As many people surely saw, a draft of the Presidential Study Directive on Development was leaked last Tuesday on the Cable blog. While not the final version, the draft outlines a new approach that elevates development as “a central pillar to our national security, equal to diplomacy and development.” The draft calls for a “deliberate development policy” focused on economic growth, democratic governance, and sustainable systems for meeting human needs; a new “business model” to allow the United States to better leverage resources and leadership; and a “modern architecture” that elevates development in U.S. foreign policy and harnesses government-wise development expertise. Key additional features of the draft (echoing many of the recommendations in our Report on Reports) include:

• Creating and reviewing a National Strategy for Global Development every four years
• Returning policy, budget, and field authority to USAID
• Inviting the USAID Administrator to relevant NSC meetings
• Convening a standing Development Policy Committee at the NSC to coordinate development policy across the Executive Branch
• Helping recipient countries assume ownership, responsibility, and accountability on development
• Bolstering measurement and accountability of U.S. foreign assistance investments and demanding more of both from implementers and recipients
• Forging strong partnerships between the Legislative and Executive Branches