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Lund Critical Debate

Noted experts in international affairs meet on Cornell’s campus for the Einaudi Center’s annual Lund Critical Debate. These debates on pressing issues in world news and policy are moderated by Einaudi Center faculty.


Hands shucking corn in Africa

October 22: Is (Cutting) International Aid Good?

We're bringing together policy and practice experts for an unfiltered look at the future of international aid. This year's Lund debate explores the impact of aid on communities, what makes international aid effective—and how to move forward.

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  • Chris Barrett, agricultural economics and food policy expert

Barrett is the Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Professor of Applied Economics and Management in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and a professor in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy.

  • Muna Ndulo, international law and governance expert

Ndulo is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International and Comparative Law at Cornell Law School.

Paul Kaiser

Moderator: Paul Kaiser

Meet Einaudi's Practitioner in Residence

Paul Kaiser is in residence in fall 2025, with a focus on the Einaudi Center's 202526 theme: Is (Cutting) International Aid Good? He will moderate the Lund debate and engage with this year's Undergraduate Global Scholars

Read Paul Kaiser's bio


Past Lund Debates

2024: Getting to Climate Justice

This hybrid event explored how citizens and policymakers worldwide can act to increase justice in our shared climate crisis.

Lund debate 2024 climate justice, Emma Ractliffe holding mic
Lund debate 2024 hybrid, two speakers with third speaker on screen
Lund debate 2024 climate justice, Kate Aronoff speaking
  • Kate Aronoff: climate journalist, The New Republic
  • Joshua Busby: security expert, University of Texas at Austin

Cornell Chronicle: Lund Panelists Chart Different Paths to Climate Justice; YouTube: Watch the Video


2023: Democracy and Its Opposites

  • Thomas E. Garrett, Community of Democracies
  • Damon Wilson, National Endowment for Democracy

Cornell Chronicle: Lund Debate to Bring Democracy Experts into Conversation; YouTube: Watch the Video


2022: Migration in the Age of Pandemics

  • Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, World Health Organization Deputy Director-General
  • Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair

Cornell Chronicle: Lund Debate Examines Migrations, Global Public Health, YouTube: Watch the Video


2020: The Police and the Public

  • Luís Carrilho, United Nations Police Adviser
  • Christian Davenport, University of Michigan 

Cornell Chronicle: Lund Critical Debate to Address Global Policing, Social Justice, YouTube: Watch the Video


2019: U.S.-Mexico Relations Under Trump

  • Sandra Fuentes-Berain, Mexican Ambassador Emeritus
  • Roberta Jacobson, Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico

Cornell Chronicle: Ambassadors to Address Border Policy, Cornell Daily Sun: Status Quo or Radical Change?