Development Futures: The big picture of aid and international development

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the Trump administration's policies on international aid and development, featuring insights from Masood Ahmed.

The Trump administration’s recent dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and freeze on most US foreign aid has created havoc within the international aid and development sectors. Prior to these major announcements, the Lowy Institute’s Lead Economist Roland Rajah spoke with Masood Ahmed, President Emeritus of the Center for Global Development, in December last year. They discussed the effectiveness and future of aid and the factors reshaping international development cooperation including climate change, pandemic risks, migration, and domestic politics in donor countries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Roland Rajah

Guest: Masood Ahmed

Topics covered

• international aid
• development cooperation
• climate change
• pandemic risks
• migration
• domestic politics

Keywords

• aid
• international development
• USAID
• climate change
• migration
• domestic politics
• pandemic risks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center for Global Development, US Agency for International Development, Trump administration

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• The future of Australian aid · February 17, 2026 · 26 min
• Development Futures: United Nations’ reform and relevance · November 18, 2025 · 30 min
• Development Futures: Climate change and the great procrastination · August 19, 2025 · 27 min
• Development Futures: The 2025 Southeast Asia Aid Map and global aid cuts · August 5, 2025 · 24 min
• Development Futures: Indonesia’s economic policies under Prabowo — new era or same path? · June 10, 2025 · 30 min