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What does it mean to defend hope in an age of crisis, anxiety, and political exhaustion? In this Season 6 finale of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik reflects on why hope is not the same as optimism, and why evidence-based hope may be one of the most important political resources of our time. Drawing on debates about global poverty, democracy, climate anxiety, development practice, and collective action, this solo reflection challenges the seductive power of despair. The episode argues that doom is not only emotionally draining, but politically disabling, because it can convince people that action no longer matters. Against both naïve optimism and fatalistic pessimism, Dan makes the case for a disciplined form of hope grounded in evidence, historical progress, institutional realism, and the everyday work of building better futures. The episode also explores why hope must be treated critically. Hope can inspire movements, sustain democratic struggle, and help communities imagine alternatives. But it can also be misused by those in power to postpone justice, ration expectations, or ask vulnerable people to endure indefinitely. The task, then, is not to abandon hope, but to make it accountable to evidence, delivery, and real improvements in people’s lives. From falling extreme poverty and declining child mortality to the limits of today’s development models, from Paulo Freire and Václav Havel to Arjun Appadurai, Rebecca Solnit, Amartya Sen, Hans Rosling, Hannah Ritchie, and Charles Kenny, this episode asks what kind of hope can survive contact with reality. It closes Season 6 with a plea to younger listeners in particular: resist the politics of despair, look carefully at what is working, and remember that the future remains open. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

As traditional aid budgets shrink and donor priorities shift, civil society organizations across Malawi are being forced to rethink how they work, survive, and serve communities. In this conversation, Dan Banik speaks with Tikhala Itaye, a human rights lawyer and public health specialist, and the Founder and Executive Director of HeR Liberty, a young women-led organization in Malawi working to advance health, education, and economic empowerment for young people, especially adolescent girls and young women. The episode explores the changing relationship between international NGOs, local civil society organizations, and the Malawian state. Tikhala reflects on the long-standing inequalities in the aid system, where local organizations often do much of the frontline work while receiving only a small share of available funding. She and Dan also discuss how civil society groups are responding to cuts by exploring social entrepreneurship, domestic resource mobilization, coalition-building, and new partnerships with government. The conversation highlights Malawi’s broader development challenges, including rising prices, political uncertainty, gender inequality, youth unemployment, and the urgent need for more accountable leadership. At the same time, Tikhala points to sources of hope: community resilience, local innovation, the strength of women’s rights movements, progress in health, and the growing determination among Malawians to design solutions from within. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Rwanda is often described as one of Africa’s most remarkable development success stories: a country that rebuilt itself after the 1994 genocide, delivered impressive improvements in health and education, reduced its dependence on coffee, attracted global attention, and turned Kigali into a symbol of order, ambition, and state effectiveness. But is Rwanda’s rise as durable as it appears? Dan Banik speaks with Pritish Behuria (Associate Professor in Politics, Governance and Development at the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute) about his new book The Political Economy of Rwanda’s Rise. Drawing on more than a decade of research, Behuria offers a nuanced account of Rwanda’s services-led development model — from tourism, finance, conferences, and nation branding to agriculture, mining, foreign investment, and the politics of structural transformation. The conversation explores why Rwanda has become such a powerful reference point for policymakers across Africa, but also why its model raises difficult questions about underemployment, inequality, domestic firms, foreign dependence, political control, and the limits of branding as a development strategy. Rather than treating Rwanda as either a miracle or a mirage, this episode asks what the country’s experience reveals about the future of development in Africa. And whether a small, landlocked country can build lasting prosperity through a services-first path in an increasingly competitive global economy. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

In this solo episode, Dan Banik reflects on a series of recent conversations across Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Blantyre, and Mauritius, where African scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders, NGO directors, administrators, and practitioners debated the future of development in a rapidly changing world. Against a backdrop of dramatic aid cuts, geopolitical fragmentation, climate pressures, and growing interest in artificial intelligence, the episode asks what African agency really means in practice. Rather than treating the current moment simply as a crisis, many participants described it as a wake-up call: an opportunity to rethink aid dependency, strengthen domestic institutions, mobilize local resources, and move beyond donor-driven agendas. The discussion explores several recurring themes: who defines development, whose knowledge counts, what makes a just energy transition genuinely just, why “homegrown solutions” can be both powerful and problematic, and how African countries can shape the use of AI without accepting new forms of technological dependency. From Malawi’s debates on aid and production to Ethiopia’s reflections on a changing international order, from South Africa’s energy transition to Mauritius’s AI ambitions, the episode highlights the urgency of moving from rhetoric to bargaining power. At its core, this is an episode about voice, power, and direction. The crossroads may indeed be the best road. But only if Africans choose the path, set the terms, and ensure that development delivers what citizens actually want: decent jobs, reliable electricity, functioning schools and clinics, and governments that are accountable to the people they serve. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Corruption is often imagined as a bribe paid to speed up a permit, avoid a fine, or gain access to a public service. But some of the most damaging forms of corruption operate at a much higher level, where powerful political and business actors reshape the rules of the game itself. This is the world of state capture: a process through which public institutions are bent away from the public interest and made to serve narrow networks of power, privilege, and private gain. Dan Banik speaks with Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett, Professor of Governance and Integrity and Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, about why state capture is one of the most serious threats to democracy, development, and public trust today. Drawing on cases from all around the world, they discuss how corruption can move from isolated transactions to systemic control over laws, public procurement, courts, banks, media, tax authorities, and accountability institutions. The conversation explores how state capture differs from petty corruption, why democracies are vulnerable to being hollowed out from within, and how powerful actors use strategically divisive narratives to consolidate support. Liz explains why captured systems reward loyalty over merit, connections over competence, and impunity over accountability — with severe consequences for economic growth, inequality, public services, and citizen confidence. Resources State Capture and Inequality State Capture and Development: A conceptual framework State capture: how democracy can be systematically corrupted Madagascar at a crossroads: breaking the cycle of state capture Does state capture facilitate strategic corruption? The political economy of open contracting reforms in low- and middle-income countries The GI ACE program (with policy-relevant evidence on what works in fighting corruption). Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Alanna O’Malley, Professor and Chair of Global Governance & Wealth and Head of Department of History at Erasmus University, about the hidden history of the United Nations and the decisive role of the Global South in shaping global governance. Drawing on her forthcoming book, Decolonising Global Order, The Invisible History of the United Nations and the Global South, she explains how actors from Africa, Asia, and Latin America helped transform debates on decolonisation, development, human rights, sovereignty, and economic justice — even as their contributions were often written out of mainstream histories. Dan and Alanna explore why the UN looks very different when viewed from the Global South, why the institution cannot be understood only through the lens of Security Council politics, and why international law and multilateralism still matter deeply to many countries despite growing frustration with double standards and inequality. This is a wide-ranging conversation on the United Nations, global development, the crisis of multilateralism, and the long struggle to build a more representative and just international order. Read a short article based on this episode at: https://globaldevpod.substack.com/   Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Why does tuberculosis remain one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases even though it is preventable and curable? In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Madhukar Pai of the Department of Global and Public Health at the McGill School of Population and Global Health about why TB continues to thrive in conditions of poverty, undernutrition, overcrowding, and weak primary healthcare. The conversation explores why the global burden of TB remains so heavily concentrated in a small number of countries, what makes early diagnosis and treatment so difficult in fragmented health systems, and why social protection may be just as important as medicine in reducing illness and death. Dan and Madhu also discuss the limits of donor-driven global health, the meaning of decolonizing global health, and the power asymmetries that still shape who sets priorities, who controls resources, and who bears the consequences when systems fail. The episode also includes a reflection on the enduring legacy of Paul Farmer — physician, anthropologist, Harvard professor, and co-founder of Partners In Health — whose moral clarity and insistence on dignity in care continue to inspire global health practitioners around the world. Topics covered: tuberculosis, TB, global health, poverty, undernutrition, social protection, India, primary healthcare, health systems, decolonizing global health, donor dependence, Paul Farmer, Partners In Health, development, public policy. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

What happens to development cooperation when aid budgets are cut, geopolitical tensions rise, and poverty reduction competes with a growing range of strategic priorities? In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Elina Scheja, Chief Economist at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), about the changing politics of foreign aid and the future of development in a far more fragmented world. The conversation explores why today’s turbulence cannot be explained by a single leader or decision alone, but must instead be understood in light of deeper structural shifts in global economic and political power. Dan and Elina discuss the implications of aid cuts in the United States and Europe, the growing emphasis on national interest and “enlightened self-interest,” and the difficult choices donor countries now face as support for Ukraine, climate priorities, regional security concerns, and poverty reduction compete for limited resources. They also examine a central question in global development today: Do we still need aid, and for whom? Elina argues that the answer is clearly yes, pointing to the hundreds of millions of people who remain trapped in extreme poverty and multidimensional deprivation. The discussion highlights why poverty cannot be understood through income measures alone, and why access to healthcare, education, decent work, voice, and security must remain central to any serious development agenda. Another major focus of the episode is evidence and learning in aid policy. Dan and Elina reflect on how development agencies such as Sida can make better use of research, impact evaluation, institutional memory, and artificial intelligence to improve decision-making. Rather than treating evaluation as something that happens only at the end of a project, they argue for a more iterative and adaptive approach — one that uses evidence throughout the entire chain of development cooperation, from country selection and sectoral priorities to implementation and course correction. The episode also turns to jobs, productive employment, and structural transformation. If citizens across the Global South are asking for opportunity rather than handouts, what should aid agencies do differently? Should they focus more on employment, infrastructure, and economic transformation? How can democracy, human rights, and job creation be understood not as competing priorities, but as deeply interconnected parts of inclusive development?   Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Asia is often described as the great success story of modern development, a region of rapid growth, falling poverty, rising middle classes, and extraordinary transformation. But how accurate is that narrative today? And what does Asia’s experience really tell us about the future of development in a world marked by inequality, insecurity, demographic change, and technological disruption? In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Philip Schellekens, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at UNDP. Prior to joining UNDP, Philip worked for more than two decades at the World Bank and the IMF, focusing on macroeconomics, governance, demography, and long-term structural change. Together, they explore both the promise and the contradictions of Asia’s development story. The conversation examines why economic growth remains essential, but also why growth alone is never enough. They discuss persistent inequality, informality, and job insecurity across the region, as well as the challenges created by aging populations, democratic backsliding, slowing globalization, and the uneven effects of AI and new technologies. The episode also asks a broader question that runs through this season of the show: how should we rethink development at a time when the global landscape feels more fragmented and more anxious, but still full of possibility? Drawing on examples from China, India, Bhutan, and the wider Asia-Pacific, Philip argues for a more holistic and future-oriented understanding of development, one that places governance, agency, decent work, and human well-being at the center. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Dan Banik speaks with Benjamin H. Bradlow, Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, about how cities can grow without leaving millions behind. At a moment when more than a billion people live in informal settlements or slum-like conditions, the conversation explores why access to housing, sanitation, transport, and other basic urban services remains so unequal across the world’s rapidly expanding cities. The discussion centers on Bradlow’s award-winning book, Urban Power: Democracy and Inequality in São Paulo and Johannesburg, which asks why some democratic cities are more effective than others at reducing urban inequality. Drawing on a comparison of São Paulo and Johannesburg, Bradlow explains how local state capacity, bureaucratic coordination, and the relationship between governments and civil society shape whether excluded communities gain access to the material foundations of urban life. Dan and Ben discuss informal settlements, affordability, infrastructure, and the role of housing movements in shaping urban governance. The episode offers a rich and accessible conversation on urban development, inequality, and the politics of inclusion, with lessons that extend far beyond the Global South. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Dan Banik speaks with Homi Kharas about one of the most important yet surprisingly underexplored forces in modern development: the rise of the global middle class. Drawing on Kharas’s book The Rise of the Global Middle Class: How the Search for the Good Life Can Change the World, the conversation traces how the middle class emerged as a powerful social and economic force, why its center of gravity is shifting toward Asia, and what that means for the future of development. Along the way, they reflect on how the middle class shapes demand, drives growth, influences politics, and changes what citizens expect from markets and the state. Homi Kharas is a senior fellow at Brookings and previously spent 26 years at the World Bank, including seven years as Chief Economist for East Asia and the Pacific and as Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, where he led the Bank’s work on economic policy, debt, trade, governance, and financial markets. The episode also examines the tensions at the heart of this transformation. As more people move into middle-class life, new questions emerge about inequality, insecurity, democracy, consumerism, and whether middle-class expansion can be sustained in a world under growing environmental pressure. From the anxieties facing Western middle-class societies to the optimism and aspiration associated with middle-class growth in Asia, this is a wide-ranging conversation about prosperity, possibility, and the changing social foundations of the global economy.   Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how societies function — from healthcare and education to governance, public debate, and the future of work. But as AI systems become more powerful and more deeply embedded in everyday life, they also raise important questions about misinformation, democratic accountability, and the role of human judgment. In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Francesco Marcelloni, Professor of Data Mining and Machine Learning at the University of Pisa and Academic Director of the Knowledge Hub on AI at the Circle U. European University Alliance. They explore how AI actually works, why the debate around the technology has become so polarized, and what it means for decision-making in governments, hospitals, universities, and businesses. The conversation examines both the risks and the opportunities of artificial intelligence, including its potential to improve medical diagnosis, support education, and help policymakers analyze vast amounts of data. Dan and Francesco also highlight why preserving human oversight, critical thinking, and democratic accountability will be crucial in the AI era. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

India-China relations are entering a new phase of cautious re-engagement after five years of deep tension following the 2020 Galwan clash. Leaders have resumed meetings, direct flights have restarted, and diplomatic channels are active again. However, beneath these gestures lie enduring structural fault lines: a widening power asymmetry, unresolved border disputes, shifting public opinion in India, and Beijing’s tendency to view New Delhi through the prism of US–China rivalry. Dan Banik speaks with Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme and a China Studies Fellow at the Takshashila Institution and author of Smokeless War: China’s Quest for Geopolitical Dominance. Together, they examine whether the current thaw represents meaningful stabilization or merely a fragile “cold peace.” The conversation explores how economic interdependence coexists with strategic mistrust, why India is pursuing de-risking rather than decoupling from China, and how domestic politics and public narratives shape policy choices in both countries. From a development perspective, the episode also asks whether policy lessons can travel across fundamentally different political systems. Can India draw operational insights from China’s infrastructure and governance successes without compromising democratic institutions? And is Beijing willing to accommodate India’s aspirations as an independent global power? Resources: Between Rivalry and Rapprochement: The Trials and Trajectory of India-China Relations (Kewalramani, 2026) Manoj Kewalramani's books and articles on China Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

In an era of intensifying great-power rivalry, shrinking foreign aid budgets, and declining faith in multilateralism, what role is left for global justice? In this wide-ranging conversation, the Yale philosopher Thomas Pogge joins Dan Banik in Oslo to examine whether morality still has a place in international politics or whether power has fully displaced principle. The episode explores the growing shift from soft power to hard power, the erosion of solidarity in global development, and the strategic competition between the United States, China, and Europe. Pogge reflects on why philosophers have become increasingly marginal in public life and argues that today’s global crises (from climate change to persistent poverty) cannot be solved by technocratic fixes alone. They require moral clarity, institutional imagination, and renewed commitment to shared values. The discussion also turns to the rise of the Global South and the need for stronger collective bargaining institutions, particularly within the African continent. Pogge outlines the Ecological Impact Fund — a bold new mechanism designed to reward green innovation based on real ecological impact in the Global South — and explains how rethinking intellectual property rules could accelerate climate and pollution solutions where they are needed most. Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/

In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik is joined by Dr. David McNair, Executive Director of ONE.org, for a conversation on the future of activism and global development in an age of overlapping crises. At a time when debt distress is rising, humanitarian funding is falling, and trust in multilateral institutions is under strain, what does effective advocacy look like?  Drawing on two decades of campaigning to reduce child mortality, unlock billions for climate and sustainable development, and reform elements of the global financial architecture, McNair reflects on what has worked in the past and why some of those strategies may no longer be sufficient. The discussion explores the politics of solidarity, the rise of agency in the Global South, the cost of capital facing African economies, and the growing calls to modernize global financial governance.  Host: Professor Dan Banik,  Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo Subscribe: Apple Spotify YouTube https://globaldevpod.substack.com/