A new high-level, independent commission will help inform policymakers about the linkages between economic growth, development, and poverty reduction around the world.
Funded by a partnership of the World Bank, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, the Commission on Growth and Development is comprised of leading policymakers from the developing world and international institutions. The Commission will be chaired by Nobel laureate Michael Spence, former Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Danny Leipziger, World Bank Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, will be the Commission’s Vice-Chair.
The Commission was established with the support of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz: “The members of this Commission are all distinguished practitioners who are committed to our shared goal of closing the income gap between rich and poor countries,” Wolfowitz said. “We hope the wealth of experience and the diversity of views represented will bring a fresh and practical perspective to our work on economic growth and reveal new tools for helping countries to achieve and sustain future growth.”
The goal of the Commission is to draw on the latest research and experience to analyze the drivers of, and impediments to, economic growth. The Commission is expected to shed light on the long-run forces underlying growth experiences, and highlight the policy options most likely to improve developing countries’ growth prospects and the well being of the poor. The Commission’s final report will be released by the end of 2007.
“The Hewlett Foundation is committed to finding ways to generate global development that helps the poor, and this distinguished independent commission brings to this task both academic knowledge and a wealth of policymaking experience in developing countries,” said Paul Brest, President of the Hewlett Foundation. “We are pleased to partner with the World Bank, and the Swedish, Dutch and UK governments to create strategies to help millions of people in developing countries rise out of poverty.”
More information about the Commission on Growth and Development, including a list of its members is available at: http://www.worldbank.org/prem/growthcommission/
About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1966 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of all the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found at http://www.hewlett.org/grants.