The G20 has served its purpose and should be replaced with a Global Economic Council on a firmer constitutional foundation

Robert Wade and Jakob Vestergaard argue that by permanently excluding 172 countries, the G20 deprives the large majority of nations of voice on matters that may crucially affect them. They believe it should be replaced by a Global Economic Council (GEC) based on a delegated voting system, and here they provide details of what this might look like

Get profit share to support a more equal income distribution – Robert Wade

In Robert Wade’s latest letter to the Financial Times (published 20 August), he argues for broader capital ownership to curb inequality – a move he believes could appeal to the whole UK political spectrum

Robert Wade takes umbrage at defence of corporate managers and short-termism in the Financial Times

Robert Wade submitted the following letter to the Financial Times in response to an article titled ‘Shortsighted complaints about short-term capitalism’ by Sebastian Mallaby, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Disappointed to be overlooked in favour of an acquiescent response by Danny Leipziger, Professor Wade is glad to share it here on the International Development blog

‘Scale-ups’ are the true engines of growth – Professor Robert Wade

An interesting read from last Tuesday’s Financial Times (12 April). Professor of Political Economy and Development Robert Wade replies to Philip Stephens’ article on free trade entitled “US politics is closing the door on free trade” where he argues “Without America, momentum will be lost. The danger will be of a slide into outright protectionism”

Living where you don’t make the rules: Development in Palestine – one of the world’s last colonies

This personal reflection on the economic occupation of the West Bank was originally written by Robert Wade in December 2013. An abridged version later appeared as ‘Organised Hypocrisy on a Monumental Scale’ in the London Review of Books

Neoliberalism and industrial policy in Georgia – Professor Robert Wade

In April Professor Robert Wade visited Tbilisi in Georgia. While there he attended a conference on Industrial Development Strategy. In this post he explains how this has impacted Georgia in the last 25 years since the break up of the Soviet Union

How to make ‘Street Level’ Bureaucracies Work Better: India and Korea

Summary The ‘new economics of organization’, with its picture of bureaucracies as aggregates of dyadic contracts between ‘principals’ and ‘agents’, finds it difficult to explain why departments of police, education, health, agricultural extension or irrigation — ‘street level bureaucracies’ for short — do any work at all. A comparison between Indian and Korean ways of organizing the operation and maintenance of canals shows how the Korean structure generates more commitment and co?operation on the part of the staff, partly by using devices that are distinctly un?Weberian. The comparison suggests options to be considered in any discussion of Indian reform, and also highlights some conceptual weaknesses of the new economics of organization. Résumé Comment rendre meilleure l'operation des bureaucraties au niveau de la rue: l'Inde et la Corée La nouvelle économie de l'organisation et sa représentation des bureaucraties comme étant l'agrégation de contrats dyactiques liant les commettants et les agents, trouve du mal à expliquer pourquoi les départements de la police, de l'éducation, de la santé, de l'extension agricole ou de l'irrigation — les bureaucraties niveau rue, pour ainsi dire — s'efforcent de faire quoi que ce soit. Une comparaison entre les façons de faire les choses en Inde et dans la Corée au niveau de l'opération et de l'entretien des canaux démontre par quel moyen la structure coréenne génère plus d'engagement et de coopération parmi le personnel, en partie par l'exploitation d'outils qui sont clairement non?Weberiens. La comparaison met en lumière des options auxquelles il y aurait lieu de réfléchir dans toute discussion de la réforme en Inde, et souligne aussi certaines faiblesses conceptuelles de la nouvelle économie de l'organisation. Resumen Cómo hacer funcionar mejor a las burocracias a nivel de calle: India y Corea La ‘nueva’ economía de le organización' con su imagen de las burocracias como simples agregados a los contratos entre ‘principales’ y ‘agentes’, encuentra muy difícil justificar la función de departamentos como policía, educación, salud, extensión agricultural o irrigación — burocracias a nivel de calle?. Una comparación entre la forma de organizar la operación y mantenimiento de canales en India y Corea demuestra que la estructura coreana genera más compromiso y cooperación de parte del personal, usando recursos obviamente anti?Weberianos. La comparación sugiere opciones a ser consideradas en cualquier discusión sobre reformas en la India, y también destaca algunas debilidades conceptuales de la nueva economía de la organización