We tend to forget it, but the development cooperation agenda started, more than fifty years ago, with the aim of reducing the income gap between what is now called rich and poor countries. In the 1970s, when too many people started to believe in t…

UN summits follow a more or less predetermined route. Heads of state and government and heads of major international organizations all come and make their declarations. In most of them, there is nothing really new or interesting. Now and then, how…

This UN summit is extremely important, even for the billion and a half extremely poor people in the world. Since I am known for being very critical of the poverty reduction policies, this statement may surprise. Let me explain what I mean.Poverty…

Development aid is becoming a hot topic. William Easterly and Dambisa Moyo almost made us believe development aid was totally useless and should be abandoned. I am very grateful to the authors of the Dutch report of the Scientific Council for Gove…

It was a real pleasure to read the report of the Scientific Council for Government Policy. In the midst of winter, with snow falling from the sky, it makes you think spring is in the air. Add to this a UN report on the World Social Situation (2010…