We should seek local solutions to our global problems

It is often tempting to pin the blame for our ills on a lack of global co-operation. And while greater international co-operation on aid, trade rules and climate commitments is clearly desirable, we should also recognise that much of what we need to do for the climate, the middle class and the global poor can be done at the national level and below, with policymakers acting for the benefit of their own immediate constituencies.