Matt Flannery, cofounder of the microfinance website Kiva.org, discusses microfinance and its ramifications for economic development and poverty reduction.

The former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly argues that despite Hugo Chavez's pledge to fight poverty, the Venezuelan president's economic policies have hurt the poor most of all.

In this op-ed article, Gerson says that Republicans need to show the same capacity to speak to the largest economic challenge of our moment -- the recovery of economic mobility.

While spiraling economic growth in India and China has lifted millions out of poverty, it has also fueled inequalities within their societies.

New studies show the war on drugs is being lost in Afghanistan, and some policy experts think licensing the country for morphine production would help.

A split in Zimbabwe’s ruling party could be a harbinger of change for a country in economic free fall.

Jordan Kassalow, former CFR fellow for global health policy, says the problem of untreated impaired vision in the developing world is “huge,” and if this simple probem cannot be addressed, it does not bode well for more complex health issues such as HIV/AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing the largest urban growth in the world, but most development efforts continue to target rural communities.

Listen to Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of the Grameen Bank and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, discuss the role of microcredit in fighting poverty.

Watch Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of the Grameen Bank and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, discuss the role of microcredit in fighting poverty.

Niger's long-running cycle of drought threatens to cause a new round of food shortages affecting millions, world relief agencies warn. International agencies, donor states, and NGOs are debating a way to break a different cycle: treating poor African states as short-term crises rather than funding longer-term solutions.

This report from the East-West Center focuses on efforts to develop India’s poorest rural areas as the overall economy picks up speed. It concludes that success in rural development efforts in India is vital to maintaining support for economic reforms and sustaining the nation's growth.

A report from Oxfam arguing that hunger in Africa is not inevitable. The report says that the world’s emergency response requires an overhaul so that it delivers prompt, equitable, and effective assistance to people suffering from lack of food. Oxfam also argues that governments need to tackle the root causes of hunger, which include poverty, agricultural mismanagement, conflict, unfair trade rules, and the unprecedented problems of HIV/AIDS and climate change.