In October 2024, we shared our plans to launch a new program in partnership with the Livelihood Impact Fund to help stimulate economic growth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with at least $40 million in funding over the first three years.
After an extremely competitive hiring round, we’re excited to announce that we’ve hired Justin Sandefur to lead the program.
About Justin
Before joining Open Phil, Justin was with the Center for Global Development (CGD) for over 15 years. In addition to his work as a Senior Fellow, Justin served as Research Manager and Director of CGD’s education program. His own research focused on the economics of education and health.
We have long admired Justin’s work at CGD, and his research helped inform the decision to launch this program. We believe he exemplifies the balance of curiosity, pragmatism, and rigor that will help the program succeed. You can learn more about Justin’s work from his writing on CGD’s blog, as well as CGD’s joint seminar with Open Phil on cause prioritization.
Prior to joining CGD, Justin was a Resident Adviser to the Tanzanian government and a Research Officer at Oxford’s Centre for the Study of African Economies. He also taught as a Visiting Professor at Peking University’s National School of Development and Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and served as a consultant for the World Bank and various United Nations agencies. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Oxford University.
Here is what Justin says on joining Open Philanthropy::
For a couple decades starting around 1990, economic growth in the developing world outpaced the rich world. That brief window of economic convergence lifted billions out of poverty — but in recent years progress has stalled. With the global trading system in disarray, foreign aid budgets being slashed, and automation chipping away at traditional manufacturing jobs, what can today’s developing countries do to get back on that path of growth and convergence? What can the rich world do to help them?
These are almost comically big questions for philanthropy to tackle. But I’ve long admired Open Phil’s combination of analytical rigor and sometimes quixotic ambition. I hope this program will embody some of both, and I’m excited to join the effort.
What Justin might work on
Justin will have wide latitude to lead and shape grantmaking in this area, and we expect the program strategy to evolve over time under his direction.
That said, some areas that are indicative of the kind of work the program could support include:
- Economic policy advice to national and subnational governments — especially when there is a window of opportunity for reform, or a strong match between a potential advisor and a government. This builds on our exploratory grantmaking in the area, which includes:
- Supporting state-level work in India on economic development, policy design, and policy implementation.
- Supporting advocacy in Sri Lanka to promote growth-oriented reforms.
- Advocacy for policy reform to help LMICs follow export-oriented growth paths, when economic conditions suit that approach.
- Complementary research and advocacy in OECD countries to promote market access for developing countries, through initiatives like the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or to promote sustainable development finance through initiatives to reform sovereign debt restructuring for LMICs.
This is an ambitious program with a broad scope, and we expect our strategy to evolve under Justin’s direction. The path won’t be straightforward, but we think we’re well positioned to find high-reward opportunities neglected by other funders. We’re delighted to have found a leader to help the program fulfill its potential.