Output-based aid (OBA) is one of a range of results-based financing approaches which aims to improve development outcomes by linking the disbursement of aid money to achievement of specified outputs by service delivery partners. There is considerable experience with OBA in the transport sector and in Latin America, but very little experience and evidence in the water and ...» more
Fragility
Poverty and vulnerability in DRC
Analysing data on the DRC is extremely difficult. Robust, geographically disaggregated data on poverty in DRC is scarce, with most analysis focused on Kinshasa or DRC as a whole. A lot of data has not been processed and data from national and different multilateral agencies can contradict each other. There is a need for greater capacity to identify and understand the nature of ...» more
Cash transfers in fragile/conflict-affected environments
There has been a rise in the implementation of cash transfer schemes in fragile and/or post-conflict environments. However, these programmes have often been small in scale compared with commodity distributions. Concerns about implementation in such contexts include insecure delivery and corruption. However, many methods have been used in unstable contexts to safely transfer ...» more
Trust Funds in Fragile and Low Capacity States
A ‘Trust Fund’ or ‘Multi Donor Trust Fund’ (MDTF) is a multi-agency funding mechanism, designed to receive contributions from more than one donor (and often also the recipient government), that is held in trust by an appointed administrative agent. There are many different types of trust fund, operating at a sector-wide, national, regional and global level. This query will ...» more
Global Drivers of Conflict and Instability
The security-development discourse combines a concern with poverty and economic growth with that of national, regional and global security. It incorporates country-level analyses within a broader framework of transnational issues that impact on conflict dynamics. Issues of poverty and inequality reflect power relations framed by international forces. It is generally thought ...» more
Gender Equality in Fragile States
To date, the debate on state fragility has failed to take into account gender dimensions; and policy-makers have often ignored issues of gender in state-building approaches and interventions. The vast majority of the literature on gender and state-building is critical of donor approaches and interventions. Gender is typically seen as a luxury that should be left aside until the ...» more
Evidence for the Supporting Investment Climate in FCASs
The investment climate is the set of factors that shape firms’ incentives to invest. Relevant factors include regulations, laws, infrastructure, and levels of corruption. This report assesses the evidence of low levels of investment in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCASs). It then examines the evidence of a link between an improved investment climate (IC) and economic ...» more
Private Investment Constraints in the Poorest Countries
The private sector in the poorest countries faces many constraints of which poor access to affordable capital is one. It is not the case that there is no access to capital for many entrepreneurs in the poorest countries. Rather the cost of borrowing may be too high, the institutional environment may make formal borrowing seem onerous or potential borrowers may be unaware of the ...» more
Local Government Capacity and Leadership in Fragile Areas
There are a range of tools and methods available to measure, assess and monitor local governance, based on assessment by citizens (single stakeholders), by local government institutions, or by multiple stakeholders. In terms of specifically assessing capacity there are tools which produce capacity assessments for the purposes of Capacity Development (CD). For example ...» more
Investment Climate Constraints in Fragile and Conflict Affected States
The investment climate can be understood as the set of factors in a given location that shape firms’ incentives and opportunities to invest, grow and create jobs. Some of these factors are costs; others are risks; still others are the competitive forces in the economy. Together, they determine the vibrancy and reach of private sector firms in the economy. A strong investment ...» more
Improving the Investment Climate in Fragile and Conflict Affected States
There is little consensus about which interventions have been most successful in improving the investment climate (IC) in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS). This is partly because their primary aim – reducing risks to investors - is difficult to measure. It also relates to the considerable variation in the institutional and macroeconomic of FCAS states. As a World ...» more
Governance Reform and Service Delivery
This report offers a survey of lessons learned and guidance for reforming governance and improving service delivery in environments similar to that of Sierra Leone. It is important to note what this ‘environment’ is: Sierra Leone is one of the 44 countries classified as ‘fragile states’ under the OECD DAC’s definition. The DAC characterises fragile states as countries which ...» more
Impact of Radicalisation/Violent Extremism on Poverty and Development Outcomes
Identifying the impact of violence arising from radicalisation processes and extremism upon poverty and development outcomes is difficult due to the lack of literature which deals with the subject matter specifically. The discussion concerning radicalisation and extremist violence tends to focus on the following areas: 1) Islamic extremism and religious fundamentalism; 2) ...» more
Decentralisation and Statebuilding
Decentralisation and the building or restoring of sub-national government institutions can significantly alter centre-periphery relations. Much of the literature cites the potential for these processes and structures to contribute to improving state-citizen relations and advancing state legitimacy.The contribution that decentralisation and sub-national government can make to ...» more
Peacebuilding Commission
The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is an intergovernmental advisory body, which formally came into existence in June 2006. The PBC, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) comprise the UN’s new peacebuilding architecture. ‘The PBC (and by extension, the PBF and PBSO) were designed to:bring sustained attention to the pressing needs of countries ...» more
Deteriorating Governance
The literature on the causes and forms of deteriorating governance is in its infancy, and draws heavily from the broader and more established literature on the causes of forms of fragility. Some of the prominent themes on the causes of deteriorating governance are: Common pathways to deterioration are escalation of communal conflict, state predation, regional or guerilla ...» more
Economic Growth and Statebuilding
There is very limited literature that explicitly discusses linkages between (1.) economic growth and employment generation and (2.) state- and peace-building. As such, this helpdesk report relies on literature that makes implicit references to such connections. The following are a summary of key points that emerged from the review. The review did not uncover any information ...» more
The World Bank in Fragile States
Some of the recurring findings from the literature on the World Bank’s performance in fragile and conflict-affected states include the following:Despite efforts to become more conflict-sensitive, the Bank’s approach to conflict-affected and post-conflict states focuses more on ‘doing things differently’ than ‘doing different things’. This is partly due to a continued reluctance ...» more
Fragile states
This Topic Guide introduces some of the best literature on state fragility and the challenge of aid effectiveness and lessons learned from international engagement in these contexts. It highlights the major debates in the international development and academic community on understanding and responding to fragile situations. It is intended primarily as a reference guide for ...» more
Long-Term Job Creation in Fragile States
There is very limited literature on the promotion of sustainable longer-term employment in fragile states. Most resources on job creation focus on short-term job creation and income-generation in conflict-affected contexts. There is, however, some discussion on how to link short-term job creation efforts with longer-term action that lays the foundation for sustainable jobs ...» more
