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302. Hot and Hungry: How to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger
- Author:
- Anna Ratcliff
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Hunger is not and need never be inevitable. However climate change threatens to put back the fight to eradicate it by decades – and our global food system is woefully unprepared to cope with the challenge.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, and Food
303. Close the Gap: How to eliminate violence against women beyond 2015
- Author:
- Daniela Rosche
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- At least one in three women worldwide will experience some form of violence during their lifetime, often perpetrated by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a fundamental human rights issue and a central challenge to development, democracy and peace.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Civil Society, Democratization, Development, Gender Issues, and Human Rights
304. What Next for Mali? Four priorities for better governance in Mali
- Author:
- Nicolas Vercken and Surendrini Wijeyaratne
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The 2013 elections helped to restore constitutional order in Mali and marked the start of a period of hope for peace, stability and development. The challenge is now to respond to the Malian people's desire for improved governance.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Diplomacy, Gender Issues, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Africa
305. Afghanistan at a Crossroads: Recommendations for the UN Security Council on the 2014 UNAMA mandate
- Author:
- Steph Cousins and Liz Cameron
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- As Afghanistan prepares for Presidential elections and the withdrawal of international forces, insecurity is continuing to spread across the country with a devastating impact on civilians. UNAMA's role in advancing human rights, supporting humanitarian access and promoting peace and reconciliation efforts – particularly as they relate to the women, peace and security agenda in Afghanistan – must be strengthened in order to ensure the significant gains that have been made in the last decade are not lost.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Development, Government, and Insurgency
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
306. Flexible Implementation: A Key to Asia's Transformation
- Author:
- Luke Simon Jordan and Katerina Koinis
- Publication Date:
- 04-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Despite the region's economic growth over the last few decades, countries across Asia still face the complex challenge of structural transformation. Low-income economies must build formal industrial and service sectors from agricultural and informal bases; middle-income economies must move up the value chain; and high-income economies must continually generate new capabilities at the frontier of innovation.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Asia
307. Central Bank Independence in North Africa
- Author:
- Bessma Momani and Samantha St. Amand
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Securing CBI has become best practice in global governance. Both the political and economic literatures suggest that CBI facilitates price stability, promotes transparency to citizens and provides accountability toward the public good. CBI is also credited with protecting the economic and financial system from the trappings of regulatory capture. In addition, a number of scholars have argued that CBI is correlated with positive policy outcomes, including balanced long- term economic growth, stable financial markets and a reduced likelihood of publicly funded financial institution bailouts. Moreover, some have suggested that CBI is important for fostering a healthy liberal democracy. As global markets have become increasingly integrated and interdependent, securing CBI is also considered a domestic, regional and global public good.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Globalization, Monetary Policy, Governance, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Africa and North Africa
308. Regional concentration of FDI involves trade-offs in post-reform India
- Author:
- Peter Nunnenkamp, Wan-Hsin Liu, and Frank Bickenbach
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- P. Chidambaram, India's Minister of Finance, claimed that "FDI worked wonders in China and can do so in India." However, China's example may also point to the limitations of foreign direct investment (FDI) liberalization in promoting the host country's economic development. FDI in China is heavily concentrated in the coastal areas, and previous studies have suggested that this has contributed to the increasing disparity in regional income and growth since the late 1970s.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- China, South Asia, and India
309. Why Afghanistan's Provincial Council Elections Matter
- Author:
- Noah Coburn and Anna Larson
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Afghanistan's Provincial Councils (PCs) represent one of the best hopes for the future of local democracy in Afghanistan. Yet since their shaky formation in 2005, they continue to be overlooked by international actors preferring to interact with parliamentarians, ministers and appointed governors. The significance assigned by Afghans to winning PC seats has steadily increased over the last decade. Indeed, for many, the April 5 PC elections will do more than the presidential poll to determine whether democratic practices continue to take root in local politics. PC elections offer a chance to build local, personal ties and accountability mechanisms connecting to increasingly centralized government resources, and, in particular, an opportunity for a new generation of young, motivated Afghans to begin their political careers. As the locally-visible manifestation of the Afghan political system, PCs are the immediate face of democracy—or a lack thereof—for many Afghans. In 2009, with most news stories covering the widespread fraud in the presidential contest, the uproar over the fraud and delay throughout the PC polling process rarely received coverage on newspaper front pages. Yet those problems contributed significantly to people's sense of alienation and disillusionment with their country's political actors and electoral institutions. In spite of these experiences, Afghans are once again preparing to go to the polls. Voters, candidates, parties and local organizations are putting greater emphasis than ever on the process of provincial council polling—expressing concern about the prospects for fraud, mobilizing around their candidates and campaigning in earnest. If due attention to the process is not paid by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and by international agencies, popular participation in future elections could drop. Prospects for Afghan democratization will depend much on how these and future provincial-level elections are conducted.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Demographics, Development, Islam, Politics, and Youth Culture
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
310. Working for the Many: Public services fight inequality
- Publication Date:
- 04-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Economic inequality – the skewed distribution of income and wealth – is soaring. Oxfam's own research has found that the 85 richest individuals in the world have as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population. Economic inequality is also putting lives on the line – more than 1.5 million lives are lost each year due to high income inequality in rich countries alone. A recent study of 93 countries estimated that reducing the income share of the richest 20 per cent by just one percentage point could save the lives of 90,000 infants each year. Estimates also show that failing to tackle inequality will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the price tag of ending poverty, putting the achievement of any new post-2015 poverty goals in jeopardy.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Education, Poverty, Monetary Policy, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- India
311. Women in the Informal Economy: Experiments in Governance from Emerging Countries
- Author:
- Shyama V. Ramani, Ajay Thutupalli, Sutapa Chattopadhyay, Veena Ravichandran, and Tamás Medovarszki
- Publication Date:
- 05-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Women entrepreneurs in the informal economy need business engagements with other women (and men) that offer 'spaces' for dialogue to learn and build business capabilities. While formalization of entrepreneurial activity is favourable under some circumstances, it can be detrimental under others, necessitating a case-by-case evaluation. Many top-down actions for women's empowerment in the informal sector are only effective in gender-neutral economic development programmes. In this Policy Brief, we argue that although policy interventions may be favourable, they are neither necessary nor sufficient for change, as successful women role models are often the best agents for sweeping change.
- Topic:
- Development, Diplomacy, Gender Issues, and International Trade and Finance
312. Breaking the Standoff: Post-2020 climate finance in the Paris agreement
- Author:
- Tim Gore, Simon Bradshaw, Annaka Carvalho, Kiri Hanks, and Jan Kowalzig
- Publication Date:
- 12-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Negotiations are currently under way to develop a new international climate change agreement that will cover all countries and curb global warming to below the internationally agreed limit of 2 degrees. The new agreement will be adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference – Conference of the Parties 21, or COP21 – to be held in Paris in November/December 2015, and will be implemented from 2020.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Economics, and Environment
313. Government-held equity in foreign investment projects: Good for host countries?
- Author:
- Louis T. Wells
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- A recent Perspective concluded that, in countries given to sudden shifts in policy, "a host country government equity stake in a project may decrease project risk by giving the state a reason not to demand a renegotiation." An investor may benefit, but does the host country? In my experience, rarely.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Foreign Direct Investment
314. Delivering on a Data Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Author:
- Amanda Glassman and Alex Ezeh
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Despite improvements in censuses and household surveys, the building blocks of national statistical systems in sub-Saharan Africa remain weak. Measurement of fundamentals such as births and deaths, growth and poverty, taxes and trade, land and the environment, and sickness, schooling, and safety is shaky at best. The challenges are fourfold: (1) national statistics offices have limited independence and unstable budgets, (2) misaligned incentives encourage the production of inaccurate data, (3) donor priorities dominate national priorities, and (4) access to and usability of data are limited. The Data for African Development Working Group's recommendations for reaping the benefits of a data revolution in Africa fall into three categories: (1) fund more and fund differently, (2) build institutions that can produce accurate, unbiased data, and (3) prioritize the core attributes of data building blocks.
- Topic:
- Development
- Political Geography:
- Africa
315. The Quality of Official Development Assistance 2014
- Author:
- Nancy Birdsall, Homi Kharas, and Nabil Hashmi
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Quality of Official Development Assistance (QuODA) measures donors' performance on 31 indicators of aid quality to which donors have made commitments. The indicators are grouped into four dimensions associated with effective aid: maximizing efficiency, fostering institutions, reducing the burden on partner countries, and transparency and learning. The 2014 edition finds that donors are overall becoming more transparent and better at fostering partner country institutions but that there has been little progress at maximizing efficiency or reducing the burden on partner countries. The World Bank's concessional lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA), performs very well in QuODA, ranking in the top 10 of 31 donors on all four dimensions. The United States ranks in the bottom half of all donors on three of the four dimensions of aid quality and last on reducing the burden on partner countries. The United Kingdom ranks in the top third on three of four dimensions of aid quality and scores particularly well on transparency and learning. The Global Fund ranks in the bottom third on fostering institutions but ranks in the top third on the other three dimensions of aid quality, including the top spot in maximizing efficiency.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, Economics, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- United States and United Kingdom
316. The BRICS Development Bank: Why the world's newest global bank must adopt a pro-poor agenda
- Author:
- Lysa John
- Publication Date:
- 06-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In July 2014, a new multilateral and Southern-led development bank is expected to be launched by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – better known as the BRICS. The BRICS Development Bank will provide a fresh source of finance for developing and emerging economies to meet their development needs. Little has been made public regarding the proposed Bank's core mandate or activities but while governments negotiate the technicalities of the Bank, it is critical that they also provide a solid vision of the principles, priorities and objectives on which the Bank's activities and operations will be premised. This policy brief recommends that these include commitments to: ending extreme poverty and inequality, with a special focus on gender equity and women's rights; aligning with environmental and social safeguards and establishing mechanisms for information sharing, accountability and redress; leadership on the sustainable development agenda; the creation of mechanisms for public consultation and debate; and the adoption a truly democratic governance structure.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Gender Issues, International Cooperation, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Russia, China, Europe, India, Asia, South Africa, Brazil, and South America
317. Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Goals in the BRICS-Led New Development Bank
- Author:
- Kathryn Hochstetler
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The BRICS countries held their annual meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil on July 15-17, 2014. While there, they formally launched their NDB, answering some of the many lingering questions about its function (BRICS 2014). The Shanghai based bank will have at least US$50 billion in initial capital, making it a significant new entrant into the sphere of global development finance. India will hold its first rotating presidency, but all five of the countries have particular roles to play. The lengthy presidential declaration gave little new information about the kinds of projects that will receive funding; however, simply repeating earlier statements that it will finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. This policy brief examines how the NDB is likely to approach those two policy objectives, and notes a potential clash of these goals. There is already abundant evidence on this issue in the 2013 agreements and in the current financing patterns of the various national development banks of the BRICS member countries.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Climate Change, Development, and Environment
318. Education in Emergencies: The Case of the Dadaab Refugee Camps
- Author:
- Hayley Mackinnon
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Between 1991 and 2009, more than 2.5 million Somali citizens fled their homeland to Ethiopia, Djibouti and, most notably, Kenya, following the collapse of the Somalian government of Siad Barre. This led to violent clashes between various factional clan groups, and fighting to control land and resources ensued. This resulted in the displacement, starvation and slaughter of thousands of civilians, leading to a crisis that prompted international intervention during the 1990s.
- Topic:
- Development and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Africa, United Nations, and Ethiopia
319. Iran and the P5+1: Getting to "Yes"
- Publication Date:
- 08-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- That nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the UK, U.S. and Germany) were extended beyond the 20 July 2014 deadline was neither unexpected nor unwelcome. The parties ha d made enough headway to justify the extension, which was envisioned in the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) that was signed in November 2013 and came into force in January, but given the political and technical complexity, they remain far apart on fundamental issues. Unless they learn the lessons of the last six months and change their approach for the next four, they will lose the opportunity for a resolution not just by the new 24 November deadline but for the foreseeable future. Both sides need to retreat from maximalist positions, particularly on Iran's enrichment program. Tehran should postpone plans for industrial- scale enrichment and accept greater constraints on the number of its centrifuges in return for P5+1 flexibility on the qualitative growth of its enrichment capacity through research and development.
- Topic:
- Development, Diplomacy, Economics, Nuclear Weapons, and Nuclear Power
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, Iran, Middle East, and France
320. Transforming armed non-state actors Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
- Publication Date:
- 11-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- It is necessary to rethink the assumptions and theory of change of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programs in current situations of armed violence.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Political Violence, Arms Control and Proliferation, Development, War, and Armed Struggle
321. Social Accountability and Public Service Delivery in Rural Africa
- Author:
- Esbern Friis-Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- Social accountability as a tool for development planning is gaining foothold in international donor circles. It is concerned with the responsibility and responsiveness of state authorities, as well as the ability of citizens to make claims and hold those who exercise power to account for their actions.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa
322. Mali’s Public Mood Reflects Newfound Hope
- Author:
- Michael Bratton and Peter Penar
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Afrobarometer
- Abstract:
- In an Afrobarometer survey in December 2012, three quarters of adult Malians were worried that the country was moving in “the wrong direction.” At that time, at the depths of a profound national crisis, most Malians thought the future looked bleak. A year later, however, a follow-up survey reveals newfound hope in the future. By December 2013, two thirds of all Malians now consider that that the country is headed in the “right direction.” What explains this remarkable turnaround in the public mood? The upswing in the country’s collective frame of mind within the space of a single year is traced to several positive developments. These include an improved security situation, the restoration of a freely elected government, and rising confidence in economic recovery.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Public Opinion, Internal Displacement, and Economic Recovery
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Mali
323. Education and Human Capital Development to Strengthen R & D Capacity in ASEAN
- Author:
- Tereso S. Tullao Jr. and Christopher James Cabuay
- Publication Date:
- 05-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- This Policy Brief raises some policy issues regarding the capacity of the ASEAN region's education system in producing knowledge capital as it looks into the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector. This is critical for ASEAN to enable it to attain its quest to be a base for innovation. Among the issues that ASEAN has to confront in achieving this goal relate to the development of financing schemes for various types of education, improvement in the level of investments in research and development, and revisit of the way teaching is conducted in the 21st century, especially in certain disciplines crucial to engendering innovation for growth and development.
- Topic:
- Development, Education, Research, Economic Growth, Human Capital, and Innovation
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Southeast Asia
324. Delivering Results in Standards and Conformance in ASEAN: the Critical Roles of Institutional Strenghthening and the Private Sector
- Author:
- Simon Pettman
- Publication Date:
- 08-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- Addressing technical barriers to trade is a key priority of ASEAN as part of trade facilitation in achieving an integrated economy under the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 and in building an effective and competitive Economic Community beyond 2015. Standards and Conformance assessment measures, while seeking to ensure quality and safety of products for consumers, should not become barriers to trade across the region as ASEAN liberalises its trading regime. A delicate balance needs to be achieved between the two to build a thriving economic region. ASEAN has been working towards achieving standards harmonisation in its priority sectors of integration and bringing about regulatory convergence, taking into account the diversities in its ten member states. More, however, needs to be done and as this Policy Brief shows, the roles of institutional strengthening and the private sector are critical in this task.
- Topic:
- Development, Privatization, Regional Integration, Institutions, and Private Sector
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Southeast Asia
325. Stimulating Innovation in ASEAN Institutional Support, R&D Activity and Intellectual Property Rights
- Author:
- Rajah Tasiah
- Publication Date:
- 08-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- The Policy Brief suggests initiatives that poorer ASEAN member governments should take to stimulate technological upgrading of firms at the bottom with a focus on innovation, and discusses the governance framework of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in ASEAN. With an emphasis on technology as the driver of economic growth, typologies of taxonomies and trajectories are used to evolve a policy framework to coordinate the relationship between macro-institutions, meso-organizations and micro-agents (firms) for ASEAN members to transform from developing nations to join Singapore as developed nations. Recognizing the varying capacities of ASEAN members, the paper recommends that a common platform of IPRs be developed with the more developed members assisting the least developed ASEAN members to quicken the development of a technologically more egalitarian region.
- Topic:
- Development, Science and Technology, Intellectual Property/Copyright, Research, and Innovation
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Southeast Asia
326. Extremism as Mainstream: Implications for Women, Development & Security in the MENA/Asia Region
- Author:
- International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
- Abstract:
- In 2013, ICAN, in partnership with the MIT Center for International Studies and the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), hosted a two-day roundtable to better understand rising religious extremism from a gendered and grounds-up perspective, highlighting the essential yet often overlooked implications for women and the efforts of civil society on the ground. The meeting included civil society practitioners, scholars and journalists with expertise from Canada, Pakistan, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, the United States, and Iran. The roundtable addressed a range of questions. The statements and perspectives included here reflect views shared during the roundtable, and related research and analysis by ICAN. While this brief cannot do justice to the depth and complexity of the discussions, it is intended as a catalyst to widen the space for discussion, research, policy and practice among international and national level scholars and practitioners.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Violent Extremism, and Women
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Asia, and North Africa
327. The Impact of China‐Africa Investment Relations: The Case of Madagascar
- Author:
- Jean Razafindravonona, Eric Rakotomanana, and Jimmy Rajaobelina
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
- Abstract:
- The rapid and spectacular expansion of the Chinese economy in the recent past is, for African countries, an opportunity to take advantage of not only in terms of strengthening the South-South cooperation, but also of developing African economies. It is thus important to define the channels through which African countries would do so. It is with this goal in mind that the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) initiated the research project on the impact of the economic relation between China and sub-Saharan African countries.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Political Economy, International Trade and Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, Global Political Economy, and Macroeconomics
- Political Geography:
- Africa, China, Asia, and Madagascar
328. Is Poverty a binding constraint on Agricultural Growth in Rural Malawi?
- Author:
- Mirriam Muhome‐Matita and Ephraim Wadonda Chirwa
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
- Abstract:
- Agriculture remains the most important sector in sub‐Saharan Africa and is a dominant form of livelihood for a majority of the population that resides in the rural areas. In Malawi, agriculture accounts for 35 percent of GDP and generates more than 80 percent of foreign exchange. In addition, agriculture is the most important occupation for 71 percent of the rural population in which crop production accounts for 74 percent of all rural incomes. However, agriculture has failed to get Africa out of poverty, and most countries are experiencing low agricultural growth, rapid population growth, weak foreign exchange earnings and high transaction costs (World Bank, 2008). In Malawi, for a long time, economic growth has been erratic (see figure 1) with huge swings and poverty has remained high. For instance, the annual growth rates in per capita gross domestic product averaged ‐2.1 percent in the 1980‐84 period, ‐2.7 percent in 1990‐94 period, 3.8 percent in 1995‐99 and ‐0.2 percent in the 2000‐05 period.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Economics, Political Economy, Poverty, GDP, Inequality, Economic Growth, and Macroeconomics
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Malawi
329. Micronesians on the Move: Eastward and Upward Bound
- Author:
- Francis X. Hezel
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Is out-migration an admission of a Pacific Island nation's failure to fulfill its economic promise and provide the jobs that its citizens seek in a modernized society? Or is it a legitimate alternative strategy for development, through the export of surplus labor, in lieu of the more conventional methods recommended by donor nations and international financial institutions? In this paper, Francis X. Hezel, SJ, reviews the 30-year history of migration from one Pacific Island nation, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and examines the current status of its migrants with an eye to shedding light on this question.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Migration, and Immigration
- Political Geography:
- United States, Israel, and Australia/Pacific
330. Hedging Against an Unstable China: Measures to Enhance Regional and Global Resilience
- Author:
- Alexandre Catta, Aladdin Diakun, and Clara Yoon
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Mainstream analysis on China tends to be overly optimistic, leaving a blind spot in strategic planning. While the country's socio-economic landscape has been transformed over several decades of uninterrupted growth, it faces significant domestic and international risks and constraints. Chief among these are labour insecurity and imbalances, environmental constraints and rising climatic risks, and food insecurity, all coupled with rising popular expectations for a higher overall standard of living. Major soy producers (Argentina, Brazil and the United States) should take steps to ensure the stability of China's supply. In particular, these countries should set aside reserves to help mitigate future supply shocks and price spikes resulting from climate change. Manufacturers operating in or with China should immediately begin mapping their supply chains to identify vulnerabilities associated with crisis scenarios in the country. Where specific risks are identified, they should explore supply-chain diversification to boost resilience among major trading partners. To deter China from externalizing internal stresses, international actors should raise the political costs of nationalistic unilateralism by opening more channels for dialogue, deepening institutional integration and buttressing cooperative security norms.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Economics, Environment, and Food
- Political Geography:
- China and Israel
331. Toward a multilateral framework for investment
- Author:
- Nicolle Graugnard
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Business needs a stable and predictable investment environment, especially in times of economic uncertainty, to continue to generate employment and create wealth. Although foreign direct investment (FDI) flows rose for two years after plummeting in the wake of the global financial crisis, they fell again by 18% to US$ 1.4 trillion in 2012. According to UNCTAD, the major factors contributing to this sharp decline were economic fragility and policy uncertainty in several economies. Moreover, investment regulations classified as “restrictive” rose to 25% in 2012, compared to just 6% in 2000; “liberalizing” regulations were 75 % of the total in 2012, compared to 94% in 2000. The result of these regulations is, therefore, not surprising: businesses are holding back on new investments, with multinational enterprises reporting record cash-holdings of between US$ 4 to 5 trillion.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Cooperation, International Trade and Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, and Governance
332. Cost allocation in investment arbitration: Back toward diversification
- Author:
- Baiju S. Vasani and Anastasiya Ugale
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- In 2006, the Thunderbird tribunal, operating under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, called for the harmonization of cost-allocation approaches in commercial and investment arbitration. Subsequent tribunals appear to be heeding Thunderbird's call paving a trend in favor of the so-called “costs follow the event” (CFtE) approach and its variations. Generally, this approach prescribes the shifting of arbitral costs and reasonable legal fees to the unsuccessful party (or based on parties' relative success) and has historically been prevalent in commercial arbitration. By contrast, the more traditional approach in investment arbitration has been to share the costs of arbitration equally, save for special circumstances, with each party covering its own legal fees (traditional approach). In the wake of what appears to be an emerging trend in favor of a default CFtE custom, it is time to revisit the idea of whet her a single harmonized approach to cost allocation is really appropriate. We suggest that it most likely is not.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, International Trade and Finance, and Foreign Direct Investment
333. Pathway to National Dialogue in Sudan
- Author:
- Jon Temin and Princeton N. Lyman, Ph.D.
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Sudan urgently needs to embark on a national dialogue and reform process that is led by Sudanese and supported by the international community. The process should be broadly inclusive, involving elements of the current regime, Islamists, and all armed and unarmed opposition groups. Any meaningful process will be lengthy, likely requiring years to complete. If a genuine, inclusive process is underway, elections in 2015 may need to be delayed. The African Union High-Level Implementation Panel has a critical role to play in advocating for and guiding such a process.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Cooperation, Foreign Aid, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Sudan
334. Revisiting the Quality of Agricultural Official Development Assistance
- Author:
- Kimberly Ann Elliott and Edward Collins
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Quality of Official Development Assistance (QuODA) measures how well donors score on the dimensions of aid quality that evidence and experience suggest lead to effective aid. Those dimensions are maximizing efficiency, fostering institutions (in recipient countries), reducing burden (for recipient governments), and transparency and learning (on the part of donors). The Quality of Agricultural Official Development Assistance (Ag QuODA), as much as possible, applies the original QuODA methodology to donors giving agricultural aid. In this update of Ag QuODA, we use new data from the Creditor Reporting System to extend our earlier analysis and update it to 2011. We also examine data on aid activities that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now reporting. We find that the quality of official development assistance (ODA) varies widely, with multilateral donors generally doing better on average than bilateral donors. Improvements in the data quality and availability are making sector-specific assessments like Ag QuODA more feasible, but further improvements are needed to allow a deeper understanding of aid effectiveness.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Economics, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
335. Changing Financial Flows During Afghanistan's Transition: The Political Economy Fallout
- Author:
- William A. Byrd
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Massive amounts of money flowing into Afghanistan since 2001 (foreign military spending, aid, domestic revenues, opium profits, land takeovers and development, informal mineral exploitation, theft of funds such as at Kabul Bank) have had profound political economy impacts, not least by further entrenching factionalized politics and fragmented patronage networks. The ongoing transition involving the drawdown of international troops and Afghan takeover of security responsibilities will be accompanied by drastic declines in international military expenditures and aid. Total resources for patronage will fall sharply; the Afghan government's share in remaining funds will increase; declines will be greatest at local levels, especially in insecure areas in the south/east which had heavy international military presence and high aid; and drug money will become increasingly important. At lower levels of patronage, competition over declining resources may intensify, so even in the absence of major armed conflict at the national level, localized conflicts may continue and even proliferate, aggravated by taking revenge and “settling accounts” by currently excluded and marginalized groups.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Development, Economics, Islam, Foreign Aid, Narcotics Trafficking, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Central Asia
336. Common Strategies for Women in Transition Countries
- Author:
- Steven E. Steiner
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Ongoing dialogues and forums on nations in transition reinforce the commonality of challenges related to women's rights and roles in society, especially leadership in government. Women leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Arab Spring countries face major challenges, including heightened insecurity and the risk of women's rights being rolled back significantly. Steps to address these challenges are to build coalitions across internal divides, engage male religious leaders and other men to support women's rights, reach out to youth, develop gender-based budgeting, and underscore the importance of women's economic empowerment. Keys to progress in these areas include obtaining grassroots support and taking a long-term strategic focus in international programs.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Gender Issues, Government, Labor Issues, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Arabia
337. The Global Arctic: The Growing Arctic Interests of Russia, China, the United States and the European Union
- Author:
- Juha Käpylä and Harri Mikkola
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- With exciting economic opportunities and serious environmental challenges, the Arctic is transforming and re-emerging as a geopolitically important region. Major global players within and without the Arctic are paying greater attention to the region. While Russia is a traditional Arctic state with significant economic and security interests in the region, China, the US and the EU have also expressed their Arctic interests more explicitly. They are keen to tap into the economic potential and have a say in the way the region becomes accessed, exploited and governed. As a result, the Arctic is no longer a spatially or administratively confined region, but is instead taking its new form in the midst of contemporary global politics. The globalization and economization of the Arctic will most likely downplay environmentalism and reduce the relative influence of the indigenous people and small Arctic states in Arctic affairs. Arctic governance is also likely to turn more complex and complicated as the economic and political stakes are raised.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Development, International Trade and Finance, Oil, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, China, and Europe
338. Policy and practice requirements for bringing to scale sexual violence services in low resource settings.
- Author:
- N Kilonzo, E Dartnall, and M Obbayi
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- As many as seven in ten women in the world report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime [1]. The impact of sexual violence on health, productivity, economy and a country's ability to achieve its development goals is well documented [2]. States have a responsibility to enact and enforce laws that protect their citizens from sexual violence. Where protection fails, there is a responsibility to provide survivors with the requisite services to address the physiological, psychological consequences and ensure they receive positive justice outcomes. However, few countries have the policy, legal environments and service infrastructure to respond or influence uptake of health, social and justice related services by survivors of sexual violence [3]. For example, 127 countries still do not have effective laws on marital rape even though it is a crime under international law [4]. Cultural beliefs and societal responses can be major barriers to victims seeking help post assault. A range of sectors are required to deliver services to survivors of sexual violence including health, criminal justice and social services [5, 6]. In many countries around the world, post rape care is often fragmented, of limited scope, coverage and quality, focusing mainly on immediate clinical care with poor medico-legal linkages [3], with limited attention given to mental health needs of survivors and service providers [7, 8]. Follow up and long-term management of sexual and reproductive health including HIV outcomes of survivors is severely lacking.
- Topic:
- Crime, Development, Gender Issues, Health, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Health Care Policy
339. Toward a multilateral framework for investment
- Author:
- Nicolle Graugnard
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Business needs a stable and predictable investment environment, especially in times of economic uncertainty, to continue to generate employment and create wealth. Although foreign direct investment (FDI) flows rose for two years after plummeting in the wake of the global financial crisis, they fell again by 18% to US$ 1.4 trillion in 2012. According to UNCTAD, the major factors contributing to this sharp decline were economic fragility and policy uncertainty in several economies. Moreover, investment regulations classified as “restrictive” rose to 25% in 2012, compared to just 6% in 2000; “liberalizing” regulations were 75% of the total in 2012, compared to 94% in 2000. The result of these regulations is, therefore, not surprising: businesses are holding back on new investments, with multinational enterprises reporting record cash-holdings of between US$ 4 to 5 trillion.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Natural Resources
340. Are trade-law inspired investment rules desirable?
- Author:
- Marino Baldi
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Traditional bilateral investment treaties (BITs) focus on investment protection, i.e., regulate post-establishment aspects of foreign investment. In recent times, investment agreements have increasingly been supplemented with liberalization rules and also clauses on, e.g., key personnel, labor rights and sustainable development. Such integrated investment accords have notably become part of preferential trade agreements (PTAs). This trend started with NAFTA, continued with the negotiations on a Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), and has in the course of the past ten years increasingly characterized PTAs throughout the world. The rapid proliferation of PTAs has, in the investment field, unfortunately led to lower quality provisions. Many of these treaties contain such wide-ranging exceptions and vaguely formulated safeguard clauses that their regulatory value as regards the protection of foreign investments in their post-establishment phase is called into question.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Foreign Direct Investment
341. Making Large-Scale Wind and Solar Power a Reality
- Author:
- Kevin Ummel
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- South Africa and many other countries hope to aggressively expand wind and solar power (WSP) in the coming decades. This presents significant challenges for power system planning. Success hinges largely on the question of how and where to deploy WSP technologies. Well-designed deployment strategies can take advantage of natural variability in resources across space and time to help minimize costs, maximize benefits, and ensure reliability.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Economics, Energy Policy, Environment, and Industrial Policy
- Political Geography:
- South Africa
342. The Rebirth of Education: Why Schooling in Developing Countries Is Flailing; How the Developed World Is Complicit; and What to Do Next
- Author:
- Lant Pritchett
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- More than a billion children worldwide—95 percent—are in school. That's due in part to steady progress toward the second Millennium Development Goal that every child “be able to complete a full course of primary school” by 2015. To put that in perspective, the average adult in the developing world today receives more schooling than the average adult in advanced countries did in 1960. Schooling, however, is not the same as education. Few of these billion students will receive an education that adequately equips them for their future. The poor quality of education worldwide constitutes a learning crisis; donors and development agencies have been complicit in its creation, but they can and should be part of the solution, not by prescribing changes, but by fostering environments where change is possible.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Development, Economics, Education, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
343. Investing in the Future: Rebuilding Higher Education in Myanmar
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Education (IIE)
- Abstract:
- The Institute of International Education's delegation to Myanmar last month had an unusual start. Dr.Catherine Raymond, a faculty member at Northern Illinois University who curates the Burmese art collection there, was a part of our group and had taken on the mission to give back to Myanmar a Buddha sculpture created more than 1,000 years ago. At a ceremony with the minister of culture, we learned that the return of the Buddha was not an easy thing.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, Education, Human Rights, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Southeast Asia and Myanmar
344. Building Research and Teaching Capacity in Indonesia through International Collaboration
- Author:
- Flavia Ramos-Mattouss and Jeffrey Ayala Milligan
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Education (IIE)
- Abstract:
- This briefing paper, “ Building Research and Teaching Capacity in Indonesia through International Collaboration, ” published by the Institute of International Education's Center for International Partnerships, provides a detailed, data-driven look at the research and teaching capacity of Indonesian universities. The authors, Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi and Jeffrey Ayala Milligan, report on key findings from a USAID-funded project in which faculty members from Florida State University worked in collaboration with university partners in Indonesia to develop and implement a series of activities with the aim of building the capacity of teacher education institutions. This IIE briefing paper examines recent efforts in building the research and teaching capacity of Indonesian universities and the specific challenges in developing the research capacity of university lecturers in Indonesia.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Education, International Cooperation, International Affairs, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Florida
345. Feed the world? The challenges of global food security
- Author:
- Costanza Caputi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- According to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), food security exists when 'all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life'. This is determined by the four key dimensions of availability, access, utilisation and stability of food supply.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Development, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Europe and United Nations
346. Renewables: do they matter for foreign policy?
- Author:
- Iana Dreyer
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- Energy has played an important role in the geopolitics of the 20th century and continues to do so today. But the politics of renewable energy has remained largely confined to national boundaries and has had few international ramifications. Is this set to change? What is and could be the role of renewables in European energy diplomacy?
- Topic:
- Security, Climate Change, Development, Energy Policy, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Europe
347. Global commons: between cooperation and competition
- Author:
- Gerald Stang
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- Rapid economic development and increasing international trade are leading to a more crowded international stage and raising new challenges in the 'global commons' – those domains that are not under the control or jurisdiction of any state but are open for use by countries, companies and individuals from around the world. Their management involves increasingly complex processes to accommodate and integrate the interests and responsibilities of states, international organisations and a host of non-state actors.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, Globalization, International Cooperation, International Trade and Finance, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
348. ARBITERS AMISS: THE FAILINGS AND SHORTCOMINGS OF INSTITUTIONS GOVERNING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM
- Author:
- Paul Blustein
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Myriad dangers beset the global economy. The US Federal Reserve is trying to curb its ultra-easy money policy, a delicate operation that could plunge the world into recession if done too abruptly. The euro zone might fall back into turmoil. Japan's experiment with “Abenomics”1 could go sour. China's banking system looks shaky. Emerging economies are suffering large scale withdrawals of foreign funds.
- Topic:
- Debt, Development, Economics, International Monetary Fund, Foreign Aid, Fragile/Failed State, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- China
349. Centrafrique : l'intervention de la dernière chance
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Durant les neuf derniers mois, ce qui restait de l'Etat centrafricain s'est effondré avec de graves conséquences humanitaires (400 000 personnes sont déplacées et presque la moitié de la population a besoin d'aide humanitaire). Le gouvernement de transition et la force de sécurité régionale ont été incapables de freiner la chute dans l'anarchie aussi bien en zone rurale qu'en zone urbaine et notamment à Bangui. Après plusieurs mois de passivité et à la suite de tueries, la communauté internationale a pris conscience des conséquences de la faillite de la RCA. Malheureusement, la détérioration de la situation est bien plus rapide que la mobilisation internationale et Bangui est au bord de l'explosion. Dans l'immédiat, le Conseil de sécurité devrait fournir un mandat sous chapitre 7 à la Mission internationale de soutien à la Centrafrique sous conduite africaine (Misca) épaulée par les forces françaises pour rétablir l'ordre dans Bangui dans un premier temps puis se déployer dans d'autres villes. Par la suite, la réconciliation religieuse devrait être privilégiée et des mesures de stabilisation devraient être appliquées.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Political Violence, Development, Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Peace Studies, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- Africa
350. Against the odds – capacity development of fragile state institutions
- Author:
- Birgitte Lind Petersen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- The need to support central state institutions in fragile situations by prioritising capacity development has recently been elevated to a shared global concern as a result of the New Deal developed through the forum of the International Dialogue for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. Peacebuilding and statebuilding are perceived as the most important aims of aid, and capacity development is central to achieving these. The emphasis on a country-led process indicates the need to develop capacities to lead such processes. Also, the commitment to joint development of a plan, support to political dialogue and leadership, transparency, risk sharing, strengthening of country systems along with the strengthening of capacities, all depend on or encompass strong elements of capacity development. This policy brief elaborates some major issues to be considered by donors supporting capacity development of central state institutions in fragile situations.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Democratization, Development, and Fragile/Failed State
351. Commitment to Development Index 2013
- Author:
- Owen Barder and Petra Krylová
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Commitment to Development Index ranks 27 of the world's richest countries on policies that affect the more than five billion people living in poorer nations. The CDI goes beyond measures of foreign aid to quantify performance in seven areas: Quantity and quality of foreign aid Openness to trade policies that encourage investment and financial transparency Openness to migration Environmental policies Promotion of international security Support for technology creation and transfer Why does the CDI matter? Because in an integrated world, the behavior of rich countries and powerful institutions can profoundly affect the lives of people in poor countries and because poverty and weak institutions in developing countries can breed public health crises, security threats, and economic crises that know no borders. Committing to policies that promote development and well-being is a global imperative: no human being should be denied the chance to live free of poverty and oppression and to enjoy a basic standard of education and health. The CDI countries all promote respect for human life and dignity; the Index looks at whether the policies of rich countries match these aspirations.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Education, Health, Poverty, and Fragile/Failed State
352. Making Large-Scale Wind and Solar Power a Reality
- Author:
- Kevin Ummel
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- South Africa and many other countries hope to aggressively expand wind and solar power (WSP) in the coming decades. This presents significant challenges for power system planning. Success hinges largely on the question of how and where to deploy WSP technologies. Well-designed deployment strategies can take advantage of natural variability in resources across space and time to help minimize costs, maximize benefits, and ensure reliability.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Economics, Energy Policy, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- Africa
353. Adaptation and the $100 billion Commitment: Why private investment cannot replace public finance in critical climate adaptation needs
- Author:
- Tracy Carty
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Climate change is an immediate, grave, and growing threat to development, making the battle to overcome poverty ever harder and more expensive. International climate finance is vital in the global effort to combat climate change. The lives and livelihoods of poor women and men at increased risk of floods, hunger, droughts, and disease depend on it. But most rich countries are failing in their obligations and commitments to support developing countries to cope with a more hostile climate they did least to cause. They are also increasing the risk of climate change by failing to slash their emissions far or fast enough.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Diplomacy, Poverty, and Fragile/Failed State
354. Held to Account: Putting democratic governance at the heart of development finance
- Author:
- Cecile Untemaehrer
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The right of citizens to hold public officials to account is at the heart of democratic governance. When citizen oversight is absent and the power to allocate public resources lies in the hands of a few decision makers, it is all too easy for resources to be diverted from their intended use and abused for private gain. Such corruption denies people the health care, education, and other public services to which they are entitled, and which would otherwise give them the means to work their way out of poverty.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Development, Education, Health, Poverty, and Governance
355. When Women Farm India's Land: How to increase ownership?
- Author:
- Lucy Dubochet
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Women have long played a crucial role in India's agricultural production, and the trend that sees men shifting to non-farm activities further increases their responsibility. The situation of women cultivators is one of tremendous vulnerability: without land titles, they are not recognised as farmers, and thus are not able to access credits and government benefits. This policy brief outlines avenues to address the gap between the reality for many rural women and their entitlements.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Gender Issues, and Human Rights
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
356. Universal Health Coverage: Why health insurance schemes are leaving the poor behind
- Author:
- Ceri Averill and Anna Marriott
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Described by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, as 'the most powerful concept that public health has to offer', Universal health coverage (UHC) has risen to the top of the global health agenda. At its core, UHC is about the right to health. Everyone – whether rich or poor – should get the health care they need without suffering financial hardship. For Oxfam, UHC means that everyone has the same financial protection and access to the same range of high quality health services, regardless of their employment status or ability to pay.
- Topic:
- Development, Health, Human Welfare, and Poverty
357. Care in households and communities: Background paper on conceptual issues
- Author:
- Valeria Esquivel
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Care is a crucial dimension of well-being. People need care throughout their lives in order to survive. Care has long been considered to be the 'natural' responsibility of women, as a result of which the costs of providing care fall disproportionately on women. These costs include forgone opportunities in education, employment and earnings, political participation, and leisure time.
- Topic:
- Development, Gender Issues, Human Rights, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Social Stratification
358. Sugar Rush: Land rights and the supply chains of the biggest food and beverage companies
- Author:
- Jodie Thorpe
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Since 2000, nearly 800 large-scale land deals covering 33m hectares globally – an area four times the size of Portugal – have been recorded. This land has shifted from smallholder production, local community use, or the provision of important ecosystem services, to commercial use, driven in part by the rising demand for large-scale crops like sugar.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Economics, International Political Economy, International Trade and Finance, and Markets
- Political Geography:
- Portugal
359. THE NEW ALLIANCE: A NEW DIRECTION NEEDED Reforming the G8's public–private partnership on agriculture and food security
- Author:
- Eric Munoz
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The past decade has witnessed a resurgence of interest in investing in agriculture. In 2003, heads of state from across Africa committed to allocate at least 10 per cent of their national budgets on an annual basis to agriculture and, through their commitment to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), to reduce poverty through agriculture-led growth.1 More recently, at the 2009 G8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, world leaders responded to the global spike in food prices by pledging to provide $22bn over three years to promote food security in developing countries.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Demographics, Development, Poverty, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Africa
360. Growing disruption: Climate change, food, and the fight against hunger
- Author:
- John Magrath and Tracy Carty
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- This briefing paper explores how the failure to tackle climate change threatens all aspects of food security – availability, access, utilisation, and stability. The changing climate is already jeopardising gains in the fight against hunger, and it looks set to worsen. It threatens the production and distribution of food. It threatens people's ability to access food by undermining livelihoods and destabilising prices, and it damages diets by harming human health and putting at risk the quality of food produced. Finally, the paper sets out how these impacts can be averted, through urgent action to avoid dangerous climate change, address our broken food system, and strengthen its resilience.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Environment, Poverty, and Food
361. Somalia: Puntland's Punted Polls
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Puntland is the first of Somalia's federal units to attempt transition from clan-based representation to directly-elected government, but poor preparations and last-minute cancellation of local elections in July underline the challenges of reconciling competing clan interests with a democratic constitution. Cancellation pragmatically averted violence, but societal tensions remain unaddressed. The presidential vote by a clan-selected parliament in January 2014 will thus be fraught. Weak political and judicial institutions will struggle to mediate, risking involvement by partisan arms of the state. Direct elections are no panacea for reducing the conflict risks, but hard-won incremental progress on the constitution and local democratisation must not be abandoned. The cancelled ballot's lessons should be instructive for promised elections in the rest of Somalia. Better technical preparations matter, but Puntland's experience shows that donors and other international actors also need to be heedful of local political realities, including support of elites, robustness of institutions and viability of electoral districts.
- Topic:
- Security, Political Violence, Civil Society, Democratization, Development, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Somalia
362. Peacekeeping Reimbursements-Key Topics for the Next COE Working Group
- Author:
- Bianca Selway
- Publication Date:
- 01-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- With UN peacekeeping operating in more complex environments and taking on new tasks, peacekeepers need appropriate equipment to carry out their mandates. A central aspect to equipping peacekeepers is ensuring that member states are appropriately reimbursed for their contributions under a equipment reimbursement system, called the Contingent-Owned Equipment System(COE). Every three years the United Nations conducts a meeting to negotiate the terms and conditions of the financial reimbursements paid to member states for the equipment they provide to UN peacekeeping operations. Preparations and briefings to member states are already underway in New York for the next COE Working Group meeting, to be held January 20-31, 2014. With 98,311 military and police deployed with their related equipment in seventeen missions around the world, the financial implications of these tri-annual discussions can be significant. In MONUSCO alone, the mission's annual budget for reimbursements to troop-contributing and police-contributing countries for major equipment and self-sustainment in the fiscal years 2008/09, 2009/10, and 2010/11 were $144million, $160million, and$180million, respectively.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Security, Development, Armed Struggle, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
363. Not a Rubber Stamp: Myanmar's Legislature in a Time of Transition
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Myanmar's new legislature, the Union Assembly formed in 2011 on the basis of elections the previous year, has turned out to be far more vibrant and influential than expected. Both its lower and upper houses have a key role in driving the transition process through the enactment and amendment of legislation needed to reform the outdated legal code and are acting as a real check on the power of the executive.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, and Law
- Political Geography:
- East Asia and Myanmar
364. NATO in Afghanistan: Turning Retreat into Victory
- Author:
- Henrik Larsen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Afghanistan forced NATO to undergo a long adaptive process to be able to operate in an unprecedented and harsh strategic theater. It differed fundamentally from NATO's previous peacekeeping missions in the Balkans because the traditional division of labor between civilian and military efforts could not be maintained in practice. The UN state building agenda (Afghanistan Compact) tied NATO specifically to the security pillar throughout the country, which proved to be a gross underestimation of the actual resources required for such an effort. NATO contributors initially preferred a "light footprint" approach with a limited number of boots on the ground to avoid repeating the Soviet Union's negative experience. It proved inefficient, however, and warlords and power brokers did not demobilize and arbitrate disputes through Western-style elections and centralized institutions.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, NATO, Development, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Korea
365. The Post-2015 Agenda and the EU: Faltering in the Global Development Partnership?
- Author:
- Marikki Stocchetti
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The era of the Millennium Development Goals and the Millennium Declaration expires in September 2015. As the largest donor of international development aid and trader with the developing countries, the EU has a key interest in the future outcome. It has also made binding commitments to support developing countries' own efforts to fulfil the present goals, as well as to act as a global partner. In the ongoing consultation process, the UN is pushing ahead with an enabling, universal development paradigm with an enhanced development partnership that goes well beyond traditional development assistance. Whereas the EU and the UN share common ground on human rights, governance and security issues, their preliminary proposals differ significantly on the question of a global partnership. The European Commission has tabled a proposal for the Union that is still based on a very conventional donor-recipient approach, which the UN seeks to reject. The European Commission proposal is problematic because it fails to present a comprehensive analysis of the current Millennium Development Goal on a global partnership, especially regarding trade and debt issues. Instead, it focuses on developing countries' domestic policies. The EU still has time to correct this as the process unfolds. Should it fail to do so, it is highly unlikely that other donors will take up the UN proposal and push it through in the inter-governmental negotiations.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Human Rights, Foreign Aid, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe and United Nations
366. UN Statebuilding at a Turning Point: What's new about the intervention brigade and peacekeeping drones?
- Author:
- Touko Piiparinen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Last March the UN Security Council authorised the so-called Intervention Brigade to undertake 'targeted offensive operations' against illegal armed groups operating in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Brigade, which undertook its first operations in August, differs from traditional UN peacekeeping in terms of its robust mandate and mobility. The UN has simultaneously adopted a new technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in the DRC, which represents the first-ever use of UAVs as a part of UN peacekeeping. UAVs will be deployed in the DRC at the end of November, and start operating in early December The Intervention Brigade and UAVs have been hailed as a turning point in UN peacekeeping. However, they should not be perceived as completely new or standalone instruments of UN conflict management. They could instead be best understood as a continuum and extension of the long held state building doctrine applied by the UN. These new instruments enable the UN to perform one of its key functions of state building and protection of civilians, namely controlling and policing the whole territory of a state where an intervention has been undertaken more effectively than before. The lessons learned from the UN peace operation in the DRC indicate that the UN state building doctrine remains self-contradictory on account of the tendency of UN state building missions to spill over into wars and the mismatch between the ambitious goals set for state building and the chronic lack of resources. The Intervention Brigade and UAVs can potentially help the UN to resolve that mismatch by enhancing the UN's state building and protection capacities. However, they cannot resolve the other major disadvantage of state building, namely collateral damage inflicted in state building wars, and may even aggravate that problem.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Humanitarian Aid, Science and Technology, Fragile/Failed State, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Africa
367. Saudi Aramco as a national development agent: recent shifts
- Author:
- Steffen Hertog
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Saudi Aramco, has been a critical agent for the social, economic and infrastructural development of Saudi Arabia; its managerial capacities are unrivalled in the Kingdom – and, indeed, the Gulf region. After it played a rather limited role outside the hydrocarbons sector in the 1980s and 1990s, its range of tasks and ambitions has recently again expanded drastically into a number of new policy sectors, including heavy industry, renewable energy, educational reform, infrastructure-building and general industrial development. This presents both opportunities and risks for Aramco, which has started to operate far outside its traditional politically insulated "turf" of running the upstream oil and gas infrastructure in the Kingdom. It is now involved in activities that are more political and more closely scrutinised by the Saudi public, and will have to build up new institutional and political capacities to maintain its reputation for clean and efficient management.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, Oil, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Saudi Arabia
368. Brazil in the South Atlantic: growing protagonism and unintended consequences
- Author:
- Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Danilo Marcondes de Souza Neto
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- For most of the twentieth century, the strategic importance of the North Atlantic outstripped that of the southern part of the ocean. However, the past decade has brought significant shifts in Atlantic dynamics, with regional and external actors developing new interests in the region. Brazil, in particular, has been working to reinforce its control and influence in the South Atlantic. To this end, over the last five years the Brazilian government has launched or intensified efforts meant to securitise the South Atlantic. This strategy combines unilateral initiatives – naval build-up, domestic military publicity efforts, and international legal moves – with a vastly expanded international defence cooperation programme that covers nearly the entire South Atlantic perimeter. This policy brief analyses key components of Brazil's strategy, situating them within the South Atlantic's changing ecology of actors and suggesting some of the potential tensions that may arise from Brazil's growing protagonism in the South Atlantic.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, Regional Cooperation, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
369. The lure of extractive natural resource development
- Author:
- Ole Therkildsen, Lars Buur, Anne Mette Kjær, and Michael W. Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- This brief explores the opportunities offered by the new boom in natural resource extraction, and focuses on how foreign direct investment (FDI) by extractive multinational corporations (MNCs) can be harnessed for industrial development purposes. The brief argues that industrial policies are needed in order to unleash the development potentials provided by FDI in extractives.
- Topic:
- Development, Industrial Policy, Natural Resources, and Foreign Aid
370. The West must allow a power shift in international organizations
- Author:
- Jakob Vestergaard and Robert Hunter Wade
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- More than three years after the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s governing body agreed to reform the organization's governance so as to better reflect the increasing economic weight of dynamic emerging market economies in the world economy, only microscopic changes have been made. Emerging market and developing countries (EMDCs) have become increasingly frustrated with Western states for clinging to their inherited power, in the IMF and other important international economic governance organizations. The emerging cooperation among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) – as seen in the advanced-stage negotiations to establish a Development Bank and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement – sends a “wake up and smell the coffee” call to the West, and the latter will carry a heavy responsibility for eroding global multilateral governance if it continues to drag its heels on the needed adjustments.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, International Monetary Fund, Governance, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, India, South Africa, and Brazil
371. Peace Operations in Africa: Lessons Learned Since 2000
- Author:
- Paul D. Williams
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Violent conflict and the power of armed nonstate actors remain defining priorities in 21 st century Africa. Organized violence has killed millions and displaced many more, leaving them to run the gauntlet of violence, disease, and malnutrition. Such violence has also traumatized a generation of children and young adults, broken bonds of trust and authority structures among and across local communities, shattered education and healthcare systems, disrupted transportation routes and infrastructure, and done untold damage to the continent's ecology from its land and waterways to its flora and fauna. In financial terms, the direct and indirect cost of conflicts in Africa since 2000 has been estimated to be nearly $900 billion. The twin policy challenges are to promote conflict resolution processes and to identify who can stand up to armed nonstate actors when the host government's security forces prove inadequate.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Development, Peace Studies, Treaties and Agreements, Fragile/Failed State, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Africa
372. An Equitable Allocation of the Constituency Development Fund
- Author:
- Frank Kakungu
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
- Abstract:
- The disbursement of an equal quantum of funding per constituency has equity concerns because constituencies are not equal. This favours smaller, least populated constituencies against greatly populated and or the poorest – where needs are greatest. The blanket allocation of Constituency Development Fund (CDFs) across the country, without recourse to policy targets underscores national failure to address important policy concerns. This is unfortunately the case in Zambia. In this report, we devised a model that reallocates resources based on the socio-economic conditions prevailing in constituencies. The research developed a composite index of material and social deprivation using data from the Census 2010. Furthermore, the study evaluates the distribution of deprivation in constituencies and considers ways in which deprivation index can contribute to discussions relating to public resource allocation of the CDF. The research results has potential usages beyond the CDF reallocation, it informs decision-makers on resource allocation and planning and budgeting activities.
- Topic:
- Development, Poverty, Governance, and Inequality
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Zambia
373. Promoting the Rule of Law Abroad: Towards a Multi-Dimensional Approach
- Author:
- Manuel Balán
- Publication Date:
- 01-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- Few if any issues are as crucial in ensuring sustainable development as the promotion and consolidation of the Rule of Law (henceforth RoL). In fact, RoL has become a major ingredient in analyses of what is missing in countries struggling for political and economic development. Yet, this objective remains elusive, as there is limited knowledge of what policies work in promoting the Rule of Law. With this in mind, this paper analyzes CIDA’s approach to RoL promotion, tracking how different programs promoted by CIDA addressed RoL concerns. Overall, and despite the term having been left out of CIDA’s priorities for some time, the organization shows interest and investment in RoL related projects. Yet, CIDA’s approach has lacked a clear and explicit direction, and has emphasized projects dealing with capacity building.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Development, Governance, Rule of Law, and Political Science
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
374. Improving the Future of Maternal and Child Health in Sub-Saharan Africa by Investing in Adolescent Girls
- Author:
- Shelley Clark
- Publication Date:
- 01-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- The premise of this policy brief is simple: The most effective way to dramatically reduce maternal and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa over the next decade is to invest in adolescent girls’ educational and economic opportunities today. The goals set forth by MDG 4 (decrease child mortality by two thirds) and MDG 5 (reduce maternal mortality ratio by 75%) are already unlikely to be reached by 2015. What is more, we will continue to fall short of these objectives over the next ten years if the developmental needs of adolescent girls continue to be neglected. Continued investment of resources to improve access to high quality health services, medical treatments, and technology development are necessary and important to reach these goals. But they are not sufficient as long as the root causes of poor maternal and child health outcomes remain unaddressed. Devoting resources to improving the social and economic opportunities of adolescent girls offers a proactive approach with multiple long-lasting effects on not only these girls directly, but also on their future families and communities. The profound effect of women’s education on child survival is well-established. Improvements in women’s education account for half of the decline in child mortality since 1970. Other equally impressive effects are less well-known. Girls who attend secondary school, for example, delay sexual debut, pregnancy, and marriage by several years, resulting in lower rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, teen pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and single adolescent motherhood. Consequently, increasing girls’ schooling will make their pregnancy and motherhood experiences safer and reduce maternal mortality. Alleviating adolescents’ poverty and developing their income-generating skills will also offer girls alternatives to early motherhood and marriage and provide them and their families with the economic resources to improve their nutrition, sanitation, and utilization of health services.
- Topic:
- Development, Health, Children, Women, Youth, and Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa
375. Breaking Down the Barriers to Rural Education: Recent Evidence from Natural and Randomized Experiments in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Sonia Laszlo
- Publication Date:
- 01-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- This research to policy brief reviews the recent evidence on effective methods to improve rural education in developing countries. Canada’s Child and Youth Strategy (CYS) concerning access to a quality education is analysed within this context and recommendations are generated from a large body of recent experimental evidence from around the world. This brief takes each component of CYS and derives policy recommendation based on lessons learned from the most relevant natural and randomized experiments. Natural experiments are typically large-scale government projects, whereas randomized experiments are typically smaller-scale, but focus on internal validity by relying on random assignment to treatment (program) and control (no program). Such an experimental approach is particularly useful as it allows researchers and policy-makers alike to take the evidence as causal on the effectiveness of these projects.
- Topic:
- Development, Education, Government, and Rural
- Political Geography:
- Canada and North America
376. Targeting the ‘Invisible’: Improving Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Informal Sector Women
- Author:
- Tonia Warnecke
- Publication Date:
- 01-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- In the wake of global economic downturn, policymakers in many developing countries are turning their gaze upon two things: private sector-led strategies for economic growth and women’s potential to contribute to this growth. As a consequence, female entrepreneurship has been an area of particular interest to policymakers, businesses, and non-governmental organizations, and many female-targeted policies and programs have been implemented, ranging from microfinance and subsidized loans to training and incubator programs. However, the focus on entrepreneurship as a development strategy conceptualizes entrepreneurship in a particular way—as opportunity entrepreneurship. Opportunity entrepreneurs can identify available opportunities and exploit them; they are often highly educated, have prior managerial experience, and have solid job alternatives with good salaries. They also have access to external capital and formal business networks, and operate in the formal sector of the economy. Opportunity entrepreneurs are more likely to have high-growth and high-tech businesses, but a large portion of entrepreneurship in the developing world— street vending, for example—does not fit into this category. Necessity entrepreneurs are driven to entrepreneurship for lack of other job options; they generally operate in the informal sector and lack legal protection, and their businesses do not facilitate upward mobility. The proliferation of necessity entrepreneurship in the developing world is associated with global trends of increasing informal and flexible employment over the last few decades, and it exacerbates gender inequality. Women are more likely than men to be engaged in vulnerable, informal employment across the globe, and even within the informal sector, the highest-paid jobs are primarily held by men, while the lowest-paid jobs are primarily held by women. In nearly all countries, women are more likely to be necessity entrepreneursthan men. However, most existing entrepreneurial programs target the formal sector and neglect the informal sector, disproportionately harming women. Many government-sponsored or private sector-led programs supporting female entrepreneurship focus on highly educated, middle- or upper-income women with prior entrepreneurial experience—a small minority of women. It can be challenging to design programs that effectively meet the needs of informal workers; although international organizations and non-governmental organizations are more likely to reach out to informal sector and rural women, these programs often focus on sustenance rather than business growth. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to designing female entrepreneurship programs for the informal sector. However, improving and tailoring such programs can establish a ladder between necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship, reduce gender inequalities, improve informal sector living conditions, and increase economic dynamism and informal-formal sector linkages in developing countries around the world.
- Topic:
- Development, Women, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Growth
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
377. Designing the Post-2015 Development Goals
- Author:
- Barry Carin
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The United Nations produced the Millennium Declaration in September 2000, recognizing a collective responsibility to work toward “a more peaceful, prosperous and just world.” The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reaffirmed this vision and launched an ambitious global partnership for development. The MDGs set specific targets for 2015, using numerical indicators to measure progress. The United Nations is now formulating post-2015 goals to succeed the current MDGs. What should government authorities call for during the process of establishing these new goals to ensure they reflect national priorities, can be measured and are achievable, not purely aspirational?
- Topic:
- Development and United Nations
378. Belarus in the CES: Advantages and Disadvantages of Economic Integration
- Author:
- Anna Maria Dyner and Natalia Ryabova
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Belarusian accession to the Common Economic Space (CES) was forced by two factors-the 2011 crisis and the necessity to gain cheap energy resources. Although Russia fulfilled its promises, decreasing gas and oil prices, Belarus is now feeling the negative results of the integration. According to CES rules, Belarusian authorities will have to tighten monetary policy, and reduce social spending and public financing of state-owned enterprises. The situation may be improved by foreign investments, but among the three CES countries, Belarus is the least attractive, especially since Russia joined the WTO and the because of the possible accession of Kazakhstan in the near future. Because of the need to carry out the major reforms in Belarus, the European Union has a greater chance to influence the situation in that country, for example by supporting modernisation projects.
- Topic:
- Development, Oil, Natural Resources, and Monetary Policy
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Asia
379. How Disasters Disrupt Development: Recommendations for the post-2015 development framework
- Author:
- Debbie Hillier and Katherine Nightingale
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- According to the United Nations, over the past twenty years disasters from natural hazards have affected 4.4 billion people, claimed 1.3 million lives and caused $2 trillion in economic losses. For the first time, disaster losses globally have topped $100bn for three consecutive years (2010-2012), far outstripping humanitarian aid. According to Ban Ki Moon, 'Economic losses from disasters are out of control.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Economics, Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
380. Achieving sustainable development objectives in international investment: Could future IIAs impose sustainable development-related obligations on investors?
- Author:
- Janani Sarvanantham and John Gaffney
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- A number of influential international organizations recently have issued publications that discuss the promotion of sustainable development in international investment. These organizations include the United Nations; UNCTAD; FAO, IFAD, the UNCTAD Secretariat, and the World Bank Group; the Commonwealth Secretariat; the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); and the South African Development Community (SADC).
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, International Organization, Foreign Aid, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
381. Go out and manufacture: Policy support for Chinese FDI in Africa
- Author:
- Nikia Clarke
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Energy investments and infrastructure contracts remain prominent in China's Africa engagement. However, investment in manufacturing makes up a significant proportion of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (FDI). Its characteristics–large numbers of smaller transactions by privately owned small and medium-sized firms–make these flows difficult to assess or control. However, China and African governments have an interest in effectively channeling this type of FDI.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa and China
382. Three challenges for China's outward FDI policy
- Author:
- Karl P. Sauvant
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Since China adopted its "going out" policy in 2001, her outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) flows have grown rapidly, reaching US$84 billion in 2012 (although the stock remains small). That year, China was the world's third largest outward investor (after the US and Japan). This performance raises all sorts of issues, especially because state-owned enterprises (SOEs) control some three-quarters of the country's OFDI stock. Three challenges are addressed in this Perspective.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, and China
383. Death Penalty Policy in Countries in Transition
- Author:
- Madoka Futamura
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Countries under transition from war to peace or from an authoritarian to a democratic regime face fundamental political and social transformations and difficulties in emerging from a problematic past. The transition presents challenges but also opportunities for countries to reconsider their death penalty policies. It is in such a context that some countries abolish, retain or even actively resort to the death penalty to tackle transitional needs. Those who are working for abolition of the death penalty need to go beyond the human rights approach and take a more holistic approach to understand the fragile and complex local situation and needs in which the death penalty becomes a highly political issue.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Democratization, Development, Human Rights, Political Economy, Prisons/Penal Systems, and Reform
384. Multi-actor Approaches to Total Sanitation in Africa
- Author:
- Kei Otsuki, Weena Gera, and David Mungai
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Since the 2000s, African cities have witnessed a series of interventions to improve water and sanitation. This policy brief outlines key lessons learned from the intervention experience, drawing on the UNU research project Multi-level Urban Governance for Total Sanitation (2011-2013) under the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) Project. It highlights the importance of multi-actor approaches for promoting: (1) an institutional framework to coordinate civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and the state agencies across levels; (2) policy recognition of water and sanitation as socially embedded infrastructure with gendered dimensions; and (3) the relevance of scientific research and university education to ongoing policy interventions.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Health, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Africa
385. Democratic Trajectories in Africa: Unravelling the Impact of Foreign Aid
- Author:
- Danielle Resnick
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- When, why and how has foreign aid facilitated, or hindered, democracy in recipient countries? Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this policy brief examines the impact of foreign aid on supporting transitions from one-party to multi-party regimes, preventing democratic breakdown and the erosion of civil liberties, enhancing vertical and horizontal accountability, and enabling competitive political party systems. Particular attention is given to the trade-offs and complementarities between different types of foreign aid, namely democracy assistance and economic development aid. Select policy recommendations are offered to improve aid effectiveness at bolstering democratic trajectories within the region.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Development, Economics, Human Rights, Political Economy, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Africa
386. Indicators of Resilience in Socio-ecological Production Landscapes (SEPLs)
- Author:
- Nadia Bergamini, Robert Blasiak, Pablo Eyzaguirre, Kaoru Ichikawa, Dunja Mijatovic, Fumiko Nakao, and Suneetha M. Subramanian
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- The following policy report constitutes an important supplement to a set of 20 indicators for resilience in socio-ecological production landscapes (SEPLs) that was developed over the course of joint collaboration between Bioversity International and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS). The indicators were disseminated widely in pamphlet form for the first time in March 2012. Subsequently, a need was identified for sharing a more in-depth overview of the considerations that went into creating this list of indicators as well as the outcomes of initial field-testing.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Environment, and Sociology
387. Ending corruption to ensure basic education for all
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Transparency International
- Abstract:
- Universal primary education is one of the eight pledges of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are set to be met by 2015. Since the goals have been adopted, corruption and governance deficits have undermined their achievement. In the case of education, progress has been mixed and there are wide disparities among groups. The number of students staying in the education system through primary school has reached 90 per cent. Yet, enrollment rates have seen a declining trend, and poor governance and corruption have been pointed to as among the culprits.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Development, Education, and Governance
388. Achieving Development Success: Strategies and Lessons from the Developing World
- Author:
- Augustin K. Fosu
- Publication Date:
- 03-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- What can the less well-off developing countries learn from the “successes” of other developing countries? This Policy Brief highlights successful development strategies and lessons from in-depth case studies of select countries from the developing world. The coverage includes East Asia and the Pacific, the emerging Asian giants, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa, along with respective regional syntheses. Although countries' experiences are not necessarily replicable, the recurrent themes across countries and regions provide the appropriate connectedness for a comprehensive global perspective on development strategies and lessons.
- Topic:
- Development, Emerging Markets, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Middle East, Israel, and Latin America
389. The Development Context of the Strategic Security Sector Review – civil society perspective
- Author:
- Florian Qehaja
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The process of SSSR has started in the outset of 2012 aiming to analyze the current security sector in Kosovo, and potentially to propose a new architecture of security sector in Kosovo, parallel to change of environment and circumstances in Kosovo.
- Topic:
- Security, Civil Society, and Development
- Political Geography:
- Eastern Europe and Kosovo
390. Oil and Mining Countries: Transparency Low, Official Impunity High - 2013
- Author:
- E. Gyimah-Boadi, Daniel Armah-Attoh, Mohammed Awal, and Joseph Luna
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Afrobarometer
- Abstract:
- Twenty-two of 34 African countries surveyed by Afrobarometer stake their countries' economic futures on development of mineral or oil production, but successful shepherding of these natural resources hinges on governments’ ability to manage them while maintaining stable democracies.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Oil, Natural Resources, Democracy, and Mining
- Political Geography:
- Africa
391. Sweden's Social Democracy Spirit and its Success Story About CHildren Rights
- Author:
- Menekşe Tokyay
- Publication Date:
- 03-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
- Abstract:
- This paper examines the role of grassroots activities in Sweden concerning children rights protection and how the country has become a role model for the whole world in terms of human development and children rights, with special reference to the best practices they have elaborated throughout their history in order to tackle each specific problem regarding children who are classified as full human beings having the same rights as adults. This paper emphasizes that the Swedish children’s rights’ protection model should become a reference point for all other countries, including Turkey, in improving policy paradigms and ways of doin& things when incorporating grassroots organizations’ energy and innovation into the problem solving mechanisms.
- Topic:
- Development, Politics, Children, and Democracy
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Turkey, and Sweden
392. Dawei Revisited: Reaffirmation of the importance of the project in the era of reforms in Myanmar
- Author:
- Ikumo Isono and Satoru Kumagai
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- Myanmar has entered a new era of all-round reforms. Donors and foreign investors are mainly interested in Yangon, while there has been a delay in the Dawei deep sea project, the Dawei Special Economic Zone project and the road connection to Thailand. The change in circumstances poses a question about whether the Dawei project is still needed in the era of a reforming Myanmar. Our geographical simulation analysis clearly shows that the Dawei project has significant additional benefit for the whole Mekong region and points out the importance of international cooperation.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Cooperation, Reform, and Investment
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Burma, and Myanmar
393. The Economic Transition in Myanmar: Towards Inclusive, People Centered and Sustainable Economic Growth
- Author:
- Anita Prakash
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- Myanmar has embarked on an ambitious program of sweeping reforms to end its isolation and integrate its economy with the global system. In this reform period, Myanmar faces the challenge to remain on the course ofreforms and openness while pursuing its economic growth. The Challenges of this transition can be met with a development model which is inclusive, people centered and sustainable.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Economics, Reform, Economic Growth, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Burma, and Myanmar
394. The Development Context of the Strategic Security Sector Review – civil society perspective
- Author:
- Florian Qehaja
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
- Abstract:
- The process of SSSR has started in the outset of 2012 aiming to analyze the current security sector in Kosovo, and potentially to propose a new architecture of security sector in Kosovo, parallel to change of environment and circumstances in Kosovo.
- Topic:
- Security, Civil Society, and Development
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans
395. The Future of Foreign Military Training
- Author:
- Mike Jeffery
- Publication Date:
- 03-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- This paper examines the nature of foreign military training, Canada’s history in the provision of military training assistance, including its training mission in Afghanistan, evaluates the success of these commitments and assesses the future of such missions. It concludes that, as a professional force, the Canadian Forces has excelled at providing foreign military training. However, the effectiveness of such assistance is limited by the nation’s lack of a strategic focus and the consequent short term provision of training. The process of developing a professional military capable of defending the nation and supporting the government is a long one, and only through consistent and trusted mentoring can nations like Canada expect to achieve the influence essential for success. The paper suggests that foreign military training is a very effective diplomatic tool and should form a key component of Canada’s long term focus for international development.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Development, Diplomacy, Governance, and Armed Forces
- Political Geography:
- Canada and North America
396. The Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Health Insurance on the Demand for Prenatal and Postnatal Health Care in Ghana
- Publication Date:
- 11-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
- Abstract:
- Ghana is committed to achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5, which aim to reduce child and maternal deaths by 2015. This commitment is manifested in the way prenatal and postnatal health care services are being made accessible to women of reproductive age. Prenatal care refers to the medical and nursing care recommended for women before and during pregnancy. Postnatal care is an essential part of safe motherhood. The access to and use of prenatal and postnatal health care services are crucial for improved maternal-child survival. Ill health of women and children can arise due to the under utilization of prenatal and postnatal health care services.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Health, Poverty, Health Care Policy, Children, Millennium Development Goals, and Infants
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
397. Pacific Island Nations: How Viable Are Their Economies?
- Author:
- Francis X. Hezel
- Publication Date:
- 01-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- The Pacific is receiving a fair share of attention today from many quarters. Even as the parade of economic consultants continues, others are coming to explore concerns that have more recently claimed the attention of western nations. These concerns cover a broad range, including food security, global warming, elimination of illegal drug traffic in the region, prevention of AIDS or even drug-resistant tuberculosis, protection from spouse abuse, and public-school improvement. These are legitimate interests, but none of them addresses the central concern that vexes each of the island nations of Micronesia, and perhaps the islands elsewhere in the Pacific: How will the country grow its economy to ensure its survival in the future?
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Australia, and Island
398. Somalia: An Opportunity that Should Not Be Missed
- Publication Date:
- 02-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The next six months will be crucial for Somalia. The international community is taking a renewed interest in the country; the mandate of the feeble and dysfunctional Transitional Federal Government (TFG) expires in a half-year; and emboldened troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Kenya and Ethiopia are keen to deal the weakened (though still potent) extremist Islamist movement Al-Shabaab further defeats. This confluence of factors presents the best chance in years for peace and stability in the south and centre of the country. To achieve that, however, requires regional and wider international unity of purpose and an agreement on basic principles; otherwise spoilers could undermine all peacebuilding efforts.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Islam, Terrorism, War, and Insurgency
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Somalia
399. A Safe and Just Space for Humanity: Can we live within the doughnut?
- Author:
- Kate Raworth
- Publication Date:
- 02-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Humanity's challenge in the 21st century is to eradicate poverty and achieve prosperity for all within the means of the planet's limited natural resources. In the run-up to Rio+20, this discussion paper presents a visual framework – shaped like a doughnut – which brings planetary boundaries together with social boundaries, creating a safe and just space between the two, in which humanity can thrive. Moving into this space demands far greater equity – within and between countries – in the use of natural resources, and far greater efficiency in transforming those resources to meet human needs.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Environment, Poverty, and Natural Resources
400. A Dangerous Delay: The cost of late response to early warnings in the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa
- Author:
- Debbie Hillier and Benedict Dempsey
- Publication Date:
- 01-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The 2011 crisis in the Horn of Africa has been the most severe emergency of its kind this century. More than 13 million people are still affected, with hundreds of thousands placed at risk of starvation. One estimate suggests that 50,000–100,000 people have died. This crisis unfolded despite having been predicted. Although brought on by drought, it was human factors which turned the crisis into a deadly emergency.
- Topic:
- Development, Non-Governmental Organization, United Nations, and Famine
- Political Geography:
- Africa