The 6 big thinkers reshaping foreign aid, masculinity, and development

2 hours ago7 min read

The roots of the world’s most stubborn global health problems don’t yield to vibes-based solutions; they surrender to data, rigor, and the surprisingly radical idea of actually trying to figure out what works. Governments and nonprofit organizations depend on the economists, activists, policymakers, and writers who are reshaping how we understand poverty, health, and progress—they’re the ones making sure that every dollar saves the maximum number of lives, that foreign aid is steered by evidence instead of dogma.They’re also the ones who are open to trying something new, such as giving the simplest solutions—like a plate of beans or a clear-eyed approach to masculinity—the platform they deserve. Because when it comes to making the world better, good intentions are just the starting line.Take Dean Karlan, USAID’s first chief economist, whose life’s work revolved around efficiency. His job was to help the agency stretch its dollars more effectively, save more lives, and propel U.S. goals globally.He preached against waste, fraud, and abuse for longer than some of the DOGE bros have been alive. But when the Trump administration sicced its newly minted “Department of Government Efficiency” on the agency earlier this year, Karlan’s overtures to help went unanswered.As he watched Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio take a sledgehammer to relatively cheap, lifesaving initiatives like PEPFAR, as longstanding colleagues were sacked, and the agency denigrated as a “ball of worms” and a “criminal organization” that needs “to die,” Karlan did the only honorable thing left: He quit. Now, like thousands of other morally indignant ex-USAID employees, he can’t stop talking about what’s been left behind.While Karlan is the first to say the status quo wasn’t perfect, the Trump administration’s dismantling has been catastrophic for vulnerable people worldwide. Karlan, a professor at Northwestern University and founder of Innovations for Poverty Action, is now working on a bipartisan plan to restore American foreign aid the morning after the Trump era ends.He remains hopeful the U. S.can one day rebuild its global aid architecture—and when that time comes, he’ll be ready to talk efficiency with anyone who actually wants to listen. Then there’s Gary Barker, co-founder and CEO of Equimundo, a global research nonprofit working to shift norms, narratives, and policies around gender equality.Concerns around the modern “masculinity crisis”—a catch-all term for worsening mental health among boys and men—have reached a fever pitch in recent years, with male suicide rates rising, men working less, and boys falling behind in education. This crisis is driving many young men toward the far-right “manosphere,” where anachronistic attitudes about women, society, and gender roles are resurging.Barker has been working for decades to build a counter to this attitude through what he calls “positive masculinity. ” His vision replaces the regressive view of manhood—based on ruthless competition, aggression, and emotional detachment—with one rooted in vulnerability, kindness, and warmth.Equimundo’s MenCare+ program, for instance, reduced violence by men against their partners in Rwanda by over 40 percent in a randomized control trial. Similar trials using Program H, the organization’s initiative for young boys and girls, showed positive effects in other countries.Equimundo also operates the IMAGES survey, which since 2008 has interviewed 67,000 people in over 30 countries to understand attitudes about gender equality. Barker emphasizes the need to create space for young men to be curious, to ask questions, and to explore a healthier model of identity—a vision that’s not just theoretical but proven on the ground.Ken Opalo, a political scientist at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, speaks about African politics with affection, frustration, and an understanding of how hard it can be to make things work. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, and educated at Yale and Stanford, Opalo established himself with his 2019 book, *Legislative Development in Africa*, as a gentle challenger to easy clichés about the continent.His work reads like a diagnosis or even a love letter, tracing how governments have grown not just from colonial scaffolds but from the chaos, ingenuity, and persistence that followed independence. Institutions, he reminds us, aren’t dropped from the sky; they’re built brick by imperfect brick through struggle, compromise, and luck.These days, Opalo wrestles with “the growth question,” arguing that development isn’t about glossy summits or well-phrased aid campaigns but about building states that work, schools that teach, and tax systems that function. “Without growth,” he says, “everything else is noise.” Through his Substack newsletter, *An Africanist Perspective*, Opalo translates political economy into lived-in stories, refusing to romanticize but insisting that progress in the Global South will come from those who refuse to give up on the hard, unglamorous work of democracy. Pascaline Dupas, an economics professor at Princeton University, stands as one of the most prolific and accomplished economists dedicated to reducing global poverty.Her research has published novel, highly cited papers on how access to banking affects small business development in Kenya, the effects of separating students by achievement levels, and the power of distributing free bednets to prevent malaria. Her work has influenced British foreign aid, government policy in several African countries, the World Health Organization, large NGOs, and global health practitioners.As co-chair of J-PAL—a network of hundreds of researchers conducting randomized control trials to identify poverty-lifting interventions—Dupas has been directly recognized for her contributions, including being named the Best Young French Economist by *Le Monde* and receiving a Guggenheim fellowship. Her collaborative, evidence-based approach exemplifies how rigorous research can translate into tangible improvements in human well-being.Paul Newnham wants to make beans sexy—and if that sounds weird, consider that beans are the healthiest, most sustainable, and most affordable protein source on Earth. Their richness in vitamins, minerals, and fiber makes them an ideal solution to malnutrition in low-income countries and chronic diet-related diseases in wealthy ones.Yet beans suffer from a PR problem; they’re so cheap and foundational that they aren’t aspirational, often sidelined as countries grow richer and consume more meat. Newnham leads Beans Is How, a campaign founded at COP27 aiming to double global bean consumption by 2028.With over 120 partners globally, the initiative secures commitments to get more beans onto menus, from school meals to high-end restaurants. For example, partner AGRA has served high-iron beans to tens of thousands of schoolchildren in Kenya.Newnham’s work unifies siloed efforts into an overhaul of the bean’s reputation, repositioning it as a sophisticated, modern solution for both people and the planet. Oliver Kim, an Open Philanthropy research fellow, makes the best case for why development economics still matters through his Substack newsletter, *Global Developments*.He takes big, messy arguments about poverty, growth, and aid and rebuilds them from the data up. That means puncturing zombie “facts,” like in a viral post explaining why South Korea was *not* actually poorer than Kenya in 1960.It also involves re-examining foreign aid’s track record with fresh historical series and writing crisp explainers on concepts like exchange rates. Kim’s work is approachable without being glib, rigorous without disappearing into mathiness, and timely in focusing how to direct scarce dollars toward what actually improves lives.His blend of clarity and empiricism is a compass for steering through intense competition for aid dollars, offering a narrative that’s both insightful and actionable. Together, these thinkers embody a shift toward evidence, empathy, and innovation in global development—proving that progress isn’t about grand gestures but the meticulous, often unheralded work of those who refuse to settle for the status quo.

#humanitarian aid

#global development

#evidence-based policy

#foreign aid

#gender equality

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