The prospects for a majority of people in the developing world have radically altered over the last 25 years. Never before has so much changed for so many. Average income doubled and female illiteracy declined by 50 percent. Six billion people gained access to cellphones and the percent of people living in extreme poverty dropped below 10 percent for the first time in recorded history.
As I leave an amazing five and a half years at USAID, I’ve had a chance to reflect on what our community has accomplished together, and the greatest challenges that still stand in the way of our aspirations. My biggest conclusion, from the meta-picture of development experience, is that what separates countries that are succeeding from those that are failing is capable, inclusive and accountable governance. When a political system supports the aspiration and perspiration of its people and is accountable to them, transformational development is possible, anywhere.
But in places where the many suffer for the power and avarice of the few, where personalities transcend institutions and the rule of law — the result is usually the opposite.
About the author
Alex Thier Thieristan
Alex Thier is a senior democracy fellow at Freedom House and a senior adviser at Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was a senior official in the Obama administration and executive director of the Overseas Development Institute in London.
