In Pursuit of Development

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Who gains from AI? Human development in a divided world | Pedro Conceição Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of In Pursuit of Development, Dan Banik speaks with Pedro Conceição, Director of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report Office, about the enduring power and renewed urgency of the human development idea.

The conversation begins with the origins of the Human Development Reports, tracing how Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen transformed a moral vision into a measurable framework that challenged conventional notions of progress. Pedro reflects on how this approach—anchored in expanding people’s choices and capabilities—remains vital in today’s polarized and uncertain world, where attention is often captured by crises rather than long-term human flourishing. Dan and Pedro discuss the latest Human Development Report, A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI, which examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping economies, societies, and the very notion of human agency. They explore both the promise and the peril of AI — how it can enhance learning, health, and livelihoods, but also deepen inequalities if access, bias, and control are left unchecked. The episode also touches on widening global inequalities, energy poverty in Africa, and the foundational investments (in electricity, connectivity, and education) required to ensure that AI serves as a tool for empowerment rather than exclusion.

Resources:

UNDP Human Development Reports
Pedro Conceição on LinkedIn and X

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Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Africa’s pulse: Listening to citizens in an age of uncertainty | Joseph Asunka Oct 25, 2025

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As global politics shifts and economic pressures mount, understanding what citizens actually think — not what outsiders assume they think — has never been more important. In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer, the pan-African, non-partisan research network that has become the world’s leading source of high-quality data on what Africans are thinking about democracy, governance, the economy, and society. The conversation explores the paradox of political engagement in a digital age — where young people are more likely to mobilize on social media or take to the streets than to join parties or vote. Dan and Joseph discuss the widening generational gap between citizens and leaders, the persistence of “big man” politics, and the crucial role of credible data in strengthening accountability and democratic resilience.

Resources:

African insights 2025: Citizen engagement, citizen power: Africans claim the promise of democracy
Afrobarometer website
Joseph Asunka on LinkedIn and X

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Bangladesh: How a ‘basket case’ became a development pioneer | Naomi Hossain Oct 22, 2025

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Bangladesh is often described as one of the great development success stories of recent decades. Poverty has fallen sharply, life expectancy has risen, and millions of women have entered the workforce. Today, however, that narrative sits uneasily beside new questions about data reliability, the cost-of-living crisis, and deepening inequality. What explains this paradox and what does Bangladesh’s experience reveal about how societies learn from crisis?

In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Naomi Hossain, Global Research Professor in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London. A political sociologist, Naomi’s work examines how people living with poverty and precarity secure the public services they need, and how states can be held to account. The conversation revisits the Bangladesh’s turbulent early years: the 1970 Bhola cyclone, the liberation war, and the devastating 1974 famine that killed over one and a half million people. Out of those traumas emerged a political and moral consensus that food security and disaster preparedness had to come first. From there, Bangladesh built a foundation for growth through innovation in health, education, and social protection, and through a society that proved remarkably adaptive and resilient.

Resources:

Theorising the politics of famine: Bangladesh in 1974
The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh’s Unexpected Success (OUP 2017)
Reflections on Bangladesh at 50
Naomi Hossain on LinkedIn and X

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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How to Save the United Nations from Financial Meltdown | Ronny Patz Oct 15, 2025

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The United Nations is facing its worst financial crisis in decades. Compared to its 2023 peak, total UN spending has fallen by almost one-third.
While some countries have withheld much of their funding, others are paying late. And still others have reduced or postponed contributions. Against this backdrop, Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the UN80 reform initiative, an effort to streamline operations and review mandates at a time when the organization is struggling to keep the lights on.

In this conversation, Dan Banik speaks with Dr. Ronny Patz, an independent UN financing analyst and author of Managing Money and Discord in the UN, about what lies behind the current liquidity crunch and why reforming the UN is so politically fraught. They explore how money, mandates, and majorities rarely align; why a considerable amount of UN funding now comes through earmarked projects; and how donor mistrust, fragmentation, and “cutback management” are reshaping the very foundations of global governance.

The discussion moves beyond budgets to ask a larger question: Can the United Nations still fulfill its universal mission in a post-aid world?

Listeners will come away with a sharper understanding of how bureaucratic politics, donor behaviour, and global power shifts are redefining the future of multilateralism.

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Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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From crisis to possibility | Dan Banik Oct 13, 2025

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In the first episode of In Pursuit of Development Season 6, host Dan Banik returns after an unexpected year-and-a-half hiatus following a serious health emergency. Dan examines how the world has entered a period of profound flux. The once-stable liberal international order is giving way to a more fragmented and contested multipolar reality. He explores how trade wars, weakening multilateral institutions, debt crises, environmental stress, and disruptive technologies are reshaping global politics and development. However, amidst this turbulence, he identifies a powerful countercurrent — the growing visibility and influence of the Global South. Dan unpacks how countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America are asserting new forms of leadership and cooperation — through the G20, BRICS, and South–South partnerships — and how this shift is transforming debates on trade, climate justice, technology, and governance. The episode also reflects on the challenges within the Global South itself, including internal inequalities, differing national interests, and the risk of reproducing old hierarchies in new ways.

Despite the uncertainty of this “interregnum” moment, Dan closes with a message of cautious optimism — a politics of hope grounded in evidence. He highlights global progress in health, education, poverty reduction, and renewable energy, emphasizing that crises often generate creativity and collaboration. The episode sets the stage for a new season of conversations with scholars, activists, and policymakers who will explore how the Global South’s choices — and the world’s response — will shape the future of global development.

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Empowering Bureaucrats for Better Government Performance — Dan Honig Jul 13, 2024

Show notes

Season finale! It is my great pleasure to welcome back a person I have very much enjoyed speaking with earlier— Dan Honig, an Associate Professor of Public Policy at University College London and Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy (@rambletastic). His latest book is Mission Driven Bureaucrats: Empowering People To Help Government Do Better. Mission-driven bureaucrats, according to Dan, are individuals who work within the bureaucracy with a genuine desire to serve their organization's mission of helping citizens. They perform their jobs out of a strong belief in their purpose, rather than being driven by a set of rules or incentives that compel them to act in specific ways. But what are the historical roots of the term "mission," and how can mission-driven bureaucrats thrive? The book argues that the key to better government lies in empowerment and trust, rather than stricter controls and more rigorous oversight.

Key highlights

Introduction – 00:24
Mission driven bureaucrats – 04:04
Managers like Ted Lasso – 18:21
Managing for empowerment versus managing for compliance – 25:12
Demotivated and unmotivated bureaucrats – 37:46
Characteristics of efficient bureaucracies around the world – 35:06
New public management and the centrality of citizens – 43:52

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Rising Powers and the New Global Order — Rohan Mukherjee Jul 06, 2024

Show notes

The liberal international order, characterized by rules-based multilateralism and values such as openness and representation, is often portrayed in terms of multiple crises. These crises, often analyzed from a Western perspective, include the reduced support of some Western powers towards certain multilateral institutions and the establishment of new ones by rising powers. However, these narratives often overlook the perspectives of low and middle-income countries, which is why in this episode, we shift our focus to understand how the Global South perceives and engages with this international order.

Rohan Mukherjee is an assistant professor at the Department of International Relations, at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His latest book is Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions. @rohan_mukh

Key highlights

Introduction – 00:24
Global governance viewed from the Global South – 02:54
Crisis of authority and new bargains – 09:57
Rising powers and the politics of status – 16:05
The quest for status and symbolic equality within the international system – 24:14
Institutional openness and procedural fairness – 35:06
Admitting rising powers into the great power club – 46:37

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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Great Power Competition and the Global South — Ilaria Carrozza Jun 29, 2024

Show notes

The ever-evolving world of global power dynamics is characterized by the complex relationships between large economies such as the United States and China and how these interactions are perceived and navigated by countries in the Global South. Understanding these dynamics requires a comprehensive view of how some countries, such as China, position themselves as a challenger to the existing world order and US hegemony through their economic, structural, and normative power. While many countries in the Global South are finding it challenging to navigate the complex terrain of great power competition, some are leveraging their unique positions to maximize benefits and assert their sovereignty. They engage strategically with multiple great powers, negotiating deals and leveraging relationships to their advantage, balancing economic needs, security concerns, and political aspirations.

Ilaria Carrozza is a senior researcher at the The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Her research focuses on understanding how China extends its influence abroad and challenges the existing world order. @ilaria_carrozza

Resources

Key highlights

Introduction – 00:24
Great power competition viewed from the Global South – 03:30
The Russia-China alliance and resurgence of the BRICS – 11:40
Global development and global security concerns – 18:50
Chinese versus Western alternatives – 37:42

Host:

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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