The following is a summary of two opinion pieces addressing the global development agenda.

• Paul Callan and colleagues, Devex: “With about 750 days remaining until the Millennium Development Goals expire,” Callan, a global operating partner at Dalberg, and colleagues examine whether the MDGs can be considered successful. “Our analysis presents a mixed picture,” they state and discuss the “implications [of] the mixed effectiveness of the MDGs … for the ongoing debate on the post-2015 development agenda, and for foreign development assistance.” They write, “A better framework needs mechanisms to connect goals with decisions made and actions taken in capitals and communities around the world” (12/4).
• Erik Solheim, The Guardian’s “Poverty Matters Blog”: “There seems to be strong political will to do what is needed to end poverty once and for all. But what, concretely, do we need to do?” Solheim, chair of the OECD development assistance committee and former minister of the environment and international development in Norway, asks. “It is clearly not only a question of growth, although growth, of course, is essential,” he writes, adding, “There is more bang for every development buck when reducing poverty also improves health, environmental sustainability and gender equality.” He highlights cash transfer schemes, agricultural reforms, and microcredit programs as examples of effective strategies (12/5).