CGD works to reduce global poverty and inequality through rigorous research and active engagement with the policy community to make the world a more prosperous, just, and safe place for us all. Ahead of its 10th anniversary, CGD asked Redstone to assist in a strategic review.
With funding from the Hewlett Foundation, Redstone helped CGD answer four key questions:
- How are we doing relative to our peers?
- How are we perceived and what could we do better?
- Should we become more global, and if so, how?
- How can we better connect our work to real-world impact?
The project revealed that CGD is one of the preeminent think tanks working on development, but still has room to improve. In particular, CGD could increase its impact by being slightly more formal in defining its intellectual structure and documenting how it pursues its goals within that framework. As a result, the Center intends to be clearer in conveying how it decides on its work programs and is experimenting with new tools (e.g., expected return estimates) to assess prospective initiatives and set metrics and targets for its work.
More detail on all the conclusions and the steps CGD is taking in response are the summary report.