Oxford Policy Management’s Post

✂️UK aid cuts & tough choices  With a shrinking aid budget, the UK government faces a huge challenge: How to do more with less, and make a real, lasting impact. We're seeing a shift towards immediate humanitarian aid, but is that the only answer? 🤔 What about investing in longer-term solutions? … like a deep dive into a country, looking at the root causes of problems, not just the symptoms. Like preventative medicine for development. 🩺 Why is such an approach important? ➡️Context Matters: No one-size-fits-all solution works. We need to understand the unique challenges each country faces. ➡️Understanding Change: It's about figuring out what drives (or blocks) progress. ➡️Long-Term Impact: By addressing root causes, we can build resilience and reduce the need for constant crisis response.  Yes, it's a long-term game. Yes, it requires some investment, but in his insightful new blog, our Principal Economist, Umar Salam, makes the case for development diagnostics as a cost-effective and ultimately, hugely impactful approach to development. Drawing on the example of Bangladesh, where poverty reduction and social change appears to go hand-in-hand with inequality and exclusion, Umar highlights how, in a world of increasing vulnerability to shocks, diagnostics can pave the way to a more stable, resilient future. What do you think? Can aid be done differently? What are the best long-term solutions? Let's discuss! 👇