Rwanda is often celebrated as one of Africa’s most striking development success stories. But how durable is that success, and who has benefited from it? Dan Banik speaks with Pritish Behuria about Rwanda’s services-led growth model, powerful national brand, and the unresolved challenges of jobs, inequality, foreign dependence, and structural transformation.
May 20
46 min
African scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders, and practitioners are rethinking development amid aid cuts, geopolitical fragmentation, climate pressures, and the rise of AI. Drawing on recent conversations in Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Blantyre, and Mauritius, Dan Banik reflects on African agency, the limits of donor-driven development, and why the future must be shaped by those most affected by it.
May 13
24 min
Dan Banik speaks with Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett about state capture and development. Together, they explore how corruption moves beyond bribes to reshape institutions, weaken accountability, deepen inequality, and allow powerful political and business actors to rewrite the rules in their own favor.
Apr 29
43 min
Dan Banik speaks with Alanna O’Malley about the hidden history of the United Nations, showing how actors from the Global South helped shape global governance, decolonization, development, and the struggle for a more just international order. The conversation explores why the UN looks very different when viewed from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and why these debates matter so much in today’s crisis-ridden world.
Apr 22
47 min
Why does tuberculosis still kill more than a million people every year despite being preventable and curable? Dan Banik speaks with Madhukar Pai about TB, poverty, undernutrition, primary healthcare, decolonizing global health, and the enduring legacy of Paul Farmer.
Apr 15
51 min
How is global development cooperation changing in an age of aid cuts, geopolitical fragmentation, and shifting national priorities? In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Elina Scheja, Chief Economist at Sida, about the future of foreign aid, poverty reduction, jobs, evidence, and what effective development policy looks like in a more uncertain world.
Apr 8
39 min
Dan Banik speaks with Philip Schellekens, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at UNDP, about what Asia’s extraordinary rise can (and cannot) teach us about development today. They explore growth, inequality, jobs, aging, AI, and why the future of development depends on moving beyond crisis language toward a more inclusive and opportunity-focused vision.
Apr 1
43 min
Dan Banik speaks with Benjamin Bradlow about urban inequality, informal settlements, and why access to housing, sanitation, and transport remains so unequal in many of the world’s fastest-growing cities. The conversation explores how local politics, state capacity, and civil society shape whether cities become spaces of exclusion or inclusion.
Mar 25
46 min
Dan Banik speaks with Homi Kharas about the rise of the global middle class and why it has become central to the story of modern development. The conversation explores how middle-class growth is reshaping economies, politics, and aspirations around the world, and why its future will matter for inequality, sustainability, and global change.
Mar 18
45 min
Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare, education, and governance. Dan Banik and Francesco Marcelloni explore the risks and benefits, and why human judgment must remain central in the AI era.
Mar 11
46 min
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