Global Growth

More than 800 million people globally still live on less than $3.00 per day. Though economists have long debated how different policies affect economic growth, they widely agree that growth is central to poverty alleviation. 

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) looking to pursue a more ambitious growth agenda face persistent barriers, from limited technical capacity to short-run financial challenges. As foreign aid budgets contract, policymakers face renewed pressure to identify their own strategies for economic growth. After seeing positive results from exploratory grantmaking, we think our new program may be able to help address some of these challenges. 

We are eager to identify potential grantees in LMICs who combine rigorous economic thinking with policy expertise. We believe that understanding local networks and conditions greatly improves the odds of a successful policy change.

We are currently focused on grantmaking to support policy research and advisory work in LMICs, as well as complementary advocacy in rich countries. Growth strategies we are exploring include:

• Export-oriented manufacturing
• Energy access
• Accountability and transparency in extractive industries 
• Sovereign debt relief and avoidance of future debt crises
• Broader trade and investment links between advanced economies and LMICs