How much will it cost to help developing countries adapt to climate change? How can country development plans incorporate adaptation measures? This study estimates the cost between 2010 and 2050 of adapting to a two-degree temperature increase by 2050 as between $70-$100 billion a year. This is more than 80 per cent of the development assistance given in 2008, but is ...» 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.
Youth Participation in Development: A Guide for Development Agencies and Policy Makers
This guide aims to assist donor agencies and policy advisors working with and for youth. It emphasises three issues that are critical to young people: 1) governance, voice and accountability; 2) post-conflict transitions and livelihoods; and 3) sexual and reproductive health and rights. Evidence from case studies demonstrates that effective youth participation leads to better ...» more
What Accountability Pressures do MPs in Africa Face and How Do They Respond? Evidence from Ghana
What is the role of clientelism in African politics? How are MPs held accountable in Ghana? This article examines the daily accountability pressures and responses of Ghanaian Members of Parliament, the strength of the institution, and the formal and informal aspects of their role. It finds that these MPs devote a significant proportion of their time to producing and ...» more
Beyond Institutions: Institutions and Organisations in the Politics and Economics of Poverty Reduction – a Thematic Synthesis of Research Evidence
What policy implications emerged from the work of the Research Programme Consortium on Improving Institutions for Pro-Poor Growth between 2005 and 2010? This paper provides an overview, highlighting that while institutions matter for development, organisations matter for institutional formation and efficacy. The interaction of individuals, organisations and institutions is at ...» more
The Allocation of Adaptation Funding
How should climate change adaptation funding be allocated? This paper argues that allocation decisions should focus on the concept of vulnerability. While recognising that expert judgment will always play a role in funding decisions, it recommends the adoption of an empirical approach to allocation in order to ensure transparency, efficiency, and equity. Indicators to guide the ...» more
Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Reducing Vulnerability
How can ecosystem-based adaptation help societies to cope with climate change challenges? This paper contends that ecological stresses such as land degradation and decreases in biodiversity exacerbate the vulnerability of certain populations to the impact of climate change. Societies (particularly in developing countries) must invest in preserving and restoring local ecosystems ...» more
Assessing Progress on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Development Processes
What progress has been made in the convergence of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA)? What are the obstacles to further integration? This assessment identifies pockets and trajectories of integration that promise improved development outcomes. However, it also finds continued separation of DRR, CCA and development in some geographic areas and ...» more
Voices of Civil Society Organisations on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding
What are the views of civil society organisations (CSOs) on statebuilding and peacebuilding? This report presents the findings of a consultation designed to input into the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (Timor-Leste, April 2010). CSOs argue that the way that peacebuilding and statebuilding processes are undertaken is critically important: there is a ...» more
The MDGs and Beyond: Can Low Carbon Development be Pro-poor?
Can low carbon development be pro-poor? This article explores several policy responses to the Low Carbon Development (LCD) debate and analyses how pro-poor they are. It argues that poverty reduction must be linked to LCD as part of a post-2015 Millennium Development Goal agenda. There is no explicit pro-poor concern or consideration of equity in the current LCD debate. Climate ...» more
Peacebuilding and Statebuilding – Priorities and Challenges: A Synthesis of Findings from Seven Multi-Stakeholder Consultations
What are the current priorities and challenges for peacebuilding and statebuilding? This report synthesises the findings of seven multi-stakeholder consultations designed to identify key priorities, bottlenecks and good practices in national and international support for peacebuilding and statebuilding. The consultations found that stronger and more coherent national and ...» more
From Adaptation to Climate-Resilient Development: The Costs of Climate-Proofing the Millennium Development Goals in Africa
How much would it cost to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are achieved in Africa despite climate change? This paper estimates that climate-resilient development in Africa could require international financial assistance of $100 billion a year over the period 2010-2020. This total is about forty percent higher than the original MDG estimate of $72 billion. ...» more
Civil Society Policy and Practice in Donor Agencies
This paper provides an overview of the civil society policy of a range of multilateral and bilateral donors. It finds that donors have moved away from their initial tendency to equate civil society with NGOs. Donors are using a number of different approaches to reach out to a broader range of Southern civil society organisations. However, there may be a tension between the aid ...» more
Putting Citizens at the Centre: Linking States and Societies for Responsive Governance
How does citizen engagement contribute to responsive governance? This paper summarises ten years of research from the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation, and Accountability, presenting the key findings of more than 150 case studies of citizen engagement. It argues that existing donor programmes fail to recognise the full potential of citizen engagement, ...» more
Development, Security and Transitions in Fragile States: Meeting Series Report
What has been learned since 'fragile states' became the central focus of many development actors? This report synthesises findings from a meeting series on Development, Security and Transitions in Fragile States. While understanding of how to work in fragile states has greatly improved, actually changing ways of working and succeeding in practice remains a challenge. The ...» more
The Role and Place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture
What is the role and position of the African Standby Force (ASF) in African security? Is the ASF an adequate conflict response mechanism? This paper argues that the ASF's financial, logistical, technical and organisational capabilities need to be improved to enable it to fully realise its potential role. Further, the ASF should only be deployed as a last resort; parallel ...» more
Peace-Building without External Assistance: Lessons from Somaliland
How has the absence of international recognition and lack of external development assistance affected state-building in Somaliland? This paper examines how Somaliland's government was motivated to establish credible, accountable and representative political institutions and engage with the business community to create a tax-based relationship with its citizens. Despite unique ...» more
An Upside Down View of Governance
How can effective, accountable public authority be increased? This paper synthesises research findings from the Centre for the Future State. It explores how public authority is created through processes of bargaining between state and society actors, and the interaction of formal and informal institutions. Findings highlight the need for a fundamental reassessment of existing ...» more
Transition Financing: Building a Better Response
How can donor agencies best provide the effective, rapid and flexible finance to post-conflict countries that is most needed? This publication outlines the findings of mapping studies on international aid in 'transition' (i.e. post-conflict) countries. In relation to transition financing, donors must reform their policies and procedures to ensure long-term but targeted support. ...» more
Have Post-conflict Development Policies Addressed Horizontal Inequalities?
How can economic and social policies help to sustain peace processes and promote stability and reconciliation in deeply divided post-conflict societies? This review of studies of Horizontal Inequalities (HIs) in post-conflict countries finds that while HIs are increasingly recognised as a cause of conflict, policies to address them have been very limited. Such policies may be ...» more
Fragile States: CRISE Overview 3
How can the concept of fragile states be operationalised for development policy? This paper offers a working definition of fragile states as states that are failing, or at high risk of failing, in their: 1) authority to protect citizens, 2) comprehensive provision of basic services, or 3) governance legitimacy. To design appropriately differentiated policies, policymakers must ...» more
