Is it Business as Usual? Why Private Partnerships continue to be a cornerstone of Global Development.

If you've studied global development, you probably didn't get too far into the curriculum before learning about how private partnerships in development have led to ruin more than once.  Oil companies, mining companies, water companies, chemical companies and others have all been called out on human rights abuses.  Yet, the private sector remains a major player in global development.  Gina Volynsky suggests that it is because the private sector has evolved into a broader ecosystem than in the past.  Now with more binding accountability for ecological and human impact, private sector partnerships continue to emerge in difficult circumstances, but with the ability to learn and improve?  Or is there a risk for repeated mistakes of the past? And what about the concept of the private sector in China's development model? Listen here, and you be the judge. Gina Volynsky is a senior director of private sector practice with PACT.  She has over 25 years of experience in international development, including 14 years of living and working in emerging economies. She has dedicated much of her career to collaborating with the private sector to address development challenges, which included heading a team working for USAID on private-sector engagement, and designing and managing multi-country programs for the UNDP that created the infrastructure to partner with multinationals. While at the World Bank she served as country manager for MIGA, which provides political risk insurance to companies that invest in emerging economies. She set up and managed business development divisions for Crown Agents and CARANA. She has also worked directly in the private sector, running her own import-export company, and served as director of marketing for a U.S.-based financial services company. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter:  @ProfessorHuish