Key findings: Employment intensity of growth of the agricultural sector is a measure used to quantify the effect from growth in the agricultural sector on levels of employment. Existing research suggests that growth of the agricultural sectors in middle- and low-income countries (including fragile and conflict affected states) does not necessarily lead to increased employment. ...» more
Economic growth
Urbanisation and Growth
The proportion of a country’s population living in urban areas is highly correlated with its level of income. The correlation between urbanisation and economic growth in developing countries can be explained largely by the fact that economic development involves the transformation of a country from an agricultural economy to an industrial-service economy. Production of ...» more
Youth unemployment and livelihoods
In 2010, over 75 million young people were unemployed across the world. The global youth unemployment rate was 12.6 per cent, against a global adult unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent (UNDESA, 2012). Why are young people less likely to find a job or source of livelihood than their prime-age counterparts? There are currently a number of barriers to youth employment: Excess ...» more
Incentives to the Private Sector and Early Recovery
This report assesses examples of donor interventions designed to influence the incentives facing the private sector (PS) with the overarching aim of supporting early recovery. For the purposes of this report early recovery will be understood as 'a multidimensional process of recovery that begins in a humanitarian setting' (CWGER 2008, p.9). This report will focus primarily ...» more
Microcredit for the ultra-poor
Key finding: There is a paucity of rigorous evidence on the impact of microcredit for the ultra-poor. Studies on microcredit do not tend to explore what, how and why different types of solutions work best for different types of clients. The available evidence gives a mixed picture on the impact of microcredit in general and for the ultra-poor in particular. The ultra-poor are ...» more
Trust Funds and the Private Sector
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. This report focuses primarily on trust funds in conflict or crisis-affected contexts that have been designed to support recovery of ...» more
IFIs, economic reform and inclusive growth in Egypt
In 2004 Egypt began to implement bold economic reforms, supported by its main donors and the International Finance Institutions (IFIs). The reforms, which included macroeconomic policies; financial sector reform; privatisation and structural reforms in trade, taxes and subsides, contributed to a rapid acceleration of growth, making it one of the Middle East and North Africa's ...» more
The impact of decentralisation on economic growth
Democratic decentralisation is advocated as a means of providing more appropriate, efficient and accessible public services, and of achieving a variety of interrelated socio-economic objectives, including poverty reduction and economic development. Few studies, however, empirically explore the links between decentralisation and economic development partly because it is ...» more
Evaluations of programmes on women and work in low income countries
This report provides an overview of the findings of evaluations of programmes aiming to create jobs for women, improve their working conditions, and address unpaid work in low income countries. Most organisations that have programmes covering these issues work under the umbrella of women’s empowerment in general. Programmes aiming to create employment possibilities for women ...» more
Mapping key authorities on women and work in low income countries
This helpdesk research report provides an overview of key academics researching women and (paid and unpaid) work in low-income countries. The authorities live in, and work on, different geographical regions, and are based at universities and other research institutions. Many of the themes to do with women and work are crosscutting, demonstrated by the multiple areas of research ...» 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
Access to Economic Opportunities and Changes in Power Relations
The range of interventions relevant to this question is extremely broad, and this review therefore presents a limited number of examples in the following areas: microfinance, cash transfers, technology and skills development, labour market interventions, and land and inheritance rights. Research into the impacts of interventions aimed at increasing access to 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
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
Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment
There is no standard definition of women’s economic empowerment and the term is often used loosely. From the literature reviewed for this report, it would appear that the majority of efforts to measure women’s economic empowerment programmes focus primarily on quantitative outcomes - such as increased access to credit or increased revenue - even where the stated objectives ...» more
Impact of ‘Resource Curse’ Mitigation
Initiatives to address the resource curse vary in the harms they address and in whether they operate at a national or trans-national level. They include attempts to: reduce corruption through the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI); counteract the ‘Dutch Disease’ using Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs); curb funding sources for militia through the Kimberly Process ...» more
Mapping Research on Inclusive Growth
This query response provides a mapping of organisations undertaking work on inclusive growth, highlighting key research themes. Where possible the contact details of relevant researchers are also provided.A large range of issues can be seen to have a bearing on the achievement of inclusive growth. These include: human capital accumulation, enabling institutions, inclusive ...» more
Inclusive Growth
Various barriers and constraints to poor people’s participation in growth are identified in the literature. These include:GeographyLimited investment in human capitalPoor healthLimited assets and access to creditEconomic insecuritySome of the literature argues that facilitating access of the poor to growth is insufficient to obtain inclusive growth; attention must also be paid ...» more
Promoting the Economic Participation of Women
Facilitating the participation of women in economic life is seen to provide financial gain at both household and national level, as well as having long-term impacts upon poverty reduction through creating changes in the intergenerational transmission of poverty processes. However, enabling women to participate in economic life is subject to both formal and informal constraints: ...» more
