Alan Gelb

Alan Gelb is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development. His current areas of work include biometric ID technology in developing countries, results-based aid, and the development challenges faced by countries rich in resources.

Alan Gelb is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development. His recent research includes aid and development outcomes, the transition from planned to market economies, development applications of biometric ID technology, and the special development challenges of resource-rich countries. Alan was previously the Director of Development Policy at the World Bank and the Chief Economist for the bank’s Africa region. He was also the Staff Director for the 1996 World Development Report “From Plan to Market”.

Posts by Alan Gelb

Delivering social assistance during COVID with a “digital-first” approach: Lessons from India

This blog discusses India’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic through PMGKY—a major social protection package. It dives into the program’s implementation in India, analyzes its performance, enlists the challenges, and offers lessons from India’s experience in implementing social security programs during such crises.

Social assistance and information in the initial phase of the pandemic: Lessons from a household survey in India

India’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic included several measures, including a nationwide lockdown, an information campaign, and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY)—a major social protection package. This paper explores the implementation of PMGKY based on a household survey conducted 4-6 weeks after its launch. The study also highlights the critical need to increase the spread of smartphones across the population.

Digital Governance: Is Krishna a Glimpse of the Future?

The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery of public services, programs and subsidies. Many of its innovations were piloted in Krishna District, which has been visited by development agencies and delegations from many countries.

Digital governance: Is Krishna a glimpse of the future?

Earlier this year we undertook a field study of Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh (AP), together with collaborators from Centre for Global Development, to understand the experience and perceptions around digital governance reforms.

Digital Governance in Developing Countries: Beneficiary Experience and Perceptions of System Reform in Rajasthan, India

The latest paper from Centre for Global Development on digital governance in developing countries provides a picture of the perceived impact of digitization reforms in Rajasthan.