In this episode, Dan Banik speaks with Jorge Heine, a seasoned diplomat, former Minister of State, and Chile’s ambassador to China, India, and South Africa — three pivotal countries at the center of today’s shifting world order. Drawing on his extensive diplomatic experience, Heine discusses the growing influence of the Global South and the resurgence of active non-alignment as nations navigate an era defined by U.S.–China rivalry. Together they explore how countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America are redefining their foreign policies—resisting pressure to choose sides while advancing their own development agendas. Heine, who is also the co-author (with Carlos Fortin and Carlos Ominami) of the timely new book The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition, argues that this movement signals a more confident and connected Global South, reshaping global governance, development finance, and the balance of power in the twenty-first century.Resources:The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition (Polity, 2025)Jorge Heine, Global Development Policy Center, Boston UniversityJorge Heine on X and LInkedIn
Host:Dan Banik LinkedInX: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod Subscribe:Apple Spotify YouTubehttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
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Who gains from AI? Human development in a divided world – Pedro Conceição
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 ReportsPedro Conceição on LinkedIn and X
Host:Dan Banik LinkedInX: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod Subscribe:Apple Spotify YouTubehttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
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Africa’s pulse: Listening to citizens in an age of uncertainty – Joseph Asunka
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 democracyAfrobarometer websiteJoseph Asunka on LinkedIn and X
Host:Dan Banik LinkedInX: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod Subscribe:Apple Spotify YouTubehttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
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Bangladesh: How a ‘basket case’ became a development pioneer – Naomi Hossain
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 1974The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh’s Unexpected Success (OUP 2017)Reflections on Bangladesh at 50Naomi Hossain on LinkedIn and X
Host:Dan Banik LinkedInX: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod Subscribe:Apple Spotify YouTubehttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
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How to Save the United Nations from Financial Meltdown — Ronny Patz
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.Resources:The UN80 InitiativeUN faces deepening financial crisis, urges members to pay upManaging Money and Discord in the UN: Budgeting and Bureaucracy (OUP 2019)Ronny Patz on LinkedInVisit ronny-patz.de
Host:Dan Banik LinkedInX: @danbanik @GlobalDevPod Subscribe:Apple Spotify YouTubehttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
Step into conversations that travel across continents and challenge the way you think about progress. From democracy and inequality to climate resilience and healthcare, Dan Banik explores how societies navigate the complex terrain of democracy, poverty, inequality, and sustainability. Through dialogues with scholars, leaders, and innovators, In Pursuit of Development uncovers how ideas travel, why policies succeed or fail, and what it takes to build a more just and resilient world. Expect sharp insights, candid reflections, and a global perspective that connects local struggles to universal aspirations.
Listen, reflect, and be inspired to see global development in a new light. 🎧
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