Episodes
In this episode of Building the Future, Romina Bandura is joined by Chris Burns, Chief Digital Development Officer for USAID and the Director of the Technology Division, to discuss USAID’s work on digital development and dive deeper into USAID’s 10-year Digital Strategy for 2024-2034.
Published 09/09/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Guest Host Romina Bandura, Senior Fellow at the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development, is joined by Jamie Zimmerman, the Deputy Director of Digital Connectivity at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to discuss opportunities and challenges related to the gender divide in digital services in low- and middle-income countries, and the role various institutions can play in accelerating efforts to bridge this gap.
Published 06/12/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Guest Host Romina Bandura, Senior Fellow at the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development, is joined by Shatakratu Sahu, a research analyst and convener of the Global Technology Summit at Carnegie India, to discuss the role of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the Indian context, and what Sahu sees as the opportunities and challenges that DPI brings to the world.
Published 05/30/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Jacob Heilbrunn from The National Interest to discuss his new book, America Last: The Right's Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators, and talk about the implications for American politics today.
Published 04/19/24
In this episode of Building the Future, guest host Noam Unger is joined by Sarah Bermeo and Kerilyn Schewel, co-directors of the Duke Program on Climate-Related Migration, as they draw on their research in Central America and Ethiopia to discuss the effect of climate on migration, forecast models, adaptation funding, and aid allocation.
Published 04/03/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Judge Mark Wolf, Chair of Integrity Initiatives International, to discuss his judicial career and his advocacy for the creation of the International Anti-Corruption Court.
Published 03/25/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Dan Negrea and Matthew Kroenig from the Atlantic Council to discuss their new book, We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War.
Published 03/07/24
In this episode of Building the Future, guest host Caitlin Welsh is joined by PepsiCo's Chief Medical Officer and R&D Senior Vice President of Life Sciences, Dr. Antonio Tataranni, and PepsiCo's R&D Vice President of Life Sciences, Dr. Marianne O'Shea, to discuss the impact of PepsiCo's malnutrition intervention programs, Quaker Qrece and Quaker Bowl of Growth, and its commitment to advancing global nutritional security.
Published 02/21/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Dr. Louise Fox and Dr. Michael Nicholson to discuss their recently published report, Are private equity investments financing the SDGs in sub-Saharan Africa? and how African countries can attract more of these investments.
Published 02/07/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by former U. S. Ambassador Luigi Einaudi, author of Learning Diplomacy: An Oral History, to discuss his book and reflect on his diplomatic career in Latin America. He shares his experiences at the State Department, the Organization of American States (OAS), and as Special Envoy, where he played a crucial role in ending the war between Ecuador and Peru in the 1990s.
Published 01/24/24
In this episode of Building the Future, guest host Romina Bandura is joined by Managing Director of the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), Priya Vora, to discuss the role of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in global development and the ways in which the United States can help promote standards of interoperability, financial inclusion, public trust, and good governance both at home and abroad.
Published 01/10/24
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by President and CEO of TechnoServe, William Warshauer, to discuss why Warshauer sees the institutionalization of long-term metrics as critical to the future of international development and ending poverty.
Published 12/14/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by CSIS’s Director of Congressional Affairs, Elizabeth Hoffman, to discuss their takeaways from the recent Congressional staff delegation they led to Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova, and the importance of decision-makers to witness the impact of Congressionally appropriated aid to the war effort. 
Published 11/29/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Brigham Young University Professors Shad Morris and Chad Carlos to discuss their recently published study, The Impact of Growth Mindset on Entrepreneurial Action Among Necessity Entrepreneurs, and its implications for future development work. 
Published 11/15/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Dan Negrea and Joseph Lemoine of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center to discuss their publication, Prosperity that Lasts: The 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes and its implications for researchers and policymakers alike. 
Published 11/01/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Veronika Shime to delve into why critical minerals are so important to U.S. national security and what steps policymakers should consider to protect and promote the domestic mining and processing industries. 
Published 10/24/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of Russia’s parliament – the State Duma, to discuss his book Does Putin Have to Die? as well as his efforts to lay the foundations for a democratic future in Russia.
Published 10/04/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Aaron S. Williams, a distinguished career diplomat and former director of the Peace Corps, to discuss his book A Life Unimagined as well as the traits necessary for good leadership. 
Published 09/21/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Jessica Stone of Voice of America to discuss how her experience growing up in the American South and reporting in Afghanistan and China have led her to identify "cross-cultural" dialogues as a critical component for the future of our increasingly interconnected world.
Published 09/07/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Nancy Eslick of USAID who shares insights into the ways in which water strategy underpins issues such as climate resilience and international security, the need for financing and investment in water strategy, and the measures the U.S. government has taken to support global water security initiatives. 
Published 08/24/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Tim Strong and Mark Castellino of Opportunity International who share insights into agricultural financing in the developing world.
Published 08/10/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen, the Sustainability Senior Manager of Global Water Stewardship at PepsiCo, who shares insights about the importance of global water security and the role played by public-private partnerships. 
Published 07/26/23
In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Bob Berg, the Chair of Trustees for the UK non-profit Plan for Peace, who shares insights into the importance of peacebuilding, the challenges to peacekeeping, and some of the current shortcomings on the international stage, particularly in the developing world.
Published 07/13/23