Publishing Institution: Oxfam Publishing / Topic: Poverty

1. Asia’s Extreme Inequality Crisis: Building back fairer after COVID-19

Author:: Matthew Martin
Publication Date:: 09-2022
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: COVID-19 has exacerbated Asia’s crisis of extreme inequality. This is undermining growth and preventing poverty eradication. Asian governments have done almost nothing to combat this rise in inequality and are constrained in their policy choices as debt burdens grow and post-COVID austerity begins. A few Asian governments have done a lot to fight inequality during COVID-19 through equitable public services, progressive taxation and enhanced labour rights, especially for women, but most have not. This paper lays out a comprehensive set of measures that Asian governments, the Asian Development Bank and the international community could use to significantly reduce inequality, eradicate poverty and accelerate growth in Asia.
Topic:: Poverty, Governance, Pandemic, COVID-19, Banking, and Equality
Political Geography:: Asia

2. Development – A Private Affair? The involvement of the Italian private sector in rural development cooperation programmes

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 01-2018
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Investment in small-scale agriculture is needed in order to meet the ambitious objective set by the United Nations and signed by the world leaders in 2015: to eradicate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030 (SDG 2). However, reaching this ambitious goal with the current level of resources committed will not be possible without concerted action on global challenges such as worsening climate change, fluctuating energy prices, diversification of diets in emerging economies and a growing pressure on natural resources such as land and water for purposes other than food. In the world today, 795 million people – one in nine people – still experience limited access to healthy and nutritious food; essential for children to develop properly and for fostering good health. Most of the people affected live in developing countries – 98 percent –and in Africa, one person in four suffers from hunger.1 Paradoxically, those who suffer from hunger are mainly farmers or people who depend on agriculture as their main source of income. To end the injustice of hunger in the world, there is therefore a need for a shared effort from public and private players, geared to allocate more and better investment for the promotion of sustainable agricultural development. In this paper, Oxfam investigates the flows of official development aid (ODA) committed by Italy in the last ten years to promoting food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development in its partner countries. The analysis aims to identify the main features of Italian ODA in this sector in order to evaluate its level of transparency and accountability. It also aims to verify the coherence, in financial terms, between the real allocation of resources and the political importance that Italy has historically assigned to food security issues. In parallel, this paper examines the involvement of Italian agri-food industries in rural development programmes financed through Italian ODA. In light of the wide- ranging debate which aims to promote a greater involvement of the private sector in development, Oxfam investigated the experience gained to date by Italy in one of the priority sectors of its development cooperation policy. The paper’s analysis focuses on three case studies featuring different modalities and objectives for private sector involvement, with the aim to assessing the impacts of their contribution in terms of the reduction of poverty and food insecurity in local communities. Oxfam’s purpose is to contribute to the ongoing national debate in Italy on the eligibility criteria that would promote private sector support for co- financed cooperation initiatives in partner countries; in line with the objectives and goals of the Italian International Development Cooperation policy.
Topic:: Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Poverty, United Nations, Food, Hunger, and Rural
Political Geography:: Europe, Italy, and Global Focus

3. Oxfam Cymru and South Riverside Community Development Centre Skills for Life Project: Final Evaluation Report

Author:: Leon Quinn
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The Skills for Life project was a one-year project focused on supporting predominantly Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women in Cardiff to “build long-term, lasting outcomes [beyond] moving into entry-level work and beyond ‘first jobs’ (whilst recognising their value as stepping stones)”. Skills for Life is a sister project of Future Skills, and run as part of Oxfam’s UK Programme Women United. It was delivered by Oxfam Cymru in partnership with South Riverside Community Development Centre (SRCDC).
Topic:: Poverty, Labor Issues, Sustainability, Skilled Labor, and Empowerment
Political Geography:: United Kingdom, England, and Wales

4. Land But No Freedom: Debt, poverty and Human Suffering in the Philippine Banana Trade

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Case Study
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This case study reveals how many banana farmers in the Philippines are being pushed deeper into poverty by the companies who buy their bananas for export. While many have gained ownership of their land through the government’s land reform programme, they are now locked into contracts with banana buyers that, in Oxfam’s opinion, are grossly unjust. Without action, these one-sided deals will keep banana farmers and their families in debt for generations – while company profits continue to rise.
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, Food, and Farming
Political Geography:: Philippines and Indo-Pacific

5. The Plight of Pineapple and Banana Workers in Retail Supply Chains: Continuing Evidence of Rights Violations in Costa Rica and Ecuador

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Case Study
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This paper is based on the Sweet Fruit, Bitter Truth report published by Oxfam Germany in May 2016, which revealed violations of human and labour rights on banana and pineapple plantations in Costa Rica and Ecuador that supply or have supplied fruit to major supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl. This summarized and updated version of the report has been launched to coincide with Oxfam’s new campaign. It is one of a series of case studies to supplement the global campaign report, Ripe for Change, drawing attention to the plight of specific groups of small-scale producers and/or promoting successful alternative approaches.
Topic:: Poverty, Labor Issues, Food, and Human Rights Violations
Political Geography:: Central America, North America, Costa Rica, and Ecuador

6. Tuzamurane Pineapple Cooperative, Rwanda: Empowering Small-Scale Farmers to Benefit from the Global Market

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Case Study
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This case study looks at the positive example of the Tuzamurane Cooperative in Rwanda, which has enabled women farmers to access the lucrative international export market for dried pineapple. The combination of a community-focused business model and a positive relationship with an ethical distributor has enabled these farmers to move out of poverty, with benefits for the wider community.
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, Rural, and Farming
Political Geography:: Africa and Rwanda

7. A Fair Share for Georgia’s Grape Growers

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Case Study
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This case study describes how, despite the rapid growth of Georgia’s wine industry, small-scale grape growers are continuing to live in poverty and are unable to develop their businesses or to profit from the industry they supply. It analyses the strengths and failings of previous and current government interventions, and offers recommendations on how they could be improved for long-term impact.
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, Inequality, and Farming
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, and Georgia

8. Accountability Review in Yemen: Humanitarian assistance and resilience building

Author:: Faiza Hesham Hael
Publication Date:: 03-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This accountability review is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2014/15. The report documents the findings from a review carried out in December 2014 which examines the degree to which Oxfam meets its own standards for accountability. The project ’Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Building in Western Yemen’ is a two-year project supporting vulnerable communities in Al-Hodeidah and Hajjah governorates. Oxfam and its partners aim to build resilience and provide humanitarian assistance to men, women and children, contributing to reducing the impact of chronic poverty, natural hazards and conflict. This assignment examined accountability to partners and communities in terms of transparency, feedback/listening and participation – three key dimensions of Accountability for Oxfam. In addition it asked questions around partnership practices, staff attitudes, and satisfaction (how useful the project is to people and how wisely the money on this project has been spent) where appropriate.
Topic:: Poverty, Governance, Conflict, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:: Yemen and Persian Gulf

9. Impact Investing: Who are we serving? A Case of Mismatch between Supply and Demand

Author:: Mara Bolis, Isabelle Irani, Robert Nash, Erinch Sahan, and Chris West
Publication Date:: 04-2017
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Oxfam has several programmes that focus on poverty-reducing enterprises which engage marginalized populations through investment and investment-like approaches. These programmes recognize the need to structure finance differently so that it realizes the full potential of those enterprises to make a sustainable contribution to poverty reduction. The founders of Sumerian Partners have long histories of supporting start-up and growing businesses in both developed countries and emerging economies. This includes experience as entrepreneurs, as well as acting as asset managers and deploying philanthropic capital. This paper from Oxfam and Sumerian Partners questions some of the assumptions around impact investment and highlights the experience of enterprises contributing to poverty reduction so that they might be better served by the field. It argues that the sector risks being discredited due to rising, unrealistic expectations about financial returns.
Topic:: Emerging Markets, Poverty, Investment, and Marginalization
Political Geography:: Global Markets

10. Good Jobs in Greater Manchester: The Role of Employment Charters

Author:: Emily Ball, Ceri Hughes, Donna-Louise Hurrell, and Tom Skinner
Publication Date:: 04-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: A more inclusive labour market would offer more people the chance to take part in rewarding, well-paid work, bringing both economic and social benefits. In the context of declining union membership, limited employment regulation and a growing disconnect between pay and living costs, employment charters are one means for cities to engage employers and start a conversation about how their employment practices can enable local people to live and work well. This paper and the accompanying case studies grew out of a conversation about ways to facilitate more inclusive growth in cities. It focuses on Greater Manchester and reviews the rationale, design and impact of several local employment charter initiatives in the UK to assess the role that they can play in creating and sustaining quality jobs.
Topic:: Poverty, Labor Issues, Employment, and Inequality
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

11. Building a More Equal Scotland: Designing Scotland’s Poverty and Inequality Commission

Author:: David Eiser, Ryan McQuigg, and Francis Stuart
Publication Date:: 04-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In 2015 Oxfam Scotland called for the creation of an Inequality Commission, building on Scotland’s politicians from across all parties stating their support to tackle economic inequality. The Scottish government has committed to establishing a Poverty and Inequality Commission in 2017–18, but its design will be critical. This report, produced in collaboration with the Fraser of Allander Institute, explores the scale of inequality in Scotland and the drivers behind it. The report examines some, but not all, of the intersecting and overlapping dimensions of economic inequality and poverty – as well as potential policy responses and the powers of the Scottish Parliament. The report then explores lessons from the work of previous commissions and makes a series of recommendations for the Scottish government as it establishes the new Poverty and Inequality Commission.
Topic:: Poverty, Governance, Inequality, and Economic Inequality
Political Geography:: United Kingdom, Europe, and Scotland

12. Starting with People: A Human Economy Approach to Inclusive Growth in Africa

Author:: Kathy Wright
Publication Date:: 05-2017
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: High levels of inequality across Africa have prevented much of the benefits of recent growth from reaching the continent’s poorest people. To combat inequality in Africa, political and business leaders have to shape a profoundly different type of economy. It must start with the needs of Africa’s women and young people for good quality sustainable jobs, rather than the needs of the richest and of foreign investors. Leaders must use economic policy, taxation policy and social spending to build a human economy for Africa.
Topic:: Poverty, Inequality, Economy, Tax Systems, Sustainability, and Inclusion
Political Geography:: Africa

13. Finance for a Fruitful Future: Dutch Aid for Agriculture 2005-2015

Author:: Hugo Hooijer and Madelon Meijer
Publication Date:: 06-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Dutch oofficial development assistance (ODA) for agriculture has been on the rise in the last five years. However, it remains unclear whether Dutch ODA expenditures on agriculture are reaching female smallholder farmers. Empowering smallholders, especially women, is a proven solution for reducing hunger and poverty. This is particularly true of the rural poor, who are the worst affected by the impacts of climate change. This paper calls on the Dutch government to combine a strong ODA budget for agriculture with a solid strategy for resolving hunger by 2030, to scale up climate finance for adaptations in the agricultural sector, and to supply improved data on the impact of agricultural investments for each target group and gender.
Topic:: Agriculture, Gender Issues, Poverty, Sustainable Development Goals, and Farming
Political Geography:: Africa

14. Oxfam’s Future of Business Initiative: Promoting Equitable Businesses and Fourth Sector Development

Author:: Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:: 09-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Since the turn of the century, the poorest half of the world’s population has received just 1% of the total increase in global wealth. Meanwhile, half the new wealth has gone to the richest 1%. At present, mainstream business is driving, rather than reversing, this disturbing trend. To help reverse this trend, we need rapid growth of equitable business structures with purpose, fairness and sustainability embedded into their model. In efforts to promote such equitable business structures, and the fourth sector, Oxfam is launching the Future of Business Initiative. Through this initiative, Oxfam will help such enterprises access finance and work with global companies on how they can include them in their supply chains. Oxfam will also investigate how having more businesses structured more equitably can contribute towards tackling global inequality, and ways government policies can better foster them, and the broader fourth sector.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, Labor Issues, Private Sector, and Equity
Political Geography:: Global Focus

15. Double Trouble: A Review of the Relationship between UK Poverty and Economic Inequality

Author:: Magali Duque, Abigail McKnight, and Mark Rucci
Publication Date:: 11-2017
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The link between inequality and poverty has been highlighted by a number of international organisations, which have outlined a series of policy recommendations supporting the view that high levels of inequality need to be tackled even if the central objective is to reduce poverty. This report makes clear there is a positive correlation between income inequality and relative income poverty in the UK. The strength of this connection depends on which measure of inequality is used and this report makes no claim about causation – but the central conclusion is clear. We can no longer treat poverty and economic inequality as separate problems which can be tackled in isolation. They are instead closely linked and must be tackled together.
Topic:: Poverty, Labor Issues, Economic Inequality, and NGOs
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

16. Why is Women’s Work Low-Paid? Establishing a framework for understanding the causes of low pay among professions traditionally dominated by women

Author:: Jill Rubery
Publication Date:: 11-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This discussion paper was commissioned by Oxfam’s UK Programme to understand why certain occupations in the UK labour market, traditionally dominated by women, are low-paid. The paper argues that jobs associated with traditional and outdated notions of ‘women’s role in the home’ extends into the jobs market. This affects attitudes towards remuneration in professions such as cleaning and caring. The paper sets out a framework for understanding the risks of low pay and to explore the issue of the undervaluing of low-paid jobs with respect primarily to women. The author calls these the five ‘V’s: visibility, valuation, vocation, value-added and variance, and sets out a possible series of policy responses.
Topic:: Gender Issues, Poverty, Labor Issues, Inequality, Income Inequality, and Labor Rights
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

17. Cash Cropping and Care: How Cash Crop Development is Changing Gender Relations and Unpaid Care Work in Oromia, Ethiopia

Author:: Franziska Mager, Martin Walsh, and Fiona Remnant
Publication Date:: 12-2017
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world and prone to both natural and man-made disasters. More than three-quarters of the population live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. Women are particularly vulnerable, lacking access to and control over land and other resources, and facing harmful social norms. Oxfam has worked in Ethiopia for many years, including on interventions to support smallholder production and marketing and to promote women’s economic empowerment. One of these was the Coffee Value Chain project, in Oromia regional state, and the subject of this report. The report examines quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the project, and its findings underline the importance of understanding the wider context in which gender and care relations are both reproduced and negotiated.
Topic:: Gender Issues, Poverty, Economic Inequality, and Empowerment
Political Geography:: Kenya and Africa

18. Humanitarian capacity-building in Mozambique: Improving living and health conditions in Zambézia

Author:: Marcos Do Amaral
Publication Date:: 11-2016
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Mozambique is described as the third most exposed African country to the risks of disaster, particularly floods, cyclones and drought. It is one of the world’s worst affected countries in terms of climate change, resulting in high levels of poverty and vulnerability, and major impacts on natural resources and physical infrastructures. Oxfam is building the capacity of Mozambique’s civil society so it can effectively participate in disaster management, directly support affected and vulnerable people, and, in terms of the humanitarian situation, have a critical vision and voice.
Topic:: Civil Society, Climate Change, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Africa, Mozambique, and Southern Africa

19. Researching the Killer Fact That Highlighted Global Economic Inequality

Author:: Leila Smith
Publication Date:: 12-2016
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This case study of research in practice describes how in 2014 Oxfam staff researched and developed a powerful killer fact ' that the 85 richest people owned as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people ' and how this triggered international media coverage, political commentary, and record-level website hits.
Topic:: Poverty, Media, Inequality, and Economic Inequality
Political Geography:: Global Focus

20. A Europe For the Many, Not the Few: Time to reverse the course of inequality and poverty in Europe

Author:: Teresa Cavero
Publication Date:: 09-2015
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Europe is facing unacceptable levels of poverty and inequality. Instead of putting people first, policy decision making is increasingly influenced by wealthy elites who bend the rules to their advantage, worsening poverty and economic inequality, while steadily and significantly eroding democratic institutions. Austerity measures and unfair tax systems across Europe are skewed in favour of powerful vested interests. It is time to reverse the course of poverty and inequality in Europe, putting people first.
Topic:: Poverty, European Union, Economic Inequality, and Elites
Political Geography:: Europe

21. For Richer or Poorer: The capture of growth and politics in emerging economies

Author:: Alice Krozer
Publication Date:: 09-2015
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The emerging economies Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Turkey - in short, the BRICSAMIT - have come to be considered the economic powerhouses of recent decades. Not only have these countries managed to reduce poverty; most have embarked on a steep economic growth path and play an increasingly influential role on the global scene. But today, all eight BRICSAMIT countries occupy the top ranks as some of the most unequal countries in the world. The price these countries - and millions of their citizens - pay for this is high. Excessive inequality hampers development prospects: negatively impacting growth potential, threatening poverty reduction, leading to mass migration flows and 'brain drain', and reducing opportunities for young people. This report, which was commissioned by civil society networks across the BRICSAMIT countries, aims to increase the urgency to tackle the structural causes of inequality by shedding light on the nature and scope of the issue in the BRICSAMIT, and the economic, political and social consequences these countries are now facing as a result.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Migration, Poverty, and Economic Inequality
Political Geography:: Africa, Russia, China, Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Asia, South Africa, Brazil, South America, and Mexico

22. Climate Change Resilience: The case of Haiti

Author:: Marc J. Cohen and Bhawan Singh
Publication Date:: 03-2014
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Haiti's climate has changed over the past four decades. Annual mean temperatures have risen, and the rainy season now begins up to three months later than usual. Projections of future climate change indicate that annual mean temperatures will continue to rise over the course of the 21st century. Rainfall variability is also expected to increase, meaning more extreme droughts in the dry season and more intense rainfall in the wet season. Sea-level rise and increased storm surges are also expected. The coastal plains are increasingly subject to the influx of saltwater, and as ocean surges lead to saltier soils, farmers can no longer cultivate them. These factors will exacerbate current serious problems of flooding and erosion in coastal areas that lie in the direct path of tropical storms and hurricanes. In the absence of significant adaptation efforts, these dynamics will in turn have severe impacts on water resources, land, agriculture, and forests. Annual population growth of 1.5 per cent means over 11 million mouths to feed by 2020 and additional pressure on agricultural resources.
Topic:: Climate Change, Development, Poverty, Natural Disasters, and Infrastructure
Political Geography:: Caribbean and Haiti

23. British Foreign Policy in an Unequal World

Author:: Edmund Cairns
Publication Date:: 03-2014
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The UK needs a safe world in which to trade and invest, and to be free from the security threats caused by conflicts or fragile states. Yet spiralling inequality and climate change, among many other factors, threaten to create a more dangerous, unequal world. As the continuing tragedy in Syria shows, the world's old and new powers have not yet found a way to unite to end conflicts. The age of interventions, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, is over. But a new rule-based world in which China, India, and others unite with Western powers to protect civilians and end conflicts has not yet come into being. Whoever wins the 2015 UK general election, the greatest test for UK foreign policy will be how much it can do to help build that world.
Topic:: Security, Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Poverty, Insurgency, and Fragile/Failed State
Political Geography:: Britain, China, Iraq, United Kingdom, Europe, India, and Syria

24. A Tale of Two Britains: Inequality in the UK

Author:: Sarah Dransfield
Publication Date:: 03-2014
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Inequality is a growing problem in the UK. Whilst austerity measures in Britain continue to hit the poorest families hardest, a wealthy elite have seen their incomes spiral upwards, exacerbating income inequality which has grown under successive governments over the last quarter of a century.
Topic:: Economics, Poverty, and Governance
Political Geography:: Britain and United Kingdom

25. Effective Public Policies and Active Citizenship: Brazil's experience of building a food and nutrition security system

Author:: Marília Leão and Renato S. Maluf
Publication Date:: 02-2014
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Brazil has achieved promising results in the fight against hunger and poverty. This paper describes the path toward building a new governance framework for the provision of public policies that initiated a virtuous cycle for the progressive elimination of hunger and poverty. However, it is important to emphasize that the country continues to be characterized by dynamics that generate inequalities and threaten social and environmental justice.
Topic:: Agriculture, Economics, Poverty, Food, and Governance
Political Geography:: Brazil and Latin America

26. Review of Myanmar's Disaster Management Law from the Angle of Inclusivity

Author:: Adele Peers
Publication Date:: 02-2014
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This research reviews Myanmar's Disaster Management Law from the angle of inclusivity. It aims to make Myanmar's disaster management cycle more inclusive of women, children, persons with disabilities and aged persons. It offers recommendations aimed at government and members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) as to how to address inclusivity gaps identified through an analysis of the Disaster Management Law, and beyond. It suggests that many of the gaps can be addressed by construction of robust and inclusive Rules and Regulations to accompany the Law. While this research is focused predominantly on inclusion within Myanmar's Disaster Management Law, it also discusses disaster management processes more broadly. In this way, this research offers useful insights with regards to current and future challenges for comprehensive disaster management in Myanmar.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Natural Disasters, and Governance
Political Geography:: Southeast Asia and Myanmar

27. Riding the Wave of Reform: Fast-tracking Myanmar's future with good quality aid

Author:: Jasmine Burnley and Javier Pereira
Publication Date:: 01-2014
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In 2011, following decades of isolation, Myanmar embarked on an unprecedented reform process, raising hopes for a new democracy. These reforms have been welcomed by the international community with rising levels of aid. If properly handled and spent, aid offers an opportunity to harness Myanmar's economic potential and make it work for poor people – reducing inequality, providing essential services, building resilience, and promoting sustainable investment. This paper explores what good-quality aid should look like for Myanmar, what it could deliver for those living in poverty, and what decision makers can learn from other countries, to ensure that aid is a catalyst for democratic reform, equitable growth, and peace.
Topic:: Democratization, Economics, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Southeast Asia and Myanmar

28. Working for the Few: Political capture and economic inequality

Author:: Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva and Nicholas Galasso
Publication Date:: 01-2014
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In November 2013, the World Economic Forum released its 'Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014', in which it ranked widening income d is parities as the second greatest worldwide risk in the coming 12 to 18 months. Based on those surveyed, inequality is 'impacting social stability within countries and threatening security on a global scale.' Oxfam shares its analysis, and wants to see the 2014 World Economic Forum make the commitments needed to counter the growing tide of inequality.
Topic:: Security, Democratization, Economics, Political Economy, Poverty, and Social Stratification

29. 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

30. Hidden Hunger in South Africa: The faces of hunger and malnutrition in a food-secure nation

Author:: Yared Teka Tsegay, Masiiwa Rusare, and Rashmi Mistry
Publication Date:: 10-2014
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: South Africa is considered a 'food-secure' nation, producing enough calories to adequately feed every one of its 53 million people. However, the reality is that, despite some progress since the birth of democracy in 1994, one in four people currently suffers hunger on a regular basis and more than half of the population live in such precarious circumstances that they are at risk of going hungry.
Topic:: Security, Agriculture, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: South Africa

31. 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

32. Truth and Lies about Poverty: Ending comfortable myths about poverty

Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In 1753 John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said, "So wickedly, devilishly false is that common objection, 'They are poor, only because they are idle'". Yet today many churchgoers and members of the general public alike have come to believe that the key factors driving poverty in the UK are the personal failings of the poor – especially 'idleness'. How did this come about?
Topic:: Security, Economics, Poverty, Social Stratification, and Sociology
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

33. A Cautionary Tale: The true cost of austerity and inequality in Europe

Author:: Krisnah Poinasamy and Teresa Cavero
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Europe has often seen itself as a place where the social contract balances growth with development. A place where public services aim to ensure everyone has access to a high-quality education and no one need live in fear of falling ill. A place w here the rights of workers, and particularly of women, are respected and supported, and w here societies care for the weakest and the poorest; where the market has been harnessed to benefit society, rather than the other way round.
Topic:: Economics, Poverty, and Social Stratification
Political Geography:: Europe

34. Typhoon Haiyan: The response so far and vital lessons for recovery

Author:: Shaheen Chughtai
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: When Typhoon Haiyan made landfall it killed thousands of people and made millions more homeless. It also struck an already poor region, pushing families deeper into poverty and making them even more vulnerable to the next such disaster. Governments and individuals have responded generously. Despite serious challenges, the aid response is expanding – though crucial gaps still need to be urgently addressed. But as the long road to recovery begins, the Philippines authorities and the world must also increase efforts to tackle long term poverty and reduce the growing risk of disasters that the Philippines and other countries face.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Israel and Philippines

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. Saving Lives with Common Sense: The case for continued US support for the Arms Trade Treaty

Author:: Scott Stedjan
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: By signing the Arms Trade Treaty on September 25, Secretary John Kerry took an important step toward a safer and more secure world. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is the first-ever multilateral treaty on the global trade in conventional arms. It is a common sense agreement that establishes standards for the $40 billion legal international weapons trade and seeks to reduce the illicit arms trade.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Arms Control and Proliferation, Poverty, and Treaties and Agreements
Political Geography:: United States

40. 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

41. 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

42. 'Our Land, Our Lives': Time out on the global land rush

Author:: Kate Geary
Publication Date:: 10-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Today, stories of communities driven from their lands, often at the barrel of a gun, left destitute and unable to feed their families, have become all too familiar . As the scale and pace of large - scale land acquisitions increases globally, evidence is mounting that the land rush is out of control and that the price being paid by affected communities is unacceptably high. A huge amount of land has been sold off or leased out globally in the past decade: an area eight times the size of the UK. In poor countries , foreign investors bought up an area of land the size of London every six days between 2000 and 2010. Commercial interest in land could accelerate once again as recent food price spikes motivate rich countries to secure their own food supplies and make land a more secure and attractive option for investors and speculators. The 2008 boom in food prices is widely recognized as having triggered a surge in investor interest in land : from mid - 2008 – 2009 reported agricultural land deals by foreign investors in developing countries rocketed by around 200 per cent .
Topic:: Agriculture, Development, Poverty, Natural Resources, Territorial Disputes, and Food
Political Geography:: Africa and United Kingdom

43. Busan in a Nutshell: What next for the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation?

Author:: Farida Bena
Publication Date:: 09-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, established in Busan, South Korea in 2011, set the international standard on the principles of effective aid and good development to which all development actors should subscribe. These principles include: country leadership and ownership of development strategies; a focus on results that matter to the poor in developing countries; inclusive partnerships among development actors based on mutual trust; and transparency and accountability to one another.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Israel and South Korea

44. A Shift in Focus: Putting the interests of Somali people first

Author:: Ellie Kemp and Ben Murphy
Publication Date:: 02-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: More than six months after famine was declared by the United Nations (UN), Somaliais still in the throes of its worst humanitarian crisis in decades. More than 325,000 children are suffering acute malnutrition inside Somalia, and 31per centof the total population are estimated to be in crisis, while hundreds of thousands have fled to neighbouring countries.
Topic:: Security, Humanitarian Aid, Islam, Poverty, United Nations, and Famine
Political Geography:: Africa and United Kingdom

45. Pakistan Floods Emergency: Lessons from a continuing crisis

Author:: Shaheen Chughtai and Cate Heinrich
Publication Date:: 02-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The floods that began in August 2011 resulted in one of the most destructive disasters that Pakistan has experienced. More than five million people have been affected: 1.8 million people were left homeless and more than 2.2 million acres of crops were lost, resulting in agricultural losses of nearly $2 billion.
Topic:: Economics, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Pakistan and South Asia

46. 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

47. Left Behind by the G20? How inequality and environmental degradation threaten to exclude poor people from the benefits of economic growth

Author:: Kate Raworth, Caroline Pearce, and Richard Gower
Publication Date:: 01-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In 2010, the G20 committed themselves to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. They argued that 'for prosperity to be sustained it must be shared' and also endorsed 'green growth', which promises to decouple economic expansion from environmental degradation. But G20 countries have some way to go to match this commitment. This paper assesses their record, and points the way forward.
Topic:: Climate Change, Economics, International Organization, International Trade and Finance, and Poverty

48. The Perfect Storm: Economic stagnation, the rising cost of living, public spending cuts, and the impact on UK poverty

Author:: Moussa Haddad
Publication Date:: 06-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The combination in the UK of economic stagnation and public spending cuts is causing substantial hardship to people living in poverty. This amounts to a 'Perfect Storm' of falling incomes, rising prices, public service cuts, benefit cuts, a housing crisis, and weak labour rights. By making different political choices, the government can both protect people in poverty and help to stimulate economic recovery in the short term, and set the UK on the way towards economic, social and environmental sustainability in the long term.
Topic:: Economics, Environment, Poverty, Labor Issues, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:: United Kingdom

49. Armed Robbery: How the poorly regulated arms trade is paralysing development

Author:: Deepayan BasuRay
Publication Date:: 06-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The poorly regulated global trade in arms and ammunition weakens the ability and willingness of governments to sustain progress in development. It fuels and exacerbates conflicts and armed violence, diverting resources away from poverty reduction activities. Development gains are lost as communities are paralysed: schools are closed, health systems are strained to breaking point, investment is discouraged, and security is undermined. Through a strong focus on development, the Arms Trade Treaty can help prevent serious impediments to development, consolidate regional initiatives to safeguard development, and strengthen national capacity to become 'treaty-compliant'. With just weeks to go before diplomats meet at the United Nations, 'Armed Robbery' makes the case that a specific criteria on development as part of the Arms Trade Treaty, alongside other criteria on human rights and international humanitarian law, is one of the best ways to ensure that arms sales do not have a negative impact on socio-economic development.
Topic:: Arms Control and Proliferation, Development, Human Rights, Human Welfare, International Law, Poverty, and United Nations

50. Sahel Markets Under Pressure

Author:: Jean Denis Crola
Publication Date:: 05-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Harvests in Africa's Sahel region from the 2011/12 season are down sharply compared with last year and have been later than usual, extending the previous 'hunger gap' period. A further aggravating factor for the people of the region is that local grain prices failed to drop as they generally do in the period after the harvest. In December 2011, prices reached levels that were 80% above their five-year averages and remained at high levels, compromising access to adequate food for vulnerable populations. Together with the main agencies involved in the crisis, Oxfam, ROPPA, RBM, APESS, POSCAO and WILDAF estimate that more than 18 million people are currently in a situation of food insecurity in the Sahel.
Topic:: Agriculture, Demographics, Poverty, Food, and Famine
Political Geography:: Africa

51. Taxation in Paraguay: Marginalization of small-scale farming

Author:: Déborah Itriago
Publication Date:: 05-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Paraguay's tax system is insufficient to provide the resource base to eradicate poverty in the country, and has done little or nothing to achieve a more equal distribution of income and wealth. Two major taxation reforms over the last decade have done little to alleviate the fiscal injustice that is generated partly by the low tax reciprocity of the soy agribusiness – Paraguay's main export crop. Meanwhile, programmes to support small- scale farming receive a level of public financing accounting for just 5 per cent of public expenditure. With one of the highest levels of unequal land ownership in the world, labour informality at very high levels and poor environmental regulation of soy producers, the livelihoods and ecosystems of Paraguay's small-scale producers are at risk. There are serious loopholes in Paraguay's tax system that must be addressed in order to deliver a fairer, progressive taxation system that will allow the country to meet its social objectives.
Topic:: Agriculture, Environment, International Trade and Finance, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Latin America

52. Where There's a Will: Tackling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Author:: Abigael Baldoumas and Kelly Gilbride
Publication Date:: 05-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The Yemeni people are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis with more than ten million–44 per cent of the population–facing food insecurity. With the onset of the hunger season, many families have exhausted their coping strategies and are being driven deeper into poverty. Donors remain deeply divided over their approaches to the region's poorest country, thus delaying responses and hindering funding. As the crisis builds, donors must take steps to address immediate humanitarian needs as well as making long term commitments to promote development. The Friends of Yemen ministerial meeting in Riyadh offers a critical opportunity for donors to be decisive, creative and generous if they are to break the cycle of hunger and poverty in Yemen. Yemen's future depends upon reducing people's vulnerability and building resilience for the long term, breaking the hunger cycle and empowering people to realize their potential. Failure to act now will put more lives at risk and further entrench poverty in the country.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Food, and Famine
Political Geography:: Middle East, Yemen, and Arabia

53. Global Urban Market-Based Livelihoods in Oxfam GB: Lessons and experiences from Kenya, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Colombia, Haiti, and Russia

Author:: Sheilah Meikle, Tim Chambers, Alex Frediani, and Tom Goodfellow
Publication Date:: 04-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: More people in the world now live in urban areas than in rural areas. It is estimated that as many as one billion people, 15 per cent of the world's total of seven billion, currently live in urban slums, and this number will likely double within 20 years. Until recently however, Oxfam, like other development agencies, focused primarily on rural poverty.
Topic:: Demographics, Poverty, and Urbanization
Political Geography:: Bangladesh, Kenya, Russia, Colombia, Haiti, and Guatemala

54. Private Investment in Agriculture: Why it's essential, and what's needed

Author:: Erinch Sahan and Monique Mikhail
Publication Date:: 09-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Massive investment in agriculture is desperately needed to help fix the broken food system. Private sector investment can play a vital role in delivering inclusive economic growth, environmental sustainability and poverty reduction. However, in order to do so, it must be adequately regulated and should adhere to some key principles, such as focusing on local food markets, working with producer organisations and respecting the rights of small-scale producers, workers and communities.
Topic:: Security, Agriculture, Development, Environment, Poverty, and Food

55. Cereal Secrets: The world's largest grain traders and global agriculture

Author:: Jennifer Clapp, Sophia Murphy, and David Burch
Publication Date:: 08-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This report is composed of two parts. The first introduces the four big commodity traders – Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus – which are the focus of this study. Collectively, these trading companies are often referred to as 'the ABCD companies' because of the coincidence of their initials. Part 2 then looks at these traders in relation to a number of the global issues pressing on agriculture: the 'financialization' of both commodity trade and agricultural production; the emergence of global competitors to the ABCDs, in particular from Asia; and some of the implications of large-scale industrial biofuels, a sector in which the ABCDs are closely involved. It includes a discussion of how smallholders in developing countries are affected by some of these changes, and highlights some development policy implications, given the importance of the ABCDs in shaping the world of food and agriculture.
Topic:: Agriculture, Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Asia

56. From Poverty to Power, 2nd Edition: How active citizens and effective states can change the world

Author:: Duncan Green
Publication Date:: 10-2012
Content Type:: Book
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Seismic events have convulsed global markets since 2008, when From Poverty to Power was first published. World news has been full of stories reflecting a profound sense of uncertainty about global futures. In response, this new edition of From Poverty to Power has been fully revised and now includes an in-depth analysis of the human impact of the global financial and food crises. From Poverty to Power, 2nd Edition argues that a radical redistribution of power, opportunities, and assets, rather than traditional models of charitable or government aid, is required to break the cycle of poverty and inequality. Active citizens and effective states are driving this transformation. Why active citizens? Because people living in poverty must have a voice in deciding their own destiny and holding the state and the private sector to account. Why effective states? Because history shows that no country has prospered without a state structure that can actively manage the development process. There is now an added urgency: climate change. We need to build a secure, fair, and sustainable world within the limits set by scarce resources and ecological realities. The book is accompanied by a list of blog resources. The From Poverty to Power blog played a key role in shaping the second edition of the book. Selected posts have now been indexed thematically to create an effective list of background material that can be read alongside the book.
Topic:: Civil Society, Climate Change, Globalization, Political Economy, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Global Focus

57. Medicine regulation – not IP enforcement – can best deliver quality medicines

Author:: Jennifer Brant
Publication Date:: 02-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Access to medicines at affordable prices is critical to the enjoyment of the human right to health. Lower prices require the implementation of pro-access policies that include the promotion of generic competition. However, medicines cannot be selected on the basis of price alone. To ensure that only safe, effective, and quality products are on the market, effective regulation is necessary.
Topic:: Development, Health, Poverty, and Third World
Political Geography:: Europe

58. Exploring BME Maternal Poverty: The financial lives of ethnic minority mothers in Tyne and Wear

Author:: Chris Warburton Brown
Publication Date:: 01-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This report has grown out of Oxfam's commitment to tackling the poverty of black and minority ethnic (BME) women in the UK. It aims to improve our understanding of BME mothers' experiences of poverty, to address the way in which the poverty of BME mothers is hidden from conventional data collection, to raise awareness amongst policy-makers and practitioners of the material circumstances of low-income BME mothers, and to improve the ways in which poor BME women are supported to secure greater assets and resources.
Topic:: Economics, Gender Issues, and Poverty
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

59. Six months into the floods: Resetting Pakistan's priorities through reconstruction

Author:: Shaheen Chughtai and Helen McElhinney
Publication Date:: 01-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Six months after the flood disaster began, this briefing paper evaluates the humanitarian response so far, the continuing crisis, and the challenges that lie ahead. It looks at the immediate reconstruction task, as well as the underlying socio-economic and political issues that need to be tackled by the Government of Pakistan, backed by the international aid community, in order to help vulnerable Pakistanis rebuild stronger, safer communities and a more equitable and self-reliant country.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Pakistan, South Asia, and Asia

60. Climate Change Investment through the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience in Tajikistan

Publication Date:: 01-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Tajikistan is a poor country with limited industry, significant energy production from hydropower, and a low carbon footprint. Poverty in Tajikistan is predominantly found in rural areas, and is increasingly feminized as significant numbers of men migrate to other countries for work. This mountainous terrain of Tajikistan leaves many of its population reliant on marginal land for their livelihoods and thus vulnerable to climate change.
Topic:: Climate Change, Development, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Central Asia and Tajikistan

61. From Relief to Recovery: Supporting good governance in post-earthquake Haiti

Publication Date:: 01-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 had a devastating impact on the already vulnerable island nation, leaving more than 200,000 people dead and over one million homeless. In October 2010, Haiti was struck by a second disaster: as of mid December 2010, a cholera outbreak has affected more than 122,000 people, leaving at least 2,600 dead.
Topic:: Development, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: United Nations

62. Haiti Progress Report 2010

Publication Date:: 01-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Even before the earthquake struck on 12 January 2010, Haiti was the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, ranked by the United Nations Development Programme as one of the world's 50 poorest countries (2009). In short, life was already a struggle for most families. Then the earthquake hit, and lives were turned upside down. It was the most powerful earthquake in Haiti for 200 years.
Topic:: Development, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: United Nations, Caribbean, and Haiti

63. Girls' Education in Afghanistan

Publication Date:: 02-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Female education has faced significant obstacles in Afghanistan, yet there have been enormous gains since 2001. Under the Taliban, the majority of girls‟ schools were closed and gross enrollment fell from 32% to just 6.4%.In the early years after the fall of the Taliban, education was a top priority for the Afghan government and donors. Much of this donor focus was on getting children back into school, with a particular emphasis on primary level. The Back to School campaign, launched in 2002, significantly ex-panded enrollment, which has increased nearly seven-fold, from approxi-mately 900,000 in 2000 to 6.7 million in 2009.For girls, the increase has been even more dramatic: official enrollment figures have increased from an estimated 5,000 under the Taliban to 2.4 million girls currently enrolled.
Topic:: Education, Gender Issues, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Afghanistan and Taliban

64. Whose Aid Is It Anyway? Politicizing aid in conflicts and crises

Publication Date:: 02-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Effective aid helps save lives, protect rights and build livelihoods. Yet in conflicts and politically unstable settings from Afghanistan to Yemen, lifesaving humanitarian assistance and longer-term efforts to reduce poverty are being damaged where aid is used primarily to pursue donors' own narrow political and security objectives. This is not only undermining humanitarian principles and donors' development commitments; it impacts on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
Topic:: Security, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Afghanistan and Yemen

65. Making Growth Inclusive - Some lessons from countries and the literature

Author:: Elizabeth Stuart
Publication Date:: 04-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Economic growth in developing countries is desirable and necessary, but it is the distribution of that growth that matters for poverty reduction, rather than the pursuit of growth for its own sake.
Topic:: Development, Economics, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Latin America and Southeast Asia

66. Who will feed the World? The production challenge

Author:: Lucia Wegner and Gine Zwart
Publication Date:: 04-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Against a background of increasing food insecurity, agriculture in developing countries must undergo a significant transformation in order to increase production and respond to climate change. It is estimated that feeding 8.2 billion people – an additional 1.4 billion – in 2030 would require raising overall food production by some 50 per cent between 2005/07 and 2030. Feeding a larger urban population in a context of increasing scarcity of land and water, while also adopting more sustainable production methods, is a daunting challenge. In Africa, where it is predicted that population levels will double during the same period, the challenge will be even more acute.
Topic:: Agriculture, Development, Poverty, Science and Technology, Food, and Famine
Political Geography:: Africa

67. Including Ethnic Minority Women in Policy Making

Publication Date:: 03-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Oxfam knows that ethnic minority women's organisations are proud, persistent, and passionate. Activists, members of management committees, staff, and volunteers bring a range of commitment, knowledge, and skills. They know their community and the women they work with, and the issues particular to both. This knowledge is vital to their organisations' success. And, using it, they achieve results.
Topic:: Gender Issues, Poverty, and Political Activism

68. My Land, My Right: Putting land rights at the heart of the Pakistan floods reconstruction

Publication Date:: 06-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In the aftermath of the 2010–11 floods, the path to recovery and reconstruction in Pakistan will be long and full of challenges. However, there is also an opportunity to tackle crucial structural issues such as crippling inequalities in people's rights and access to land. A failure to do so would not only condemn millions of Pakistanis to continued and deepening poverty, it would also undermine the scope and sustainability of the country's recovery from this disaster and its ability to cope with the next.
Topic:: Agriculture, Political Economy, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Pakistan and South Asia

69. Land Rights and the Indus Flood, 2010-2011: Rapid assessment and policy review

Author:: Azmat Budhani and Haris Gazdar
Publication Date:: 06-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The Indus floods of 2010-2011 were the direct cause of over 1,700 deaths and the displacement of an estimated 18 million people across Pakistan. Official estimates of the economic costs of the damage caused by the floods range from $8.74bn to $10.85bn, which include the estimated costs, early recovery for the provision of relief, rebuilding destroyed infrastructure, and other economic losses to individuals, communities, firms, and the government.
Topic:: Political Economy, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Pakistan and South Asia

70. Growing a Better Future: Food justice in a resource-constrained world

Author:: Robert Bailey
Publication Date:: 06-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Niger is the epicentre of hunger. Here, it is chronic. Corrosive. Structural. Systemic. Over 65 per cent of people survive on less than $1.25 a day. Nearly one in two children is malnourished. One in six dies before they reach the age of five.
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, and Food

71. Exploring Food Price Scenarios Towards 2030 With a Global Multi-Region Model

Author:: Dirk Willenbockel
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This report is a contribution to the Oxfam report: 'Growing a Better Future'. It explores a range of scenarios for food price increases to 2030 through the GLOBE model. Over and above providing a global perspective, the research provides disaggregated results for a range of countries and country groups identified by Oxfam.
Topic:: Security, Agriculture, Economics, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Africa

72. Governance for a Resilient Food System

Author:: Alex Evans
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Today, the world produces enough to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants - but nearly a billion people still go without. This paper is about why this global scandal continues, and what can be done to solve it. Its central argument is that access to food is as important as how much food is produced - and that in a world of food price volatility, climate change and other kinds of shocks and stresses, the challenge of building resilience in the food system takes on overwhelming importance.
Topic:: Security, Agriculture, Poverty, and Food

73. The Struggle for a Pro-Poor Food Policy in Guatemala

Author:: Kate Kilpatrick
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The 2008 food price crisis had a devastating impact on poor Guatemalans. This was followed by widespread crop failure and a food emergency in 2009, affecting an estimated 2.5 million people (de Schutter 2010). With a heavy reliance on imported staple grains and the most productive lands allocated to export crops, Guatemala's food system is broken.
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Latin America and Guatemala

74. Time's Bitter Flood: Trends in the number of reported natural disasters

Author:: Steve Jennings
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This report analyses the number of reported disasters in those regions where the majority of the world's poor and vulnerable people live: sub-Saharan Africa, South and South-East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It presents analysis of the trends in the number of reported disasters, assesses what country-level factors influence the reported number of disasters, and compares the findings with independent published studies.
Topic:: Poverty and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Africa, South Asia, and Caribbean

75. Sleeping Lions: Tratados internacionales de inversión, conflictos Estado-inversor y acceso a alimentos, tierra y agua

Author:: Javier Perez, Myriam Gistelinck, and Dima Karbala
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: La gestión y el acceso a la tierra y el agua son clave para asegurar la seguridad alimentaria y la reducción de la pobreza. En los próximos años, esta importancia irá en aumento. Sin embargo, estos recursos naturales a menudo se convierten en objeto de importantes conflictos de poder entre empresas, Estados y comunidades. Estos conflictos no tienen lugar en el seno de un vacío institucional, sino que los gobiernos nacionales y las instituciones internacionales son los responsables de diseñar el escenario en el cual operan estos distintos intereses. Las normas nacionales e internacionales permiten a las empresas invertir en tierras, agua y otros recursos naturales tanto en sus propios países como en el extranjero.
Topic:: Security, Poverty, Power Politics, Natural Resources, and Food

76. Minding the Money: Governance of climate change adaptation finance in Nepal

Author:: Katie Wiseman and Raju Pandit Chhetri
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Climate change is an urgent concern in Nepal. In recent years, the country has faced more than its fair share of extreme weather patterns. Increases in temperature extremes, more intense rainfall, drier winters and delays in summer monsoons have become quite common and are expected to get worse. In fact, a recent Climate Change Vulnerability Index, calculating susceptibility to impacts of climate change over the next 30 years, places Nepal 4th out of 170 countries. This report examines the national situation of climate change adaptation policy and programming, highlighting key areas of progress, weakness and challenges. The report notes that current initiatives have yet to deliver benefit to the marginalized and vulnerable communities in the country - the very groups that need it most. Based on the findings, the report presents a set of recommendations for the Government, donor community and civil society.
Topic:: Civil Society, Climate Change, Environment, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Asia and Nepal

77. Ready or Not: Pakistan's resilience to disasters one year on from the floods

Publication Date:: 07-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The floods that hit Pakistan in 2010 were the worst in the country's history. The humanitarian response achieved remarkable successes in minimising the immediate loss of life and providing relief to millions of people. However, it could have been better: more than 800,000 families remain without permanent shelter and more than a million people remain in need of food assistance. These unmet needs must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Topic:: Economics, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:: Pakistan and South Asia

78. Ethiopia's Sesame Sector: The contribution of different farming models to poverty alleviation, climate resilience and women's empowerment

Author:: Genia Kostka and Jenny Scharrer
Publication Date:: 07-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The key findings of this report are that sesame is a suitable crop for poverty alleviation for smallholders in Benishangul Gumuz and that the smallholder model is competitive versus the large-scale investor model in terms of productivity. Farmers can achieve high profits without significant up-front investments. With minimal expenditure for sesame seeds and some simple equipment for ploughing, weeding and harvesting, farmers can cultivate sesame on a family labor basis. Potential income is higher in the smallholder model than from either communal land management, or from the salaries from large-scale investors (see Figure 1) However, this potential is mirrored by the highest risk for farmers to receive the lowest income. Smallholders can mitigate this risk as well as increase their income further through membership of primary production co-operatives that offer higher sales prices and paid-out dividends.
Topic:: Agriculture, Gender Issues, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Ethiopia

79. Community Assets First: The implications of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach for the Coalition agenda

Author:: Niall Cooper, Lucy Brill, Moussa Haddad, Rachel Newton, and Jenni Viitanen
Publication Date:: 10-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) is an analytical model that seeks to build on the existing assets and strategies that people living in poverty use to support themselves, and then to identify what needs to change in order for their livelihoods to become more secure and sustainable.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Political Economy, Poverty, and Political Theory
Political Geography:: United Kingdom

80. The 'Right' Results: Making sure the results agenda remains committed to poverty reduction

Author:: Tariq Ahmad
Publication Date:: 09-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Donor governments are prioritizing aid 'results' in advance of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HFL4) in Busan, Korea, due to take place at the end of 2011. But there is a real risk that their efforts will lead to a poorly designed results policy that could undo years of work to make aid more useful for fighting poverty.
Topic:: Development, Government, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Korea

81. Progressive Taxation: Towards fair tax policies

Author:: Deborah Itriago
Publication Date:: 09-2011
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This report focuses on tax policy in developing countries: who pays tax, what taxes are paid, and how. Tax policy can have a huge impact on inequality and poverty reduction, either positively or negatively, depending on what tax policies a country decides to implement. Taxation is also often at the heart of the social contract between citizens and their government, and progressive taxation is central to creating strong, democratic, and effective states.
Topic:: Development, Economics, Education, Poverty, Social Stratification, and Health Care Policy

82. Land and Power: The growing scandal surrounding the new wave of investments in land

Author:: Bertram Zagema
Publication Date:: 09-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: International investment plays a vital role in development and poverty reduction. Investment can improve livelihoods and bring jobs, services, and infrastructure, when it is managed responsibly within the context of an effective regulatory framework. Oxfam sees this every day in its work and, in some cases, is working collaboratively with businesses to promote investments that directly benefit poor communities. The recent record of investment in land is very different. It tells a story of rapidly increasing pressure on land – a natural resource upon which the food security of millions of people living in poverty depends. Too many investments have resulted in dispossession, deception, violation of human rights, and destruction of livelihoods. Without national and international measures to defend the rights of people living in poverty, this modern-day land-rush looks set to leave too many poor families worse off, often evicted from their land with little or no recourse to justice.
Topic:: Security, Agriculture, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Western Europe

83. Yemen: Fragile lives in hungry times

Publication Date:: 09-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The promise of what came to be known as the Arab Spring, which dawned in North Africa, sweeping into the Arabian Gulf and up through the Middle East, has foundered in Yemen. Political turmoil has taken hold and reform has stalled, sparking renewed insecurity, devastating an already frail economy, and triggering a national fuel crisis that has in turn driven rising levels of hunger. Levels of child malnutrition in some regions are among the worst in the world. While billions of dollars have been donated to Tunisia, Libya, and to a lesser extent Egypt to rebuild their economies, Yemenis are facing chronic hunger and have few resources at their disposal. While the eyes of the world are on other countries experiencing major upheaval, Yemen must not be forgotten. Leaving the country to simmer and collapse in slow motion will lead to far greater humanitarian and security concerns.
Topic:: Poverty, Food, and Famine
Political Geography:: Middle East, Norway, Yemen, Arabia, United Nations, and Egypt

84. A Crisis Multiplied: How the global economic crisis, coming on top of other shocks, is worsening poverty in Burkina Faso

Author:: Elizabeth Stuart
Publication Date:: 07-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: It is a stable democracy, with an efficient and increasingly transparent government. The entire budget is published online. Strong education and health plans are in place, and the government promotes the use of generic medicines. In recent years growth has been consistently robust, at around 6 percent. The country hosts a world-renowned film festival. It has consistently sought to reform and modernize, just as the IMF and World Bank have prescribed. And, in turn, donors love to fund it. It was, for instance, one of the first countries to qualify for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme. So confident is the international community that its money will be in safe hands that it readily gives budget support – which is very positive, as this form of aid allows the government to fund recurrent expenditures such as teachers' and doctors' salaries, though from a donor's perspective it is more difficult to trace, in large amounts.
Topic:: Economics, Markets, Poverty, Third World, Global Recession, and Financial Crisis

85. Life and Dignity at Risk: The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector in Liberia

Publication Date:: 06-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Liberia's newly approved water and sanitation policy states that water is life' and sanitation is dignity'. These powerful statements signal a welcome commitment in a country where safe water and decent sanitation have long been absent for the vast majority of the population, with catastrophic impacts on life and social welfare. The key challenge for the Government of Liberia, and the donors who support it, will be to turn this commitment into positive outcomes for Liberia's 3.5 million people. This report therefore focuses on the questions that will be crucial in this process. Firstly, is the water and sanitation sector in Liberia prioritised to reflect this commitment? Are there clear, actionable plans to make this commitment a reality? Does Liberia have resources and sufficient support to ensure that communities stop risking their lives and dignity? Finally, what challenges remain and what can be done to address them?
Topic:: Development, Health, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Africa

86. Halving Hunger: Still Possible? Building a rescue package to set the MDGs back on track

Publication Date:: 09-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Ten years after the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by world leaders became the greatest-ever commitment for a 'more peaceful, prosperous and just future', progress is slow and many hard-won achievements have been undone after the global food, fuel and economic crises. Unless an urgent rescue package is developed to accelerate fulfillment of all the MDGs, we are likely to witness the greatest collective failure in history.
Topic:: Development, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, and Poverty
Political Geography:: United Nations

87. A Gender Perspective on 21st Century Welfare Reform

Author:: Janet Veitch
Publication Date:: 10-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This response to the Coalition Government's proposals on working age benefits and tax credits in its consultation paper, 21st-Century Welfare, takes a gender lens to the reforms. It is written in the context of Oxfam's work against poverty in the UK and its longstanding concern with the poverty and inequality of women. The response below follows the same structure as the consultation document.
Topic:: Development, Gender Issues, and Poverty
Political Geography:: United Kingdom

88. The Making of a Seoul Development: Consensus The essential development agenda for the G20

Author:: Jasmine Burnley and Elizabeth Stuart
Publication Date:: 10-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: When the G20 meets in Seoul in November 2010, it has a big choice to make. It can either retreat into a narrow focus on its own interests, or it can prove it is capable of genuine global leadership in the face of the interlinked economic, food, and climate change crises. The G20 must adopt a Seoul 'development consensus' that confronts the challenges of the 21st century: reducing inequality and tackling global poverty through sustainable, equitable growth that gives poor women and men, and their governments, the tools they need to overcome poverty.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Israel, Asia, and South Korea

89. Agricultural challenges and opportunities for Haiti's reconstruction

Author:: Marc Cohen
Publication Date:: 10-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The massive earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 devastated rural areas as well as urban, destroying crops, farm buildings, equipment, and infrastructure. Indirect effects touched almost every corner of the nation, as 600,000 people migrated to the countryside, increasing pressure on already stretched food and fuel resources. Internal displacement worsened food insecurity, which affected six out of ten people even before the disaster.
Topic:: Development, Disaster Relief, Poverty, and Food
Political Geography:: Caribbean

90. Better Returns in a Better World: Responsible investment: overcoming the barriers and seeing the returns

Author:: Rory Sullivan, Helena Viñes Fiestas, and Rachel Crossley
Publication Date:: 11-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: “We can't afford not to invest in the developing world. We all know that's where the greatest need is; but that is also where some of the greatest dynamism is.” Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary-General speaking at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, June 2010.
Topic:: Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Poverty
Political Geography:: United Nations

91. The Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Pacific Region

Author:: Simon Feeny
Publication Date:: 02-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: At a macroeconomic level, the Global Economic Crisis (GEC) has had less impact on many Pacific countries than on most other developing countries across the world. However, this does not imply that Pacific country economies are performing well. Economic growth rates for most countries in the Pacific region are expected to be low for 2009 and 2010 and the majority of economies are likely to contract on a per capita basis in these years.
Topic:: Climate Change, Economics, Poverty, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:: Australia/Pacific

92. Better Jobs in Better Supply Chains

Publication Date:: 03-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: This paper is intended for senior managers in all companies that source goods from developing countries. Examples are drawn mainly from the garment and agriculture industries but the learning is transferable to other industries, including electronics, construction, and services.
Topic:: Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, Poverty, and Labor Issues

93. Haiti: A Once-in-a-Century Chance for Change

Publication Date:: 03-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: No disaster is completely natural. The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 was no exception. Haiti's extreme levels of poverty and inequality exacerbated the devastation and determined who was vulnerable.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, Foreign Aid, and Reconstruction
Political Geography:: Caribbean and Haiti

94. Women's Poverty and Social Exclusion in the European Union at a Time of Recession: An Invisible Crisis?

Publication Date:: 03-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In October 2009, Oxfam and the European Women's Lobby (EWL) commissioned research to explore and analyse the hidden impact of the current economic recession on women's poverty in EU countries. The research was conducted with EWL member organisations, and supplemented with other research and information available at the end of 2009.
Topic:: Economics, Gender Issues, Poverty, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:: Europe

95. 21st century aid: Recognising success and tackling failure

Author:: Jasmine Burnley
Publication Date:: 05-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: In Mozambique, the government has a national plan to tackle poverty and inequality, but it cannot finance this plan from national resources alone. Despite this, Mozambique – just 20 years ago the poorest country in the world – has increased its spending on health care by over half, and in the past decade the number of children who die before their fifth birthday has come down by almost 20 percent.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Poverty, Third World, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Georgia

96. Climate change adaptation: Enabling people living in poverty to adapt

Author:: Catherine Pettengell
Publication Date:: 04-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Climate change is fast pushing communities, particularly the most poor and marginalized, beyond their capacity to respond. Across the world, staple subsistence crops are approaching their outer viable temperature ranges; erratic rainfall patterns and changing seasons are upsetting agricultural cycles and leaving many struggling to feed their families; and rising sea levels are causing the inundation of crops and the contamination of water supplies with salt water.
Topic:: Climate Change, Environment, Poverty, and Third World

97. The rain doesn't come on time anymore: Poverty, vulnerability, and climate variability in Ethiopia

Author:: Senait Regassa, Christina Givey, and Gina E. Castillo
Publication Date:: 04-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: Climate variability in Ethiopia is not new—its diverse agro-ecological zones have brought a dazzling variety of micro-climates, and corresponding weather patterns, and people have developed ways to respond successfully to these challenges. But now, in addition to the usual struggles, Ethiopians living in poverty are additionally suffering the effects of climate change—both more variable climate and more extreme weather events. Women, men, families, and whole communities are struggling with how to understand this new variability, identify new patterns, and establish what resources they need to be able to move beyond reacting and coping to adapting to the new realities and being resilient. Policy makers, likewise, face the daunting challenge of how to refine policies, especially investments in and related to agriculture, to focus on poverty and vulnerability reduction in context of the new realities of climate change.
Topic:: Climate Change, Environment, and Poverty
Political Geography:: Africa and Ethiopia

98. Something for nothing: Challenging negative attitudes to people living in poverty

Author:: Clare Cochrane
Publication Date:: 05-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: People living in poverty in the UK make a vital contribution to the economy and society through unpaid caring and community work. But public attitudes prevail that people on low incomes – and particularly those on benefits – are 'scroungers' who are to blame for their own poverty. These attitudes are exacerbated by a widespread assumption that opportunities to earn a reasonable income are readily available.
Topic:: Poverty, Social Stratification, and Public Opinion
Political Geography:: United Kingdom

99. The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Budgets of Low-Income Countries

Author:: Katerina Kyrili and Matthew Martin
Publication Date:: 07-2010
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: The financial crisis has hit developing countries hard, driving millions more people into poverty and reversing several years of rapid progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For most of the poorest people, the impact will depend on what governments do with their budgets–how much they spend to fight against the crisis, protect the poorest, and revive progress towards the MDGs. This report examines what 56 low-income countries have done in 2009 and are planning to do in 2010. It is unique in drawing on budget documents issued in June–December 2009, and therefore in being able to describe what is happening in detail, in order to look ahead to 2010 and beyond. This study is particularly timely as the deadline for countries to reach the MDGs is now only five years away.
Topic:: Development, Poverty, Third World, Global Recession, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:: Africa

100. What Happened at the G20? Initial Analysis of the London Summit

Publication Date:: 04-2009
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:: G20 leaders met for the second time in London on 2 April, as the global economic crisis began to crash across the borders of poor countries with ever-greater severity. Oxfam's research shows rising human impacts in the shape of job losses, falling remittances to the families of migrant workers and a particularly severe impact on women workers in global supply chains. Based on the latest forecasts, published on the eve of the summit, Oxfam estimates that the crisis could push 100 million people into poverty in 2009 alone.
Topic:: Economics, Gender Issues, Globalization, International Organization, Poverty, and Labor Issues
Political Geography:: London

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS