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Publikationen des German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
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Aid unchained: examining development project management practices at aid chain interfaces

Thu, 02/01/2024 - 09:01

By analysing a comparative case study investigating a development project implemented

in Uganda and Vietnam, the article aims to understand how donor directives travel and translate

into actual practices in aid chains. Making use of Norman Long’s concept of the interface, we focus

on the interfaces between organizations to examine the negotiation of everyday project practices.

Based on practice theory, our analysis unpacks how directives are filtered through the power relation-

ships that shape practices at the various interfaces. We find that organizational relations between

southern organizations are just as power-laden as north–south relations. Our analysis also shows

that neither the management directives nor the freedoms that were granted to the participating

organizations resulted in uniform practices and that practices did not have the same implications for

organizations. Hence, the aid chain concept tends to simplify the complexities inherent in project

systems comprising a multiplicity of vertical and horizontal organizational relations.

COVID-19 as a critical juncture for EU development policy? Assessing the introduction and evolution of “Team Europe”

Tue, 01/30/2024 - 16:27

This contribution analyses to what extent the EU’s external response to the COVID-19 pandemic, communicated under the label ‘Team Europe’, represents a critical juncture for the EU’s development policy in terms of creating conditions for institutional change. As an area of shared competence, EU development policy processes predominantly seek to strengthen cooperation between the EU and its member states whilst respecting their respective competencies. Such initiatives have lacked success due to member states’ resistance towards strengthened coordination, let alone integration. By contrast, the Team Europe approach promoted the pooling of choices and resources of EU institutions and member states and strengthened the frequency and political importance of enhanced cooperation. The article identifies the European Commission’s policy entrepreneurship, the alignment with member states’ interests, low levels of politicisation and broader contextual geopolitical changes as key explanatory factors influencing more favourable attitudes aimed at and prospects for closer cooperation as promoted by Team Europe.

Entwicklungspolitik bei den anstehenden Europawahlen (wieder) ins Blickfeld rücken

Mon, 01/29/2024 - 11:30

Bonn, 29. Januar 2024. Für die Europäische Union wird 2024 ein entscheidendes Jahr. Im Juni wählen die Bürger*innen das nächste Europäische Parlament. Das EU-Parlament spielt eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Gesetzgebung. Auch bei Entscheidungen über die strategische Ausrichtung der nächsten Europäischen Kommission, die im Herbst ihr Amt antreten wird, wirkt das Parlament entscheidend mit.

Aktuellen Umfragen zufolge könnte die Europäische Volkspartei (EVP, der Zusammenschluss konservativer Parteien in Europa) ihre Position als größte Fraktion im Europäischen Parlament behalten. Ungewiss bleibt, ob die anderen Fraktionen groß genug sein werden, um eine pro-europäische Mehrheit zu bilden, oder ob die EVP stattdessen mit euroskeptischen oder sogar rechtsradikalen Bündnissen zusammenarbeiten wird. Die nächste EU-Kommission wird angesichts der Wahlen im Juni und des jüngsten Rechtsrucks in den Mitgliedstaaten voraussichtlich eine konservativere Zusammensetzung und politische Agenda haben als die aktuelle Kommission.

Um die Auswirkungen der Wahlen auf die EU-Entwicklungspolitik zu beurteilen, lohnt sich ein Rückblick. Bei ihrem Amtsantritt 2019 kündigte Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen eine geopolitische EU-Kommission an. Die Entwicklungspolitik sollte dieser geopolitischen Ausrichtung folgen. Dies führte zu grundlegenden Verschiebungen der entwicklungspolitischen Ziele der EU. Große Krisen wie die Covid-19 Pandemie und die russische Invasion in der Ukraine haben diesen Trend weiter verschärft. Konkret heißt das: Im Vergleich zu 2019 soll die Entwicklungspolitik heute noch stärker zu den Zielen anderer Politikbereiche wie der Sicherheits-, Energie- oder Migrationspolitik beitragen. Sie soll zudem die Sichtbarkeit, die strategische Autonomie und die Widerstandsfähigkeit der EU zugunsten einer größeren Eigenständigkeit in Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsfragen und einer Diversifizierung der Außenwirtschaft fördern.

Global Gateway und Team Europe sind in dieser Hinsicht wegweisend. Team Europe war zunächst Teil der Corona-Krisenreaktion der EU. Ziel war, die finanziellen Ressourcen aller EU-Institutionen und ‑Mitgliedstaaten zu bündeln, um die Sichtbarkeit Europas bei der Bewältigung der Pandemiefolgen in den Partnerländern zu erhöhen. Global Gateway sollte das Gegengewicht zu Chinas „Belt and Road“-Initiative sowie ganz allgemein zum wachsenden chinesischen Einfluss in Entwicklungsländern bilden. Global Gateway sieht die Förderung groß angelegter Infrastrukturinvestitionen in den Bereichen Energie, Verkehr, Digitalisierung, Bildung und Gesundheit vor. Dabei betont die EU, als Verbund demokratischer Staaten verfolge sie einen anderen Ansatz als China. Ein weiteres Ziel von Global Gateway ist der Aufbau strategischer Korridore mit Partnerländern, um Europas Versorgung mit Energie und wichtigen Rohstoffen zu sichern.

Welche entwicklungspolitischen Veränderungen können wir nun vom neuen Europäischen Parlament und der neuen Kommission erwarten?

Erstens könnte ein Rechtsruck zu grundsätzlicheren und noch stärker polarisierten Debatten über Sinn und Zweck der EU-Entwicklungspolitik führen. Dies würde den Druck weiter erhöhen, das Entwicklungsbudget zur Eindämmung der Migration einzusetzen. Zweitens werden sowohl Team Europe als auch Global Gateway unabhängig von den neuen politischen Machtverhältnissen innerhalb und zwischen den EU-Institutionen vermutlich weitergeführt.

Bislang haben Team Europe und Global Gateway zu einer größeren Sichtbarkeit und einer stärkeren Zusammenarbeit zwischen den EU-Institutionen und den Mitgliedstaaten beigetragen. Beides sind grundsätzlich wichtige Schritte.

Für die Zeit nach den Wahlen im Juni ist jedoch auch klar, dass Team Europe und Global Gateway in ihrer jetzigen Ausgestaltung der EU mittel- und langfristig eher schaden als helfen. Setzt die EU den derzeitigen Kurs fort, ihre geostrategischen Interessen offensiv zu verfolgen, läuft sie Gefahr, Interessenkonflikte mit dem selbstbewusster auftretenden Globalen Süden zu schüren und den geopolitischen Wettbewerb eher zu verschärfen als einzuhegen.

Nach den Wahlen im Juni sind die demokratischen Parteien der Mitte gefordert, Team Europe und Global Gateway so auszurichten, dass sie die Interessen Europas mit den Bedürfnissen der Partner*innen in Einklang bringen und Multilateralismus, Frieden und Nachhaltigkeit auf globaler Ebene fördern.

Derzeit verfolgen die EU und der Globale Süden bei einer Reihe wichtiger globaler Themen einen unterschiedlichen Kurs. Sei es bei der Migration, der Gewinnung kritischer Rohstoffe, der Energiepolitik oder Fragen von Krieg und Demokratie in der Ukraine und im Nahen Osten.

Um diesen Spannungen entgegenzuwirken, sollte die EU sich offener für einen echten Dialog mit ihren Partner*innen zeigen, was auch heißt, auf deren Prioritäten – wie z.B. unhaltbare Schuldenniveaus – einzugehen und deutlich mehr Unterstützung für eine sozial verantwortliche, klimaneutrale Umgestaltung ihrer Volkswirtschaften zu leisten. Die nächste Führung des Europäischen Parlaments und der Kommission sollte sicherstellen, dass die EU zwar ihre eigenen Prioritäten verfolgt und eindeutig kommuniziert, gleichzeitig aber auch ihren Partner*innen zuhört und von ihnen lernt.

Predicting social assistance beneficiaries: On the social welfare damage of data biases

Thu, 01/25/2024 - 11:40

Cash transfer programs are the most common anti-poverty tool in low- and middle-income countries, reaching more than one billion people globally. Benefits are typically targeted using prediction models. In this paper, we develop an extended targeting assessment framework for proxy means testing that accounts for societal sensitivity to targeting errors. Using a social welfare framework, we weight targeting errors based on their position in the welfare  distribution and adjust for different levels of societal inequality aversion. While this approach provides a more comprehensive assessment of targeting performance, our two case studies show that bias in the data, particularly in the form of label bias and unstable proxy means testing weights, leads to a substantial underestimation of welfare losses, disadvantaging some groups more than others.

Gemeinsamer globaler Wasserstoffmarkt für mehr Nachhaltigkeit

Thu, 01/25/2024 - 06:09

Grüner Wasserstoff ist eine saubere und nachhaltige Form von Wasserstoffgas, das mit erneuerbaren Energiequellen wie Wind- oder Sonnenenergie erzeugt wird. Im Gegensatz zu konventionellen Verfahren, die auf fossile Brennstoffe angewiesen sind, wird grüner Wasserstoff durch ein Verfahren namens Elektrolyse erzeugt, bei dem Wasser mit Hilfe von erneuerbarem Strom in Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff gespalten wird. Er dient als vielseitiger Energieträger und kann nicht nur in der Stahlindustrie, sondern auch in anderen Industriezweigen wie der Chemie- und Zementindustrie sowie im Fernverkehr eingesetzt werden.

The role of the consumer and systemic policy mixes for circular business models in the EU

Wed, 01/24/2024 - 11:26

Recent decades have shown an unprecedented growth in demand for resources, with a trend that is projected to accelerate in the future. Policymakers around the world have started to recognise that transitioning to a more resource-efficient and circular economy (CE) is key to addressing this challenge. Two important enablers for the transition to a CE are circular business models (CBMs) and consumers. The two are interlinked, as demand shifts among consumers can foster the development and supply of new business models, which in turn require the uptake by consumers to be successful. To promote the development and increase the uptake of new CBMs, policymakers need to provide the respective regulatory frameworks and incentives. Doing so requires systemic policy mixes that go beyond encouraging technological innovations and include targeting the demand side as well. This paper zooms in on the role of the consumer for CBMs, discusses potential consumer barriers to CBM demand, and outlines how policy-making can address these barriers by applying systemic mixes of instruments to tackle the macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors that influence consumer demand simultaneously. While the macro-level describes the economic context of consumers’ decision-making, that is, the availability and supply, infrastructure and price of CBMs in the market, the meso-level characterises the social environment, including social norms and social status, whereas the micro-level focuses on individual characteristics such as consumption habits, security and quality concerns, and environmental knowledge or concern. This paper illustrates how the different consumer barriers are closely interlinked, and that, ideally, policymakers should target all three levels jointly to encourage CBM demand most effectively. In doing so, policymakers should consider the principles of the waste hierarchy in order to maximise the environmental benefits of CE policy mixes. The paper mostly takes a European perspective on the topic, especially when discussing relevant policy frameworks, and reflects on potential differences to other regions, particularly in the Global South, when appropriate

"Entwicklungspolitik ist ein wichtiges Instrument" Interview mit Stephan Klingebiel

Wed, 01/24/2024 - 10:08

Die deutsche Entwicklungshilfe steht auf dem Prüfstand. Experte Klingebiel hält die aktuelle Debatte für falsch. Entwicklungspolitik sei ein ganz wichtiges Instrument, um internationale Agenden mitgestalten zu können.

Pre-pandemic mobility: uncoupling gendered return migration and COVID-19 in Zimbabwe

Mon, 01/22/2024 - 14:23

COVID-19-induced return migration occurred as an unanticipated course of action due to the pandemic’s adverse impact on migrant workers. The pandemic has undeniably increased the volume of return migration. This chapter, however, cautions against a covidization of return migration and argues that while the pandemic is currently the main reason cited, return migration even when migrants had not met their migration goals had been going on before the outbreak of COVID-19. The chapter uses a gendered lens to discuss the reasons for pre-COVID-19 return migration to a country, Zimbabwe, where people are desperately looking for ways to emigrate due to persistent economic hardships. For many Zimbabweans who have lived through the country’s long-drawn-out socio-economic and political difficulties, migration has become the most viable option. Yet, some of the Zimbabweans who managed to leave the country have returned to the essentially unimproved situation, thus raising questions as to why migrants would return when they have not met the goals of migration and the reasons for migration persist. The chapter shows that return migration is not necessarily influenced by improvement in factors that led to migration but may be an outcome of disappointment with circumstances in the destination country. The reasons for migration still play a role in return migration when migration to destination countries fails to meet migrants’ expectations that motivated migration in the first place. In this respect, return occurs due to multiple reasons that may be linked to both the origin and destination countries. The lack of better economic prospects in destination countries and ensuing gendered socio-cultural and psychological challenges both diminish the appeal of the specific destination country such that return becomes the best option.

Wie kann man die SDGs messen

Mon, 01/22/2024 - 11:15

Wer Ziele hat, muss diese auch messen können. Doch wie genau geschieht das bei so weitreichenden und umfassenden Vorhaben wie den 17 Zielen für nachhaltige Entwicklung (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs)?

Kriege beenden, Rechtsruck verhindern, Transformation gestalten, Allianzen ausbauen

Mon, 01/22/2024 - 10:00

Bonn, 22.01.2024. Das Jahr 2024 tritt kein leichtes Erbe an. Der russische Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine zieht sich in die Länge. Der Krieg zwischen Israel und Hamas im Gaza-Streifen droht sich auf die Großregion des Nahen Ostens auszubreiten. Konflikte in Äthiopien, Jemen und der Sahel-Region destabilisieren Gesellschaften. Gleichzeitig tragen Schuldenkrisen in zahlreichen Niedrig- und Mitteleinkommensländern sowie die Klima- und Biodiversitätskrise zu fehlender sozialer Absicherung bei. Die resultierende Angst ist Nährboden autoritärer Parteien und Systeme.

Neben diesen Krisen birgt 2024 aber auch das Potential für Veränderung und Richtungswechsel: Es ist Wahljahr in über 70 Ländern, hiervon über 40 Demokratien. Mehr als 4,2 Milliarden Menschen, über die Hälfte der Weltbevölkerung, werden im Laufe des Jahres aufgefordert sein, zur Wahl zu gehen. So auch in einigen der bevölkerungsstärksten Nationen: Indien, den USA, Indonesien und Südafrika. Auch die Europäische Union wählt. Zählt man Wahlen auf kommunaler oder Provinzebene, wie in Brasilien, oder Wahlen in Autokratien wie Russland hinzu, so tritt ein Großteil der Bevölkerungen der seit dem 1. Januar 2024 erweiterten BRICS-Staatengruppe, ebenso wie die Wähler*innen im ‚alten Westen‘ – der USA und der Europäischen Union – an die Urnen. Der Startschuss fiel mit der Wahl in Bangladesch am 7. Januar, gefolgt von der Wahl in Taiwan am 13. Januar.

Eine von vielfältigen Krisen gebeutelte Weltgemeinschaft wählt - wenn auch unter unterschiedlichen Bedingungen. 2024 wird somit zeigen, welche Formen von Kooperation und Konkurrenz die Ausgestaltung einer multipolaren Weltordnung in Zukunft prägen werden. Es gilt, Dialog, gemeinsame Interessen und Zusammenhalt innerhalb und zwischen Gesellschaften und Weltregionen zu fördern und den Krisendynamiken im Sinne eines globalen Gemeinwohls beharrlich entgegenzutreten.

Zwei Ziele sollten im Jahr 2024 unser Handeln besonders leiten: Frieden und Demokratie.

Kriege beenden, politische Konfliktlösungen suchen: Ob in der Ukraine, dem Gaza-Streifen oder in der Sahel-Region – das Einstellen der militärischen Auseinandersetzungen und das Verhindern weiterer Ausbreitungen der Konflikte muss politische Priorität haben. Europa und Deutschland sollte ihre Unterstützung der Ukraine – auch unabhängig von den USA – aufrechterhalten und ausbauen sowie die EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen vorantreiben, während die Ukraine unabhängige und freie Wahlen sicherstellt. Im Gaza-Streifen sollte die internationale Gemeinschaft die beteiligten Akteure darin bestärken, der Gewalt ein Ende zu setzen und den Dialog zwischen Israel und Palästina für eine Zwei-Staaten-Lösung aufzunehmen.

Rechtsruck verhindern, Demokratien stärken: Die anstehenden Wahlen in den USA, der EU, Indien, Indonesien und Südafrika, sowie in der Türkei, Pakistan, Senegal, Ghana oder Mexiko entscheiden, ob die seit Jahren voranschreitenden Autokratisierungsprozesse und die Unterwanderung demokratischer Praxis zunehmen oder ausgebremst werden. Es bedarf dringend der Stärkung nicht-polarisierender Kräfte sowie multilateraler Systeme, der Anerkennung der Menschenrechte und des Einhaltens des internationalen Völkerrechts.

Deutschland, Europa, wir alle sollten uns unermüdlich für Frieden, Stabilität und eine freiheitliche multilaterale Ordnung einsetzen. Sowohl durch den sozialgerechten und klimastabilisierenden Umbau der Wirtschaftssysteme als auch im Schulterschluss mit strategischen Partnern aller Kontinente, die für das globale Gemeinwohl und eine nachhaltige Zukunft stehen.

Sozialgerechter & klimastabilisierender Umbau von Wirtschaftssystemen: Die Einigung auf eine „Abkehr von fossilen Brennstoffen“ im Kampf gegen die Klimakrise auf der COP28 im Dezember 2023 in Dubai und die Wiederbestätigung der Agenda 2030 im September 2023 in New York benötigen nun der rasanten Umsetzung, unterstützt durch die Reformen der Internationalen Finanzinstitutionen und eine massive Privatkapitalmobilisierung. Besondere Unterstützung ist notwendig für hochverschuldete Niedrig- und Mitteleinkommensländer.

Allianzen: Europa und Deutschland sollten gezielt Allianzen und Partnerschaften ausbauen – auch unabhängig von den USA und besonders mit Ländern Afrikas, Asiens und Lateinamerikas, die sich dem globalen Gemeinwohl entlang der Agenda 2030 der Vereinten Nationen und dem Pariser Klimaabkommen verpflichten. Gerade die Wahlen in den USA, Indien, Südafrika und Indonesien werden, wie auch bereits in Taiwan, hier richtungsweisend sein.

Das Jahr 2024 steht für Krisen und Kriege, sowie für Wahlen und einen möglichen Richtungswechsel. Dialog, politische Konfliktlösung und das Stärken bi-, tri- und multilateraler Kooperationen für eine freiheitliche und friedvolle globale Ordnung benötigen höchster politischer Priorität. Wir brauchen eine Weltinnenpolitik für globales Gemeinwohl.

Trade and the environment: drivers and effects of environmental provisions in trade agreements

Tue, 01/16/2024 - 12:36

The mushrooming of trade agreements and their interlinkages with environmental governance calls for new research on the trade and environment interface. The more than 700 existing preferential trade agreements (PTAs) include ever more diverse and far-reaching environmental provisions. While missed opportunities remain and harmful provisions persist, numerous environmental provisions in PTAs entail promising potential. They promote the implementation of environmental treaties and cover numerous environmental issues. New concepts, data, and methods, including detailed content analysis across multiple institutions, are needed to explain these interlinkages and understand whether and how PTAs with environmental provisions can contribute to tackling global environmental challenges. Making use of the most extensive coding of environmental provisions in PTAs to date and combining quantitative data with qualitative analyses, this Element provides a comprehensive yet fine-grained picture of the drivers and effects of environmental provisions in PTAs. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Gender differences in multidimensional poverty in low- and middle-income countries: An assessment based on individual poverty indices

Sun, 01/14/2024 - 09:41

Despite the growing demand for gender-disaggregated statistics on poverty, there is no cross-country evidence of gender disparities in poverty because poverty – both monetary and multidimensional – is measured at the household level. This paper contributes to filling this gap, by using two novel individual-level indices of multidimensional poverty. Relying on recent data from 83 low- and middle-income countries, it finds that almost everywhere female poverty exceeds male poverty. In the median country, female poverty is between 57 and 76 percent higher than male poverty. Moreover, our calculations indicate that around 54 percent of the multidimensional poor are women: this percentage grows up to 63 percent if we focus on the extreme poor. Gender disparities in poverty are especially higher in the MENA and South Asia region, in rural areas and are mostly driven by disparities in employment. Finally, the paper shows that the majority of countries experienced an increase in the female/male multidimensional poverty ratio. In brief, we show that poverty is predominantly a female problem and that over the last two decades there has often been a feminization of poverty.

“I can feel the money going out of the window”: How high energy prices evoke negative emotions in people with previous experience of homelessness

Fri, 01/12/2024 - 13:34

Current research on how energy vulnerability impacts the meaning of ‘home’, especially for those in marginalised groups, is limited. This research adds to the understanding of how high energy prices affect one of the most vulnerable sections of society: those at risk of or with experiences of homelessness. Through 15 in-person interviews with social housing tenants in Ireland who have recently exited homelessness, we find that high energy prices continue to affect the psychosocial benefits associated with ‘home’ in three different ways: 1) the constant pressure of monitoring energy expenses and lifestyle adjustments; 2) navigating the uncertainty of energy expenses and; 3) the impacts of negative emotions like stress and anxiety induced by high energy prices on tenants' fragile state of mental health and wellbeing. Based on the findings, we argue that living with high energy prices continues to interfere with the meaning of ‘home’ in an already vulnerable cohort, leading to deep senses of ontological insecurity. Therefore, specifically designed policy support is required to address energy vulnerability in people exiting homelessness, as ontological insecurity affects their mental and physical wellbeing, jeopardising their chances of a permanent transition from homelessness. Our findings indicate that perhaps a dual financial and social support system is needed to address the specific energy needs of vulnerable groups, that would provide intensive guidance for them as they settle into new routines and responsibilities. Policies to solve homelessness can be more impactful if they adequately address energy affordability-related challenges while a person transitions from homelessness.

Information integrity and information pollution: vulnerabilities and impact on social cohesion and democracy in Mexico

Fri, 01/12/2024 - 09:55

Equal access to reliable information is essential for democracy and social cohesion. The rise of information pollution, particularly in digital spaces, poses significant challenges to democratic societies worldwide. While extensive research has focused on its impact in developed, English-speaking democracies, there is a gap in understanding its effects in younger democracies, conflict zones, and less developed contexts. This study fills that gap by analysing Mexico as a case study. Based on interviews with Mexican media professionals, public sector officials, academics and human rights defenders, the study provides insights on the root causes of the problem and and strategies to combat information pollution, safeguard democracy, and promote social cohesion, underscoring the urgency of proactive measures both within Mexico and on a global scale in Mexico, information pollution significantly threatens the country's social cohesion and democratic principles. Structural conditions like poverty, inequality, violence, corruption, and media landscape issues enable societal vulnerability to digital information pollution. Factors directly driving information pollution include the exploitation of digital spaces by drug cartels, divisive narratives against marginalised groups, an increasingly media-hostile environment as well as the incumbent government’s post-factual approach to reality and politics. Information pollution has fostered a polarised discours, contributed to eroding trust in traditional media and amplified identity-based societal cleavages. It weakens the deliberative, participatory and liberal dimensions of democracy dimensions by decreasing the quality of public debate, damaging civil society watchdog roles, and reducing government transparency and accountability. Recommendations for Mexico encompass enhancing public resilience to information through civic education and targeted communication campaigns, empowering media capacity, and fortifying an open data culture in the Mexican public sector. Internationally, efforts should address elite-driven information pollution by reinforcing independent accountability institutions and leveraging diplomatic and economic incentives against leaders attacking these institutions.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) and the “greening” of high-emitting industry sectors in Brazil: mapping the sustainability efforts of the private sector

Wed, 01/10/2024 - 09:46

The work aimed to analyse the sustainability efforts – the greening – of five industry sectors in Brazil: aluminium, chemical, steel, cement, and oil and gas. These sectors were chosen because they are the industries with the highest carbon emissions. The research sought to verify the sustainability measures adopted by business and industry actors, with special emphasis on the use of Voluntary Sustainability Standards and ESG values. In order to verify the information provided by the companies, the documents that informed the measures taken by the companies and the numbers supporting their results were always sought out and explained in the text. The conclusions were that the sectors, guided by industry associations, have adopted a broad set of sustainability measures. The results of these measures, however, sometimes lack proof and sometimes lead to sporadic conduct, contrary to the precepts of environmental and social sustainability.

Resumo (Portuguese)
O trabalho teve como objetivo analisar os esforços de sustentabilidade de cinco setores da indústria brasileira: alumínio, químico, aço, cimento e petróleo e gás. Os setores foram escolhidos por serem altamente poluentes. A pesquisa buscou verificar as iniciativas de sustentabilidade dos setores, com especial ênfase no uso de normas voluntárias de sustentabilidade e de padrões ESG. A fim de comprovar a veracidade das informações prestadas pelas empresas, buscou-se sempre a identificação de documentos que formalizassem as ações das empresas e de números que comprovassem seus resultados. As conclusões foram que os setores, orientados por suas associações, adotam um conjunto amplo de medidas de sustentabilidade. Essas ações, entretanto, por vezes carecem de comprovação de resultados e não impedem a adoção esporádica de condutas contrárias aos preceitos de sustentabilidade ambiental e social.

RIS - a very much needed think and do tank

Mon, 01/08/2024 - 09:12

The political changes in the international system in recent years have been profound. One decisive factor is the enormously increased role of actors from the Global South. India is of outstanding importance in this respect: the country itself is a  central shaper of international relations, it challenges unjust global governance structures, it uses its opportunities to act as the Voice of the Global South and, last but not least, it is a sought-after partner. All this is more than evident in 2023, when  India is using and shaping its G20 presidency very purposefully. India is doing a lot to put development issues on international agendas, including the agendas of Western actors. Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) can rightly  claim to be a major player and contributor in this context. With tremendous dynamism, it covers an enormous range of topics. It combines elements of a think tank with those of a do tank in an astonishing way (Klingebiel et al. 2023): Analysing, designing concepts, but using a hand on approach, for example when it comes to offering training programmes for people from other developing countries.

Friedenspolitische Akteure in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit

Fri, 01/05/2024 - 09:57

Die Zusammenhänge zwischen Friedens- und Entwicklungsprozessen und die Arbeit an dieser thematischen Schnittstelle sind immer komplexer geworden und werden unter dem Stichwort des „Development-Peace-Nexus“ diskutiert. Trotz der Versuche die verschiedenen Arbeitsbereiche zu harmonisieren und besser abzustimmen, folgen diese in der realpolitischen Praxis nicht immer einer stringenten Logik. Dies ist auch aufgrund der vielen sich inhaltlich überschneidenden Akteure eine Herausforderung.

ለስደተኞች እና ለስደተኛ ተቀባይ ማህበረሰቦች የስራ እድል እና ማህበራዊ ትስስርን ለማሻሻል የቴክኒክና ሙያ ስልጠና (TVET) ያለው ሚና፡፡ በኢትዮጵያ ከተካሄደው የተፅዕኖ ግምገማ (Impact Assessment) የተገኘ ማስረጃ

Fri, 12/22/2023 - 08:28

መንግስታት እና ለጋሾች በቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ትምህርትና ሥልጠና (ቴሙትስ) አማካኝነት የሥራ ዕድሎችን እና
ምርታማነትን የማሳደግ ከፍተኛ ምኞት አላቸው። ሥልጠናው በዋናነት የሥራ ገበያው የሚፈልገውን ሙያ
በማስተማር ብቃት ያለው የሰው ኃይል አቅርቦትን ማመቻቸት ይጠበቅበታል። እነዚሁ አካላት የቴክኒክና ሙያ
ትምህርትና ሥልጠና ከሥራ ስምሪት ባሻገር አካታችነትን፣ የፆታ እኩልነትን እና ማኅበራዊ ትስስርን (social
cohesion) በኅብረተሰቡ ውስጥ እንደሚያሻሽል ይገምታሉ።
የሥራ እድል ተደራሽነት ፤ ማኅበራዊ እና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ውህደትን በማጎልበት እንዲሁም ተፈናቃዮችን መልሶ
በማቋቋም ረገድ ወሳኝ ሚናን ይጫወታል። በስደት ረዥም ጊዜ መቆየት እና ወደሶስተኛ አገር የሚደረጉ የቋሚ
መፍትሄ እድሎች ማሽቆልቆል፤ የስደተኞች የመጀመርያ መዳረሻ አገሮች ውስጥ ማኅበራዊ ውህደት (local
integration) ፍለጋን አነሳስቷል። ባለፉት አስርት ዓመታት የቴክኒክና ሙያ ትምህርትና ሥልጠና ከፍተኛ ትኩረትን
የሳበው ከዚህ አንፃር ነው።
የቴክኒክና ሙያ ትምህርትና ሥልጠና የእነዚህን መንግስታት እና ለጋሾች ምኞቶች ያሟላ ነው? በአጠቃላይ
በቴክኒክና ሙያ ትምህርትና ሥልጠና ላይ ያሉ ተጨባጭ ማስረጃዎች ውስን እና በአብዛኛው ወጥነት የሌላቸው
ናቸው። ከሥራና ከገቢ አንፃር ሲታይ ትንሽ አወንታዊ ውጤት እንዳለ መረጃዎች ቢጠቁሙም በአብዛኛው ውጤቶች
የሚታዩት ከመካከለኛ እስከ ረዥም ጊዜ (Medium and long term) ሲሆን፣ በአጠቃላይ ፕሮግራሞቹ ለረጅም ጊዜ
ሥራ አጦች በተሻለ ሁኔታ ይሰራሉ። ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ፣ የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ስልጠና በማኅበራዊ ትስስር ዙሪያ
ሊያመጣ የሚችለውን ውጤት በተመለከተ ትልቅ የእውቀት ክፍተት አለ። በፖሊሲው ከተቀመጠው የገንዘብ
መጠን እና ከሚጠበቀው ከፍተኛ ግምት አንፃር፣ የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ስልጠና የተቀመጠለትን ዓላማ እንዴት
እንደሚያሳካ መረዳት አስፈላጊ ነው።
በዚህ የፖሊሲ ምክረ ሃሳብ በጀርመን ዓለም አቀፍ ትብብር ኤጀንሲ (ጂአይዜድ) አማካኝንት በኢትዮጵያ
የተተገበረውን ሁሉን አቀፍ የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ስልጠና (TVET) ጥናት ውጤት አቅርበናል። በዚህ ፕሮግራም ስደተኞችን
ተቀባይ ሀገር ነዋሪዎች እና ስደተኞች በጋራ ስልጠናውን የተከታተሉ ሲሆን፣ ዓላማውም ማኅበራዊ ትስስርን
ማጎልበት እና የሥራ እድሎችን ማመቻቸት ነው።
የጥናቱ ውጤቶቹ እንደሚያመለክቱት፣ በማኅበራዊ ትስስር በኩል የታዩ ተፅእኖዎች በብዙ ገፅታ ጥሩ ቢሆኑም፣
ከገቢ እና ከሥራ እድል አንጻር ውጤቶቹ ዝቅተኛ እና የተወሰኑ ግለሰቦች ላይ ያተኮሩ ናቸው። አሃዛዊ እና አሃዛዊ
ያልሆኑ (quantitative and qualitative) ማስረጃዎች የሚጠቁሙት ስልጠናው የማኅበራዊ ትስስርን ለማሳደግ
እንደሚረዳ ነው፡፡ ከፕሮግራም ዲዛይን ወይም ከአፈጻጸም ችግሮች በላይ እንደ የሥራ እድሎች ውስንነት፣ የሕግ
ማቆዎች እና የፆታ እኩልነትን መሰረት ያደረገ እድል ያለመኖር እና የመሳሰሉ በመዋቅራዊ ችግሮች ስልጠናው
በስራ እድል ፈጠራ በኩል ውጤታማ እንዳይሆን ዋና መሰናክል ሆነው ይታያሉ።
የጥናቱ ዋና ዋና ምክረ ሃሳቦች፥

  •  የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ትምህርትና ስልጠና (ቴሙትስ) ሲታቀድ ጥንቃቄ በተሞላበት ጥናት ማለትም፤ ከጉልበት

ገበያው አቅም እና ከህግ ማእቀፉ አንጻር በበቂ ሁኔታ መታየት አለበት፡፡ በተለይ የሥራ እድሎችን
ከመፍጠር አንጻር ይህ በጣም ወሳኝ ነው፡፡

  • ማኅበራዊ ትስስርን ለማሻሻል ፤ አካታች የሆነ የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ስልጠና ውጤታማ መሣሪያ ሆኖ

ይስተዋላል። ነገር ግን ማኅበራዊ ትስስር ፣ ከሥራ እድል ፈጠራ እንደ ተጨማሪ ውጤት ብቻ ሳይሆን
የስልጠናው ዋና ዓላማ ሆኖ የሚውሰድ ከሆነ፤ “ሌሎች የተሻሉ አማራጮች አልነበሩም ወይ?” የሚል
ጥያቄ ያስነሳል፡፡ በተለይ ከሥራ እድል ፈጠራ እና ከገቢ አንጻር በተያያዘ ባለን ማስረጃ መሰረት ጥያቄውን
የበለጠ አስፈላጊ ያደርገዋል።

  •  አካታች የቴክኒክ እና ሙያ ስልጠና (ቴሙትስ) መርሃ ግብር የሚያመጣውን ለውጥ በተመለከተ፣ ሰፋ ያሉ

ተጨማሪ ጥናቶችን ይፈልጋል። መሞላት ካለባቸው የእውቀት ክፍተቶች መካከል የቴክኒክና ሙያ ሥልጠና
በስደተኞች ላይ የሚያሳድረው ተጽዕኖ፣ ሊያስከትል የሚችለውን አሉታዊ እና አወንታዊ ተጽዕኖ፤ ሊያስከትል
የሚችለው ማኅበራዊ ተጽዕኖ፣ እንዲሁም በፆታ በኩል እና ከመካከለኛ እስከ የረዥም ጊዜ ያለው የሥራ እድል
ፈጠራ እና ገቢ ላይ የሚኖሩት ውጤቶች ይገኙበታል።

Improving employment and social cohesion among refugee and host communities through TVET: evidence from an impact assessment in Ethiopia

Thu, 12/21/2023 - 18:19

In pursuit of employment opportunities and increased productivity, governments and donors have the highest ambitions for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems. Most prominently, TVET is expected to facilitate access to employment and a qualified workforce by offering its graduates skills that the labour market demands. Beyond its employment impacts, TVET supporters also anticipate that it will improve societal outcomes such as inclusion, gender equality and social cohesion.

Access to the labour market plays an essential role in allowing displaced populations to sustain their livelihoods and to foster socio-economic integration. Long-term displacement situations and a decline in resettlement opportunities have spurred the quest for local integration in countries of first asylum. It is in this context that TVET has gained additional salience in the past decade.

Does TVET live up to these promises? Overall, systematic empirical evidence on the impact of TVET is limited and often inconsistent. In terms of employment and income, evidence suggests that there is a small positive effect, but time plays an important factor. Often, impacts are only seen in the medium- to long-term, and in general, programmes tend to work better for the long-term unemployed. Evidence of societal effects is even more limited; there is a large gap of knowledge on the potential social cohesion impacts of TVET. Given the amount of funding and the high expectations found in the policy discourse, it is essential to better understand if and how TVET measures contribute to achieving their self-declared goals.

In this brief, we present the results of an accompanying research study of an inclusive TVET programme implemented by the German development cooperation organisation Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Ethiopia. In this programme, host and refugee participants are jointly trained, with the explicit goals of fostering social cohesion and improving employment opportunities.

The results indicate that while the social cohesion effect seems remarkable on several dimensions, the income and employment effect is at best weak and materialises only for specific groups of individuals. Qualitative and quantitative evidence supports the validity of the approach to achieve social cohesion. More than design or implementation problems, the lack of stronger employment effects appears to be driven by structural context conditions like limited labour market absorption capacity, legal work permission constraints, gender barriers and similar hindering factors.

We derive the following main recommendations from the analysis:

  • TVET measures need a careful context analysis (including labour market capacities, legal work barriers) to ensure that the necessary conditions for TVET to succeed are in place. This is particularly relevant in terms of employment effects, which appear to be elusive.
  • Inclusive TVET measures seem to be an effective tool to improve social cohesion. However, if social cohesion effects are valued not just as an “add-on” to employment effects but as primary goals, the question arises if alternative interventions might be more efficient. This question is particularly salient given the modest evidence regarding employment and income effects.
  • The evidence base of the impact of (inclusive) TVET programmes needs to be expanded. Knowledge gaps that need to be closed include TVET’s impact on displaced populations, its potential societal effects, differential gender effects, and medium- to long-term employment and income effects.

Development finance at a turning point: effects and policy recommendations

Thu, 12/21/2023 - 16:11

Development finance is at a turning point, as the macroeconomic environment has changed profoundly and the financing gap for low- and middle-income countries has widened. The events that led to this new situation are the multiple crises that the global economy is facing, such as the climate crisis, the COVID-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine. As a result, interest rates have risen sharply over the past year and are not expected to decline anytime soon. High interest rates further restrict low- and middle-income countries’ access to international financial markets by making borrowing more expensive. At the same time, debt levels in several countries are rising to levels that are almost impossible to repay. Poorer countries find themselves in a trap where financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes a distant goal for them.
To “get back on track” in financing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, a number of reform proposals have been put forward within several processes and initiatives, including the Financing for Development (FfD) process, the Bridgetown Initiative and the Macron-led Paris Summit. Despite being initiated by different actors, these proposals all highlight the importance of reforming the international financial architecture in view of the changed macroeconomic environment. The Hamburg Sustainability Conference in June 2024, the United Nation’s Summit of the Future in 2024 and the next FfD Conference in 2025 should be used to strengthen and accelerate ongoing reform processes and come up with new, innovative and bold proposals to reshape development finance in these challenging times. Against the background of the multiple crises and its effects, our key recommendations for the reform of development finance are as follows.
First, new initiatives and frameworks are needed to provide urgent debt relief and restructuring for highly indebted countries. The international community should promote a reformed G20 Common Framework for debt restructuring and discuss a green Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)-like initiative for debt relief for low-income countries as a solution on a case-by-case basis, integrating short-term shock remedies with long-term sustainable development finance. Debt and climate risks should be addressed simultaneously by better incorporating climate risks in debt sustainability analyses conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and by considering the volume of investments in climate adaptation because these investments reduce the risks associated with climate change.
Second, tax revenues – the most important source of development finance – need to increase and countries need to expand their fiscal space by reforming their tax administrations and policies. Building fiscal buffers can help countries to become more resilient to future crises. In the short run, eliminating unnecessary tax expenditures such as fossil fuel subsidies is the lowest-hanging fruit to increase tax revenues, while in the long run, more green fiscal reforms (e.g. carbon pricing and environmental taxes) are needed, as well as more effective international tax cooperation. In addition, donor funds should be increased to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to tax and customs administrations.
Third, the Development Assistance Committee member countries should at least halve the gap between their current contributions and the official development assistance (ODA) contribution target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2026, and reach the full attainment of the target by 2030. In particular, donors need to provide ODA in addition to (not as a substitute for) climate finance and channel more ODA to the poorest countries. In this regard, donors should report climate and development finance separately to mitigate the risk of over-reporting.
Fourth, we recall the need to reform multilateral development banks (MDBs). The multiple crises have made the role of MDBs in closing the development financing gap even more important than before. As attracting private capital is becoming more difficult for low- and middle-income countries, MDBs should harness their proven ability to leverage private finance for financing the SDGs. MDBs should substantially increase their lending capacity, for example by lowering their equity to loan thresholds and raising additional capital from shareholders or private investors. MDBs should be reformed to include in their vision the provision of global public goods, such as tackling the climate crisis and preparing for pandemics. Development banks and private creditors should include clauses on natural disasters and pandemics in their financing instruments.

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