The most serious problems that developing countries face are increasingly international in nature and call for cooperation at the regional or global levels, as well as action at the national level. Such cooperation is often mediated by international organisations and much of it is funded by aid. But global aid is shrinking in this era of austerity and international organisations face strong incentives to direct scarce resources to urgent national priorities. Moreover, international cooperation has had few wins in recent years and international organisations are increasingly facing crises of identity and relevance, with their missions, policies and governance arrangements coming under fire from many directions.

What would it take for international organisations to play a more effective role in dealing with global challenges important for development? Our three panelists addressed this question from complementary perspectives. Warren Evans talked about the financing and management reforms needed for the World Bank to play a more effective role in addressing climate change and providing other global goods. James Moody argued for more effective institutional arrangements to support innovation and the dissemination of knowledge for development. Patrick Weller presented findings emerging from his ongoing work on the governance of international organisations, illustrating how the informal dynamics of strategic decision-making both limit and create opportunities for reform. The panel was chaired by Robin Davies.

This forum was presented by the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University.