This paper argues that the G20 does have a role in framing an appropriate environment for growth (and development) in small, poor and vulnerable countries. While the multi-year action plan (MYAP) (initiated at the Seoul G20 Summit in 2010) is one manifestation of this role, the comparative advantage of the G20 (its focus on strong, sustainable and balanced growth) suggests a need to broaden its development work to explicitly cover the economic implications of G20 core actions in fiscal, financial, trade, exchange rate, and environmental policies for non-G20 countries. For example, the coordinated stimulus packages of 2008-9 helped developing country growth. This also suggests that accountability and compliance assessments of the G20 in the area of development need to include but go beyond the MYAP, to gain a better understanding of how the full range of G20 actions is being perceived in non-G20 countries.
