Selected for the Global Economic Symposium 2011
Even though some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – e.g. the goal of halving extreme poverty – will be achieved on a global scale by 2015, progress will have been uneven and poverty will remain firmly on the international agenda. Some countries, notably China and India which could harness the opportunities of globalization, are well on track to reach the goals. At the same time, many countries, especially those with the lowest levels of development, are far from realizing any of the MDGs. This macro picture, however, clouds the successes of individual projects in specific areas or sectors which have tangibly improved the living standards of the poor along various dimensions. Systematically identifying and learning from such projects provides an extraordinary opportunity to improve the design of development interventions and to lift many more people out of poverty.
