Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

Wer Friedenspolitik aus einem Guss will, muss nicht nur an der ressortübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit zu Hause arbeiten, sondern auch die internationalen Partner besser einbeziehen.

En este documento se presentan los resultados del intercambio realizado entre la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) y el German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), como parte del proyecto “Ciudades inclusivas, sostenibles e inteligentes en el marco de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe”. El evento se realizó los días 24 y 25 de mayo de 2022 y tuvo por objeto explorar distintas iniciativas de política pública en torno a la implementación del gran impulso para la sostenibilidad en la movilidad urbana. La reflexión estuvo inspirada en dos grandes preguntas: ¿Cuáles son las condiciones y posibilidades de la industria para responder a las exigencias de la movilidad urbana sostenible? y ¿cuáles son los problemas, requerimientos y oportunidades del financiamiento del transporte público sostenible en las ciudades? Para ello, se analizaron los casos de China y la India, junto con la situación actual y las perspectivas de América Latina en torno a los beneficios de implementar el gran impulso para la sostenibilidad como una estrategia orientada a alcanzar un nuevo modelo de desarrollo sostenible impulsado por las demandas urbanas de servicios públicos.

This document presents the results of the exchange carried out between the Human Settlements Unit of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) within the framework of the “Inclusive and sustainable smart cities in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” project. The exchange aimed to explore different public policy initiatives around the implementation of the Big Push for Sustainability within the field of urban mobility. The reflection was inspired by two big questions: What are the conditions and possibilities of the industry to respond to the demands of sustainable urban mobility? And what are the problems, requirements and opportunities for financing sustainable public transport in cities? To do this, the cases of China and India were analysed, along with the current situation and perspectives of Latin America regarding the benefits of implementing the Big Push for Sustainability as a strategy aimed at achieving a new model of sustainable development driven by urban demands for public services.

En este documento se presentan los resultados del intercambio realizado entre la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) y el German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), como parte del proyecto “Ciudades inclusivas, sostenibles e inteligentes en el marco de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe”. El evento se realizó los días 24 y 25 de mayo de 2022 y tuvo por objeto explorar distintas iniciativas de política pública en torno a la implementación del gran impulso para la sostenibilidad en la movilidad urbana. La reflexión estuvo inspirada en dos grandes preguntas: ¿Cuáles son las condiciones y posibilidades de la industria para responder a las exigencias de la movilidad urbana sostenible? y ¿cuáles son los problemas, requerimientos y oportunidades del financiamiento del transporte público sostenible en las ciudades? Para ello, se analizaron los casos de China y la India, junto con la situación actual y las perspectivas de América Latina en torno a los beneficios de implementar el gran impulso para la sostenibilidad como una estrategia orientada a alcanzar un nuevo modelo de desarrollo sostenible impulsado por las demandas urbanas de servicios públicos.

This document presents the results of the exchange carried out between the Human Settlements Unit of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) within the framework of the “Inclusive and sustainable smart cities in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” project. The exchange aimed to explore different public policy initiatives around the implementation of the Big Push for Sustainability within the field of urban mobility. The reflection was inspired by two big questions: What are the conditions and possibilities of the industry to respond to the demands of sustainable urban mobility? And what are the problems, requirements and opportunities for financing sustainable public transport in cities? To do this, the cases of China and India were analysed, along with the current situation and perspectives of Latin America regarding the benefits of implementing the Big Push for Sustainability as a strategy aimed at achieving a new model of sustainable development driven by urban demands for public services.

En este documento se presentan los resultados del intercambio realizado entre la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) y el German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), como parte del proyecto “Ciudades inclusivas, sostenibles e inteligentes en el marco de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe”. El evento se realizó los días 24 y 25 de mayo de 2022 y tuvo por objeto explorar distintas iniciativas de política pública en torno a la implementación del gran impulso para la sostenibilidad en la movilidad urbana. La reflexión estuvo inspirada en dos grandes preguntas: ¿Cuáles son las condiciones y posibilidades de la industria para responder a las exigencias de la movilidad urbana sostenible? y ¿cuáles son los problemas, requerimientos y oportunidades del financiamiento del transporte público sostenible en las ciudades? Para ello, se analizaron los casos de China y la India, junto con la situación actual y las perspectivas de América Latina en torno a los beneficios de implementar el gran impulso para la sostenibilidad como una estrategia orientada a alcanzar un nuevo modelo de desarrollo sostenible impulsado por las demandas urbanas de servicios públicos.

This document presents the results of the exchange carried out between the Human Settlements Unit of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) within the framework of the “Inclusive and sustainable smart cities in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” project. The exchange aimed to explore different public policy initiatives around the implementation of the Big Push for Sustainability within the field of urban mobility. The reflection was inspired by two big questions: What are the conditions and possibilities of the industry to respond to the demands of sustainable urban mobility? And what are the problems, requirements and opportunities for financing sustainable public transport in cities? To do this, the cases of China and India were analysed, along with the current situation and perspectives of Latin America regarding the benefits of implementing the Big Push for Sustainability as a strategy aimed at achieving a new model of sustainable development driven by urban demands for public services.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw two sets of policy responses: lockdown to limit spread of the virus, which was a huge demand and supply shock, and government support to firms and individuals to offset the effects of this policy-induced shock. This paper explores the allocation and effectiveness of government support to firms in Egypt. We consider both financial support measures which were by and large already being implemented pre-COVID, as well as tax- and loan-related exemptions and deferments. Our main findings show that government support has helped mitigate the effects of COVID-19, with a significantly larger, favorable impact on smaller, younger and private firms. However, although these firms apparently make better use of government support, they receive a disproportionately smaller share of it. In line with the emerging ‘unsocial’ social contract, government support has been chiefly determined by political connections and a captured industrial policy.  This ‘misallocation’ reinforces the missing middle phenomenon which acts as a constraint as SMEs are unable to grow. Finally, to control for the endogeneity of support, we use an instrumental variable approach and a propensity score matching. Our results remain globally robust.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw two sets of policy responses: lockdown to limit spread of the virus, which was a huge demand and supply shock, and government support to firms and individuals to offset the effects of this policy-induced shock. This paper explores the allocation and effectiveness of government support to firms in Egypt. We consider both financial support measures which were by and large already being implemented pre-COVID, as well as tax- and loan-related exemptions and deferments. Our main findings show that government support has helped mitigate the effects of COVID-19, with a significantly larger, favorable impact on smaller, younger and private firms. However, although these firms apparently make better use of government support, they receive a disproportionately smaller share of it. In line with the emerging ‘unsocial’ social contract, government support has been chiefly determined by political connections and a captured industrial policy.  This ‘misallocation’ reinforces the missing middle phenomenon which acts as a constraint as SMEs are unable to grow. Finally, to control for the endogeneity of support, we use an instrumental variable approach and a propensity score matching. Our results remain globally robust.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw two sets of policy responses: lockdown to limit spread of the virus, which was a huge demand and supply shock, and government support to firms and individuals to offset the effects of this policy-induced shock. This paper explores the allocation and effectiveness of government support to firms in Egypt. We consider both financial support measures which were by and large already being implemented pre-COVID, as well as tax- and loan-related exemptions and deferments. Our main findings show that government support has helped mitigate the effects of COVID-19, with a significantly larger, favorable impact on smaller, younger and private firms. However, although these firms apparently make better use of government support, they receive a disproportionately smaller share of it. In line with the emerging ‘unsocial’ social contract, government support has been chiefly determined by political connections and a captured industrial policy.  This ‘misallocation’ reinforces the missing middle phenomenon which acts as a constraint as SMEs are unable to grow. Finally, to control for the endogeneity of support, we use an instrumental variable approach and a propensity score matching. Our results remain globally robust.

Im August ist die Inflationsrate auf 7,9 Prozent gestiegen, wie das Statistische Bundesamt heute bekanntgegeben hat. Marcel Fratzscher, Präsident des Deutschen Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin), erklärt dazu:

Der Anstieg der Inflation im August wird noch nicht das Ende gewesen sein. Ich rechne mit Inflationsraten von bis zu 10 Prozent zum Jahresende. Alleine das Ende der temporären Entlastungen wie dem Neun-Euro-Ticket dürfte die Inflation um einen Prozentpunkt erhöhen. Zudem werden Unternehmen einen größeren Teil des Preisanstiegs an die Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten weitergeben.
Im kommenden Jahr werden wir uns auf eine Inflationsrate von fünf Prozent oder mehr einstellen müssen. Vor allem bei den Energiepreisen werden viele noch böse Überraschungen erleben.
Weder die Bundesregierung noch die Zentralbank können etwas an der hohen Inflation ändern, weil die Hauptursache der Krieg in der Ukraine ist. Aber die Politik kann und muss die Last der hohen Inflation und den wirtschaftlichen Schaden auf alle Schultern verteilen, vor allem auf die stärksten. Im Augenblick tragen vor allem Menschen mit geringen Einkommen die höchste Last.

Comme tous les quatre ans, les Suédois sont appelés aux urnes le deuxième dimanche de septembre, soit cette année le 11, pour renouveler les 349 membres du Riksdag (chambre unique du Parlement), ainsi que l'ensemble de leurs représentants locaux : conseillers des assemblées locales des 20 comtés et ...

Le 21 juillet 2022, le président de la République italienne, Sergio Mattarella, a dissous le parlement et convoqué des élections parlementaires anticipées en Italie pour le 25 septembre prochain. Cette décision est consécutive au refus de certains partis de la coalition d'accorder la confiance au pr...

Wie Deutschland seine Führungsrolle bei der Friedensförderung und der Verhinderung von Krisen aus- bauen kann – und was zivile Konfliktbearbeitung von der Zeitenwende lernen sollte.

Harnessing Regulatory Heterogeneity for Sustainable Global Supply Chains

With reference to frames as socially determined definitions of reality, this paper examines the discrepancies between the prominence of ‘South-South cooperation’ terminology in globally dominant discourses and its limited usage by African stakeholders. Based on insights from the United Nations, (cross-)regional collaboration formats and bilateral cooperation, we find that African officials employ ‘South-South’ terminology mainly when ‘Northern’ partners are present but use other frames when engaging with developing countries. This limited resonance poses a challenge to multilateral organisations and traditional donors in their attempts to expand engagement with ‘South-South’ relations. A focus on the usage and effects of frames, we argue, can clarify the assumptions based on which international cooperation unfolds.

With reference to frames as socially determined definitions of reality, this paper examines the discrepancies between the prominence of ‘South-South cooperation’ terminology in globally dominant discourses and its limited usage by African stakeholders. Based on insights from the United Nations, (cross-)regional collaboration formats and bilateral cooperation, we find that African officials employ ‘South-South’ terminology mainly when ‘Northern’ partners are present but use other frames when engaging with developing countries. This limited resonance poses a challenge to multilateral organisations and traditional donors in their attempts to expand engagement with ‘South-South’ relations. A focus on the usage and effects of frames, we argue, can clarify the assumptions based on which international cooperation unfolds.