Market analyses are key to informing decisions around transfer modalities (cash, voucher or in-kind).Traditionally this has focused on the availability and price of key commodities,but it has recently expanded to supply chain analysis, value chain analysis and pre-crisis market mapping. This study takes a more sociological perspective and, using Mali as a case study, asks ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Haiti – Can smartphones make schools better?
In Haiti, World Bank researchers worked with the Ministry of Education to evaluate a pilot program to use digital technology to help keep track of teachers in school and enable more effective monitoring of schools. The plan was to use smartphones to take photos in school of teachers and send the photos to a central server that could be accessed by school inspectors and ministry ...» more
Inclusive community-based disaster risk reduction: Guidance on good practice in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta, Myanmar
This publication aims to provide guidance on good practice relating to inclusive community-based disaster risk reduction, drawing on the experience of The Myanmar Consortium for Community Resilience (MCCR). The guidance is based on an analysis of project documentation and inputs on what worked well and why, some of the challenges faced, and good practice recommendations ...» more
Getting good at disruption in an uncertain world
What does ‘disruptive change’ mean to NGO leaders and highly experienced development practitioners in middle- and low- income countries? This working paper summarises insights into how NGOs in the global South are addressing disruption in their external and internal operating environments. Beyond natural disasters, emerging technologies, political shifts and climate change the ...» more
Media, discussion and attitudes in fragile contexts
What is the relationship between media programming, political discussion and conflict-related attitudes? This paper tests the hypothesis that balanced and inclusive media-induced discussion can be a positive force in mitigating attitudes associated with conflict. It explores how discussions programmes – where a diverse audience, representing the whole of society, is engaged in ...» more
Accelerating sustainability: Why political economy matters.
The decline in poverty and gains in living standards since the 1960s presents today's most pressing development challenge: a greater demand for resources. This paper brings together what the world can learn from development studies and from sustainability studies to understand how to accelerate sustainability in order to meet this demand. It argues that the development era of ...» more
People and corruption: Africa survey 2015
This report surveys the public experiences and perceptions of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa, in order to put the views of ordinary people at the centre of corruption debates. It finds that while many Africans view corruption as being on the rise in their own country and believe their government is not doing well in tackling the issue, there are a small number of countries ...» more
Ethnic heterogeneity and public goods provision in Zambia: Evidence of a subnational ‘‘diversity dividend”
This article challenges the ‘‘diversity debit” hypothesis that ethnic diversity has a negative impact on social, economic, and political outcomes. It argues that rather than focus on why this is the case, research should seek to explore the underlying mechanisms of such negative relationship, specifically why these relationships may differ across sub-national budgetary and ...» more
Do citizens reward good service? Voter responses to basic service provision in southern Africa
This study tests the accountability hypothesis that dramatic improvements in key basic infrastructural service areas – water provision, sewerage, and refuse collection – lead to increased electoral returns to the incumbent. The findings from four Southern African countries reveals a negative relationship between change in service provision and change in incumbent vote share, ...» more
Social norms theory and development economics
Social norms are found in all societies and have great impact on human behaviour. They can be both a hindrance and a help for development, depending on whether or not changes necessary for development fit with existing norms. This paper outlines what social norms are, how they function, and the factors that affect their emergence and change. It highlights how to influence ...» more
Global Monitoring Report 2015/16: Development goals in an era of demographic change
This report evaluates the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and spells out the areas that require attention in the transition to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite solid development gains in the MDGs, progress has been uneven and significant work remains. The experience of the MDGs will help drive progress toward achievement of the Sustainable ...» more
Resonating, rejecting, reinterpreting: Mapping the stabilization discourse in the United Nations Security Council, 2000–14
The 2015 Report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations examined a vast array of issues connected with peacekeeping operations. The Panel noted the strong link between peacekeeping and stabilization within the UN debates, stressing that the term has a ‘wide range of interpretations’, and that the ‘usage of this term by the United Nations requires clarification’. ...» more
Towards more people-centric peace operations: From ‘extension of state authority’ to ‘strengthening inclusive state-society relations’
Periods of conflict erode trust between national and local authorities and the people they govern, a trust that needs to be re-established. As peace operations are undertaken by inter-governmental bodies that tend to be inherently state-centric, however, peace operations need to go beyond merely supporting the extension of state-authority and strengthen inclusive state-society ...» more
Rethinking disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs
This article introduces the special issue of Stability: International Journal of Security & Development on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and ‘armed non-statutory actors’ (ANSA). In the 1990s, international DDR programs were used mostly to deal with statutory and insurgent armies following peace accords to which the warring parties were signatories. ...» more
Integration and power-sharing: What are the future options for armed non-state actors in the Myanmar peace process?
The ongoing peace process in Myanmar/Burma takes place alongside a transition from totalitarian military rule towards democracy and a rapid influx of international aid agencies and investors. This article engages with the wider debate about ‘Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration’ (DDR) programmes and argues that in the present Myanmar peacebuilding context it is highly ...» more
Disability in humanitarian context: Views from affected people and field organisations
This report is based on the results of a global consultation carried out in 2015 as a contribution to the World Humanitarian Summit and is intended to better identify the changes needed for a disability-inclusive humanitarian response. A total of 769 responses were collected through three online surveys. Answers were collected from 484 people with disabilities, including 400 ...» more
The role of women in international conflict resolution
Women are disproportionately impacted by war and their experiences are distinct from men; further, although women may carry a heavier burden than men during wartimes, their experiences, views, and skills are often under-valued and under-utilized in the resolution of conflict. Peace agreements and reconstruction are more sustainable and effective when women are involved in the ...» more
Gender & conflict analysis toolkit for peacebuilders
This resource includes examples from Conciliation Resources’ work. It was developed over two years and informed by research, reflection and discussion, involving colleagues, partners and numerous external experts. It begins with a summary of the essential concepts in gender and conflict analysis, and then expands on these concepts in three parts: Part I explores the ...» more
Is the private sector more efficient? A cautionary tale
This review finds no conclusive evidence that one model of ownership (i.e. public, private or mixed) is intrinsically more efficient than the others, irrespective of how efficiency is defined. Instead the literature suggests that the efficiency of service provision is dependent on the type of service (health, education, etc.) and other specific contextual factors (e.g. ...» more
The challenge of stability and security in West Africa
The surge in violence and conflict in West Africa comes as the sub-region has registered some of the most impressive growth rates seen on the continent in years. This book analyses the trends and dynamics of conflict and fragility in the sub-region, and examines the ability of institutions to manage the internal and external stresses to the region. It argues that the rapid pace ...» more
