Ideas to Action:

Independent research for global prosperity

Views from the Center






Image of a lock on a circuit board

Data Protection: Consent is Dead (Long Live Privacy)

There is a growing recognition around the world that consent to share personal data no longer works as a mechanism to protect that data. Placing the burden on providers—and not individuals—to protect data privacy gives developing countries the opportunity to leapfrog to a future-ready data protection environment by shifting the paradigm for data protection in a way that both reflects the technological realities of the 21st century and considers the needs of its poorest citizens.




An image showing solar panels and a city skyline in the background.

What Are the Development Outcomes of Development Finance?

What impact do development finance institutions (DFIs) like the IFC have on actual development? Today, George Yang and I release a paper that tries to take a sectoral approach to impact: does an IFC electricity investment lead to more power production per capita in a country, or financing provided to local banks lead to a larger proportion of people with a bank account?


