingly uncertain world.

As globalization fragments and traditional aid declines, low- and middle-income countries are forging new partnerships to finance their development ambitions. In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Hong Bo about how China’s overseas investments are evolving, from mega-projects to smaller, greener, and more strategic initiatives, and what this means for the future of global development finance.

As global aid budgets shrink and new coalitions emerge, Rachel Glennerster joins Dan Banik to unpack what these shifts mean for the future of development. Together they explore how evidence, prioritization, and South–South Cooperation can drive genuine progress in an increasingly multipolar world.

Malawi has recently held another peaceful election, reaffirming its status as one of Africa’s most resilient democracies despite deep economic hardship. Dan Banik speaks with Happy Kayuni about why Malawians continue to believe in democracy even when development remains elusive.

Dan Banik speaks with Nemanja Džuverović about the student-led movement that has shaken Serbia’s political order one year after the Novi Sad train station collapse. Together they explore how a tragedy turned into a nationwide call for accountability, revealing both the fragility and resilience of democracy in the Balkans.

Jorge Heine joins Dan Banik to discuss how the Global South is reshaping world politics through a strategy of active non-alignment — refusing to take sides in the U.S.–China rivalry while maximizing national leverage. Drawing on his experiences in South Africa, India, China, and Chile, Heine explains why “playing the field” has become the defining feature of diplomacy in a multipolar world.

Dan Banik speaks with Pedro Conceição, Director of the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, about how the idea of human development continues to shape global thinking on progress and equality. Together, they explore the latest Human Development Report (A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI) and discuss how artificial intelligence can either widen divides or empower people to live fuller, freer lives.

Joseph Asunka joins Dan Banik to discuss what Africans themselves are saying about democracy, governance, and opportunity amid shifting global and local realities. Drawing on data from across the continent, they explore youth frustration and activism, the persistence of “big man” politics, and why reliable citizen data is essential for Africa’s democratic future.

Dan Banik and Naomi Hossain discuss Bangladesh’s remarkable but contested development journey — from famine and fragility to growth and global recognition. Together they explore how politics, crisis, and collective learning have shaped the country’s progress, and what its experience reveals about resilience, accountability, and the moral economy of development.

Dan Banik speaks with Ronny Patz about the United Nations’ deepest financial crisis in decades and the ambitious reforms unfolding under the UN80 initiative. Together they unpack how politics, member state behaviour, and fragmented funding are reshaping the UN’s ability to act, and what this means for the future of multilateralism.

In the opening episode of Season 6, Dan Banik reflects on his personal journey of recovery after a medical emergency and uses this experience as a lens to explore a world in transition — one marked by fragmentation, shifting power, and the rise of the Global South. He argues that despite turbulence and uncertainty, actors across the Global South are reshaping global development, offering new possibilities for a more just, inclusive, and hopeful international order.

Dan Banik and Dan Honig explore the concept of mission-driven bureaucrats, emphasizing the importance of empowerment, trust, and autonomy over strict compliance and control in improving government performance and public service delivery.

Dan Banik and Rohan Mukherjee explore how the Global South seeks greater representation and status within the liberal international order, challenging Western-centric perspectives and advocating for more inclusive global governance.

Dan Banik and Ilaria Carrozza explore how countries in the Global South navigate the power dynamics between the US, China, and Russia, asserting their agency and strategic interests.

Dan Banik and Ian Shapiro discuss the concept of domination, the essential functions of political parties, and the challenges facing modern democracies.

Dan Banik and Sameen A. Mohsin Ali discuss the intricacies of bureaucratic capacity in Pakistan, examining how administrative effectiveness, political dynamics, and patronage impact the implementation of development programs.

Dan Banik and Karuti Kanyinga discuss the benefits and challenges of China's infrastructure investments in Africa while also considering the impact of campaign finance on political equity and governance.

Dan Banik and Lan Marie Nguyen Berg discuss the complexities of implementing climate and development strategies, emphasizing the necessity of bold leadership and innovative policies to address the existential threat of climate change amidst societal and political challenges.

Dan Banik and Jörg Ankel-Peters discuss the global challenge of energy poverty, emphasizing the need for innovative energy solutions to provide sustainable and reliable access.

Dan Banik and Elizabeth Ingleson explore the historical transformation of the "Made in China" label, how the neoliberal shift in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s was pivotal for China's integration into the global capitalist system, and the geopolitical implications of China's rise as a manufacturing powerhouse.

Dan Banik and Willem Fourie explore the complexities of leadership, focusing on the characteristics that define successful leaders and the common pitfalls that lead to failure.

Dan Banik and Obvious Katsaura explore the effects of urban inequality in Johannesburg, discussing how wealth and poverty coexist, shaping the cities’ characters and residents' lives, and the crucial role of Pentecostal churches in offering hope and security amidst social challenges in Johannesburg and Lagos.

Dan Banik and Boniface Dulani discuss the mixed state of democracy in Africa, spotlighting upcoming elections, power dynamics, and public sentiment towards governance.