Project on Prosperity and Development
An Introduction to PPD
The Project on Prosperity and Development (PPD) studies the coming challenges in international development, focusing on the rapidly shifting financial and economic landscape in low and middle-income countries.
In recent years, for the first time, private flows to the developing world have outpaced official development assistance (ODA) and other public financing mechanisms. Major international donors have, to date, provided a broad range of development assistance that support the provision of basic human needs in many developing countries. Shifting political winds and moves towards greater disengagement and protectionism, however, means that major donors – including the United States – are focused more on budget cuts than on catalytic efforts to promote improved governance and economic growth.
PPD seeks to identify international development policy and approaches that government, civil society, and private sector actors can utilize to foster broad-based, inclusive economic growth. PPD's work merges traditional development theory and practice with the innovative approaches of private actors, and influences the development debate and donor resource allocation through CSIS's unique convening power in Washington and around the world. The United States is a global leader in incorporating international development into its smart power agenda. PPD engages U.S. civil and military officials, the private sector, civil society, philanthropic actors, academia, faith-based groups, diaspora, and multilateral institutions in an effort to strengthen and maintain this leadership.
Areas of Focus
PPD seeks to influence private actors in the international community and shape executive and legislative policy on development. PPD currently works within several priority areas:
- Governance, rule of law, and domestic resource mobilization
- Private sector, economic, and rural development
- Development finance, trade, foreign investment, and the role of multilateral institutions
- Technology and innovation
- Root causes of instability, humanitarian assistance, and post-conflict recovery
