A Peek at the New U.S. Development Strategy

Posted on 25 June 2010

By Sherine Jayawickrama

Today, as President Obama headed to Canada for the G-8 meeting, the White House released a statement outlining a new U.S. strategy to advance global development. Given the continuing delays – and considerable confusion – that have marked the Quadrennial Diplomacy & Development Review (QDDR) and the whole-of-government development policy review process, it is a relief to hear that President Obama will be issuing a new policy directive on development “in the near future”. 

After months of guessing – and a leaked memo that pretty much spilled the beans – excerpted below is what the White House statement outlines.

President Obama’s new development policy will:

• Foster the Next Generation of Emerging Markets:  The U.S. will intensify efforts to promote sustainable economic development and support good governance by making targeted investments in countries and/or regions where the conditions are right for progress.

• Invest in Game-Changing Innovations:  By leveraging the power of research and development, the U.S. will work to create and scale-up technologies for health, green energy, agriculture, and other development applications.

• Meet Basic Human Needs in a Sustainable Fashion:  The U.S. will continue to be a global leader in the meeting of basic human needs, but will place increasing emphasis on building sustainable public sector capacity to provide basic services over the long-term.

• Tailor Development Strategies:  The U.S. will tailor development strategies in countries in or recovering from conflict to reflect the unique conditions on the ground, and will join efforts to promote stabilization and achieve security with those designed to promote our long-term sustainable development goals.

• Hold all Aid Recipients Accountable:  The U.S. will seek sustained development progress in all countries receiving U.S. economic assistance by placing a greater focus on policy reforms key to development.

In addition, in pursuing these objectives, the U.S. will pursue a new approach to development that:

• Is More Selective:  The U.S. will seek a division of labor with other donors and focus its efforts on select countries, regions, and sectors – while ensuring critical development needs are met.

• Leverages other Donors, Philanthropy, Diaspora and the Private Sector:  The U.S. will seek a division of labor with other donors and make a concerted effort to partner with other actors to leverage U.S. investments.

• Underscores Country Ownership and Mutual Accountability: The U.S. will place a premium on partnering with countries that are well governed and will work to strengthen their institutions and support their development strategies.

• Strengthens Multilateral Capabilities:  The U.S. will support multilateral development capabilities and support key reforms and the creation of new capabilities, where required.

• Drives Policy with Analysis:  The U.S. will adopt metrics and set in place rigorous standards for monitoring and evaluation, and use data and analysis to drive decision-making.

Many of these are welcome directions. The emphasis on country ownership, evidence-based decision-making, multilateral capabilities and focused investments is strategic. What is not crystal clear is what President Obama articulates as the central purpose of advancing development. 

Given what we see in the U.S. National Security Strategy, it’s possible to surmise that development is advanced because it is important for U.S. national security. Yet, President Obama and several senior administration officials clearly believe that development is important in its own right.

Many argue that this is a false dichotomy but, unless the purpose question is answered with clarity, confusion and fragmentation will continue to reign even after the directives and reviews are finalized.

Sherine Jayawickrama manages the Humanitarian & Development NGOs domain of practice (and this blog) at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University.