Ideas worth spreading

Investments in the future: A new approach to foreign aid

10,790 views | Paul O'Connell • TED@State Street London

Poor countries need support in order to advance, but there are limits to how much aid can be gifted. How can developed nations encourage long-term help on a grand scale? Financial economist Paul O'Connell proposes a radical approach: enlist private investors to take on the challenge of high-impact causes in developing countries, such as expanding vaccination access in Nigeria. The dividends will pay out on a global scale.

Poor countries need support in order to advance, but there are limits to how much aid can be gifted. How can developed nations encourage long-term help on a grand scale? Financial economist Paul O'Connell proposes a radical approach: enlist private investors to take on the challenge of high-impact causes in developing countries, such as expanding vaccination access in Nigeria. The dividends will pay out on a global scale.

About the speaker

Paul O'Connell

Radical economist

Paul O'Connell is president and partner of FDO Partners, LLC, an investment management and research firm currently managing US$2.3 billion. FDO is a joint venture partner with State Street Associates. A native of Ireland, O'Connell has a B.A. from Trinity College, Dublin, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. He’s also written and published many articles on global finance and capital allocation topics. And he serves as a director of the GAVI Campaign, which works to expand access to immunization, and chairs its Board.

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