William Easterly on economic development (New York University)

William Easterly is a Professor of Economics at New York University who makes a lot of his work available online.

His work stresses the need for accountability in development work and education and the importance of "searchers" (actual people on the ground trying solutions out) versus "Planners" (intellectuals who are too far removed from the problems of development in organisations like the UN or in prestigious universities.

Development ideas will never work if they are not based on working with people on the ground in the developing world, but at the same time people working at the grassroots level have to be held accountable for projects that succeed and reach their goals. Modest goals that can be monitored are essential.

"Easterly's areas of expertise are the determinants of long-run economic growth and the effectiveness of foreign aid. He has worked in most areas of the developing world, most heavily in Africa, Latin America, and Russia." Also see Wikipedia.