ODI Opinion

Mobile banking for catalysing diaspora investment: a leapfrogging development opportunity for the ACP and DRC (ODI Blog Posts, 24 May 2012)

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:00:00 GMT

'Some key questions still remain to be answered to take full advantage of solutions offered by the leap-frogging development instrument of mobile banking.'

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Hands on or hands off for budget support? (ODI Blog Posts, 23 May 2012)

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

'DFID’s bullish focus on results is welcome, but there are different ways to achieve results. An Independent Commission for Aid Impact evaluation points in one direction: a ‘more hands-on approach’ for budget support.'

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After the honeymoon: what would a happy marriage between Brazil and Africa look like? (Articles and blogs, 23 May 2012)

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

"The rise and establishment of Brazil as a development actor in Africa is good news. Notwithstanding the potential benefits ... [there are] some of the myths and challenges underlying the glitter of the Brazil-Africa honeymoon.'

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Moving REDD+ forward: more structured discussion on the drivers of deforestation is needed (ODI Blog Posts, 22 May 2012)

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

'The second REDD+ Partnership meeting of 2012 should be commended for its acknowledgment and frank discussion on these important issues. I left the meeting, however, without a clear sense of the pathway to progress.'

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A waymark reached. Is the finish line in sight? (Articles and blogs, 21 May 2012)

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

'The EU Foreign Affairs Council has finally issued Conclusions regarding the new EU development policy, ‘Agenda for Change’...What has been gained and lost in the process?'

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Outsourcing policymaking to think tanks: it can guarantee influence but is it desirable? (On Think Tanks, 21 May 2012)

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

'Handing over policy implementation to any external organisation should be of concern. Under new proposals, the civil service would not only outsource the policy-making process to political organisations, but its constitutionally mandated accountability as well. If anything went wrong, where would the buck stop?'

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Sustainable development is the only way forward (Articles and blogs, 21 May 2012)

Mon, 21 May 2012 5:00:00 GMT

'Development cooperation needs to shift focus from poverty eradication to a broader, more inclusive framework.'

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Afghanistan’s long war: the humanitarian consequences of drawdown (ODI Blog Posts, 18 May 2012)

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

‘High on the [NATO] summit’s agenda will be exit strategies and the buzz words ‘security transition’. Few are likely to be paying attention to the humanitarian consequences of troop withdrawal or addressing the human cost of their departure.’

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Shedding light on fast-start finance (Articles and blogs, 18 May 2012)

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'It’s not presently possible to say with confidence how much funding has been disbursed or where it’s going... consistent fast-start finance reports that provide detailed lists of projects and programs supported are needed'

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Rio+20 must... do the impossible (Post2015.org, 10 May 2012)

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT

'The level of ambition of those outside the Rio process is not matched by those within it. The last round of negotiations on the ‘Outcome document’ finished in New York at the end of last week, and the signs are that concrete agreements will be hard to come by.'

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Drive on by? Will upcoming meetings in Bonn take the opportunity to make progress on addressing drivers of deforestation? (Articles and blogs, 10 May 2012)

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

'Recognition of the need to reduce emissions from forests as part of efforts to avoid dangerous global warming has helped push forests up the political agenda. Whether these efforts are able to face head on the trade-offs and conflicts that exist and find solutions to these challenges will be one of its biggest tests.'

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Evaluating EU aid: a booming business! (ODI Blog Posts, 10 May 2012)

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'The House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC) inquiry into EU aid and the OECD DAC peer review ran in parallel... the main findings of the evaluations were not dissimilar. However, the key takeaways from both reports are rather different.'

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The decline of the corporate website (and rise of a social internet) (Articles and blogs, 9 May 2012)

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'A good communications strategy must start planning for obsolescence of a corporate website as a communications tool: it must look at how connections can be made between content and the social world, how information can be automatically posted on relevant platforms in the right format.'

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The shifting dynamics of poverty – how do we research poverty and wellbeing in a changing world? (ODI Blog Posts, 8 May 2012)

Tue, 08 May 2012 9:00:00 GMT

'We need to look back, building on the lessons of the past decade on what works best for understanding the causes of and solutions to poverty. We also need to look forward, and respond to the changing world.'

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Structuring options for a green economy – what does the ERD say about the ingredients, recipes, and cooks? (European Report on Development Blog, 2 May 2012)

Wed, 02 May 2012 9:00:00 GMT

'The green economy requires a change in mind set by all... The European Report on Development’s framework provides a useful tool to do just that.'

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Why were regional institutions unable to avert Mali's political crisis? (Articles and blogs, 2 May 2012)

Wed, 02 May 2012 6:00:00 GMT

'Current policy focus within the international community on the importance of regional bodies places too much attention on high-profile political groupings...To engage more effectively, it should look more closely at sub-regional and informal groupings and alliances. This involves a better understanding of the intricacies of west African politics and the power structures of sub-regional groupings.'

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Inequality won't take care of itself (Articles and blogs, 27 April 2012)

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

'There is clear recognition that inequality has retarded development and limited the ability of large sectors of the population to participate meaningfully in political, social, or economic processes -- a problem that has to be addressed head-on if it is to be solved.'

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Large hydro projects and sustainable development policy - are public and private sector interests compatible? (Films and videos, 27 April 2012)

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'The social and environmental aspects of hydropower projects need to be fully integrated as components of the main project, and part of a plan for local/regional development - not poorly funded ‘add-ons’.'

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Are countries ready for change? (SimonMaxwell.eu, 26 April 2012)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Countries succeed or fall in the modern world depending on their ability to ride the wave of domestic and global change. A new index ranks Chile, Taiwan and Malaysia in the top ten among developing countries; but also, controversially, Tunisia, Kazakhstan and Peru. At the other end of the scale, Zimbabwe is an obvious member of the bottom ten; but so, surprisingly, are donor darlings like Ethiopia and Mozambique.'

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Justice in Sierra Leone: delivering on different levels (ODI Blog Posts, 26 April 2012)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'While the international community is closely watching the outcome of the high level formal justice processes underway in the Special Court, a thought should be spared for the ongoing neglect of non-state security at the local level...'

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A rough guide to post-2015 frameworks (Global Dashboard, 25 April 2012)

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 5:00:00 GMT

'My handy cut-out-and-keep guide to the three possible post-2015 frameworks which seem to be implied by current discussions'

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Size matters: Africa’s water resources (ODI Blog Posts, 23 April 2012)

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:30:00 GMT

'What’s behind the story that Africa is sitting on vast groundwater reserves, and what will it mean for Africa’s population, particularly the poor? To solve the drinking water crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, three things need to change.'

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How to get the future we want (Articles and blogs, 20 April 2012)

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

With the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference) on 20-22 June fast approaching, the world is reflecting on what has been achieved in the 20 years since the last Rio Summit and how the ongoing challenges can be tackled. According to the European Report on Development 2011/2012 Team Leader, Dr Dirk Willem te Velde, galvanising people, firms and governments into action needs much more debate and acknowledgment of the severity of the new challenges for the people living in poverty.

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Once a K* practitioner, always a K* practitioner (Articles and blogs, 20 April 2012)

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'I’m greatly looking forward to the K* conference - any policymaking process means making decisions, and decisions need knowledge. Whether we work with government, as practitioners or in the private sector; we need to be sure that we are correctly interpreting the evidence in front of us. And the more complex the decisions, the more knowledge is power.'

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The US offer to North Korea: What kind of food aid was that? (ODI Blog Posts, 19 April 2012)

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

And the poor, hungry and malnourished in North Korea? Where does the withdrawal of the US food aid offer leave them?... There are no easy answers where a government prioritises rocket science over its people’s entitlement to food.

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Sustainable Energy for All: milestone on a road to where? (Articles and blogs, 18 April 2012)

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:00:00 GMT

'Sustainable Energy for All has ambitious targets, calling for five times current levels of investment in energy access, according to the International Energy Agency...Where the capital is going to come from and how it is going to be channelled to where it is needed remains uncertain, except that a large proportion will have to come from the private sector.'

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Who are the ‘honourable’ - MPs or citizens? (ODI Blog Posts, 17 April 2012)

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

'What constitutes ‘good enough’ consultation and what form should it take if there is no opportunity for face-to-face meetings? '

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Good governance vs. collective action (Articles and blogs, 16 April 2012)

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Development outcomes in poor countries depend fundamentally on incentives. The political incentives facing elites and leaders are the key to possible change at national level.'

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Is there a case for a fresh approach to aid measurement? (Articles and blogs, 13 April 2012)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Aid at low levels can be an important source of finance for specific sectors and geographical regions; it can catalyse change, boost civil society's efforts to hold powerful actors to account, and help to attract other types of finance.'

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Not fit for purpose: Alison Evans explores the World Bank presidential selection process (Films and videos, 12 April 2012)

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'This process has to change, it is not fit for purpose for the world we live in today. This really should be the last time it happens this way.'

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How democracy came through in Malawi's succession (Articles and blogs, 11 April 2012)

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'The problem was that no formal announcement of Mutharika's death had yet been made, and his body had been spirited away.'

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Time to gamble on development goals (ODI Blog Posts, 10 April 2012)

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Big ideas, well communicated and with popular support behind them, could make a big difference.'

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How to lead billions: observations on leadership and transition in China (Articles and blogs, 5 April 2012)

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Leadership is increasingly recognised as important for development, but too often there is a tendency to conflate leadership with individual leaders...We must do better in our approach to politics, demanding more than charisma from our own leaders.'

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The aid question (Articles and blogs, 1 April 2012)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Continuing critical thought about the future of Britain's aid relationships is essential, but political and media attention must find a way beyond the narrow prism of 0.7 per cent if the debate is to wake up to the challenges now framing global development.'

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Will climate-related disasters test humanitarian relief to destruction? (Articles and blogs, 28 March 2012)

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:00:00 GMT

'If we do not want to live in a neverending disaster movie, we need to get serious about linking our carbon consumption to the changing weather-map.'

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Is sustainable local development a persuasive alternative to microfinance? (Articles and blogs, 28 March 2012)

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'While much has been written on the rights and wrongs of microfinance, there has been less analysis of what might replace it and how funds could be better used to help poor communities move out of poverty.'

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12 links between the G20 and Rio+20 in 2012 (ODI Blog Posts, 27 March 2012)

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'In what ways could environmental and growth thinking in the G20 and Rio+20 reinforce each other?'

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Industrial energy efficiency: scoring a hat trick (Articles and blogs, 23 March 2012)

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Energy efficiency provides a triple win in providing environmental improvements, economic profits and social dividends.'

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No ‘cookie cutters’: we’ll do LEDS our own way (Articles and blogs, 23 March 2012)

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Just as international environmental commitments must undergo formal ratification by national parliaments to become law, so too must international norms and guidelines.'

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The Ides of March (ODI Blog Posts, 22 March 2012)

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Governance challenges in the sector are similar across various country contexts, the solutions are not.'

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