Whilst there is a body of research on ‘climate change vulnerability’ which tends to conclude that poor people in developing countries are most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, very little research attempts to disaggregate ‘the poor' and look in detail at specific issues and implications for socially excluded groups.Children: The literature generally ...» more
Helpdesk Reports
These rapid-response reports provide digests of key research findings, lessons and expert thinking on specific questions from development practitioners and policymakers. If your question is not already covered below, ask us for a report (free for staff of agencies that we have existing arrangements with).
Underdevelopment and Radicalisation in Bangladesh
While some experts cite poverty as a contributing factor to radicalisation, the vast majority of experts and the literature focus more on political underdevelopment and poor governance; rampant violence, criminality and corruption; non-state service provision by Islamist groups, particularly in education with the expansion of madrassas (religious schools); and the lack of ...» more
Political Economy Methodologies
Traditional concepts of political economy have focused on top down, macro-level approaches that examine institutions and its rules. More recently, ‘institutional economics’ and other methodologies have emphasised the need for a bottom up, micro-level, ‘game theory’ approach that looks at individual interactions and individual incentives to follow institutional rules. This is of ...» more
Under-development and Radicalisation in Pakistan
Most in-depth analysis has found little evidence of a direct link between poverty and terrorism in Pakistan, arguing instead that terrorism should be seen as a response to political conditions and long-standing feelings of indignity, and frustration at lack of opportunity. Other commentators, however, argue that while this may explain the motivations of the Islamist leadership ...» more
Governance in Tribal Environments
This query has been able to identify very few resources that focus specifically on governance systems within tribal societies. However there is a wider body of literature which discusses traditional structures of authority and leadership. Even this, however, focusses mainly on democratisation and decentralisation processes. These sources agree that in many countries, the ...» more
Stability and Development in Sudan – Three Areas
While there has been progress in the Three Areas (relative peace and stability; economic recovery in agriculture; the return of skilled and educated refugees and IDPs), the region remains volatile. Security is still an issue and the presence of land mines hinders recovery and development. Distrust of central government has persisted.The inadequate state of social services and ...» more
Pashtun Tribalism
Pashtuns take immense pride in their independence and have traditionally been fiercely resistant to central rule. Pashtun culture is governed by the ‘Pashtunwali’ which, literally translated as the ‘the way of the Pashtun’, is an unwritten code of honour which is integral to Pashtun identity.Pashtun society faces various challenges today, including the recent influx into ...» more
M&E in Fragile States
There is a general consensus on the need to move M&E beyond the project level to the sector and strategic level in fragile states. It is important to assess the overall impact of interventions on stabilising fragile states and promoting sustainable peace. Joint evaluations and agreed upon objectives, among government departments (in the case of ‘whole-of-government’ ...» more
Drivers of Extremism
There is little consensus on what the key drivers of radicalisation and extremism are. Some scholars and policy-makers argue that an absence of participatory democracy and a legitimate arena to channel discontent contributes to extremism. However, others have found no causal connection between authoritarianism and extremism. A common finding in the literature is that while ...» more
Youth Issues in Yemen
Over 20% of Yemen’s population is aged between 15 and 24 and, according to UN estimates, by 2025 will have increased by 69% - the second fastest growth rate in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Yemen also has high rates of illiteracy and youth unemployment. Lack of employment is considered to be one of the single most important and debilitating effects of ...» more
Post-Conflict Recovery
There has been a push in recent years towards greater coordination and pooled financing mechanisms to promote sustainable post-conflict recovery. Donor coordination is facilitated through negotiated strategic frameworks, which articulate a shared vision, action plan and productive division of labour; and through common needs assessments. Pledging conferences have been ...» more
Impact of Cash Transfers
In recent years, a number of cash transfer programmes have been implemented in various countries, most notably in Latin America. Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes like PROGRESA in Mexico and Bolsa Escola in Brazil, which transfer cash to poor households on condition that they send their children to school or clinic have demonstrated significant impact in improving ...» more
Social Exclusion Issues in Afghanistan
None of the literature surveyed applies the term ‘social exclusion’ to the Afghan context and most of the relevant discussion is couched in terms of ‘vulnerable groups’. These are identified primarily as women, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), people with disabilities, and ethnic groups such as the Kuchi nomads. Children, the elderly and ex-soldiers are also ...» more
Gender Issues in Afghanistan
Most commentators agree there has been rapid and significant progress in many areas relating to women in Afghanistan - the Afghan government has committed itself to various international human rights instruments; gender equality is now considered government policy; significant numbers of women voted in the 2004 parliamentary elections; a ministry for women’s affairs now exists; ...» more
Economic Development and Peace in the Middle East
The development and conflict literature has noted links, generally, between economic development and stability/peace. However, there are few resources that focus specifically on this connection in the Middle East. This is, in part, because there are many other dimensions to stability/peace in the region beyond economics, such as continuing violent conflicts and occupation, ...» more
Climate Change and Governance
By their nature, the problems created by climate change cut into the core of economic activities in fields such as transport, energy, public health, agriculture and forestry. In addition, policies linked to both reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to the impacts of climate change are closely linked to broader development issues.The risks posed both by extreme weather events ...» more
Climate change and conflict
There is very little academic research on the links between climate change and conflict. Of the few studies that are available, the findings are mixed. Most authors argue that whilst climate change may well result in increased conflict, this path is not certain. The most commonly discussed scenarios are that climate change causes resource scarcity, which prompts violent ...» more
SWAps and Justice
There is a good range of material on lessons learned from SWAPs, primarily from the health and education sectors. Most of the resources mention the need for country ownership of the SWAP, gender mainstreaming and long-term support that is tailored to the country context. Other repeated advice is to ‘go slowly’, focus on capacity building and to involve the Ministry of Finance ...» more
