New initiative expands DRI's global research capacity on development challenges in an era of strategic competition
NEW YORK – September 24, 2025 – New York University’s Development Research Institute
(DRI) today announced the launch of the Wahba Initiative for Strategic Competition (WISC), an
innovative research program made possible by a $1.5 million philanthropic commitment from
Sadek Wahba. Wahba, who serves as a DRI Senior Fellow, will chair the Global Advisory Council.
Wahba earned his doctorate in economics from Harvard University, and is currently Managing
Partner of I Squared Capital.
Amid evolving geopolitical realities and shifting development priorities, the initiative positions
DRI as a global hub for examining how development, infrastructure, technology, and
governance intersects in an increasingly competitive international landscape.
The Wahba Initiative will be led by Mark Kennedy as Director, who brings extensive experience
in public service, education leadership, and strategic competition research from his previous
role directing the precursor, the Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition at the Wilson Center
and his years in public service and higher education. Kennedy will work closely with DRI Co-
Directors Professors Rajeev Dehejia, Jonathan Morduch, and Yaw Nyarko to integrate the
initiative’s work across DRI’s research portfolio and NYU.
“This partnership represents a natural evolution of DRI’s mission to understand the barriers to
sustainable development,” said Dehejia. “In today’s world, development challenges cannot be
separated from questions of strategic competition, infrastructure resilience, and global
governance systems.”
“By launching this initiative within DRI,” said Sadek Wahba, “we’re creating a platform for
rigorous research that will inform leaders, guide investment, and help ensure that
infrastructure, technology, and governance work together to expand opportunity rather than
restrict it.”
“This initiative brings together DRI’s deep expertise in economic development with a clear-eyed
understanding of the strategic environment shaping our future,” said Mark Kennedy. “By
connecting scholarship to strategy, and research to real-world action, we aim to help decision-
makers navigate complexity and build systems that are both resilient and open.”
The initiative will focus on seven interconnected research pillars: Development That Delivers
Opportunity; Infrastructure That Binds and Builds; Resilience and Reach; Digital
Democratization; Modernizing Alliances for Mutual Advantage; Financial Access in a Growing
World; and Evidence-Based Practice in Development Policy.
Global Research Network
The Wahba Initiative will leverage NYU’s global academic network, hosting roundtable
discussions and public events at NYU campuses in Washington DC, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Paris,
and Accra, as well as partner locations worldwide. The initiative will also establish a Global
Advisory Council chaired by Wahba and host a network of Global Fellows and Senior
Counselors, including former U.S. Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, former World
Bank President Robert Zoellick, and former White House Chief of Staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty.
Flagship Programming
DRI will launch the Wahba Initiative with a roundtable on development finance and a public
forum in Geneva on digital trade and technology standards. Ongoing programming will include
Mark Kennedy’s weekly Frontiers of Freedom blog, quarterly 360° View publications featuring
Global Fellows and NYU faculty, and regular research contributions from the Global Fellows
network. The initiative’s signature event in 2026 will be hosted through DRI’s 2026 Annual
Conference, themed “Strategic Competition for Shared Prosperity: Building Digital
Infrastructure That Empowers, Not Controls.”
About NYU Development Research Institute
For almost 20 years, the Development Research Institute (DRI) at NYU has been devoted to
rigorous scholarly research on economic development and growth. Founded by William
Easterly, emeritus director, and Yaw Nyarko, it is now co-led by Nyarko, Rajeev Dehejia, and
Jonathan Morduch. DRI seeks to expand the number and diversity of serious commentators on
development challenges while having a positive impact on the lives of those who deserve the
benefit of high-quality economic research applied to problems of global development.
Media Contact: Robert Polner, NYU Office of Public Affairs, +1.646.522.3046