As of March 2026, this website is no longer being updated. I now work mainly on climate issues, especially in Brighton and Hove, and new work can be found on the website of Climate:Change, our independent think-tank on socially inclusive action in the City: www.climatechangebh.org.uk.
Meanwhile, however, this website has over 850 entries, mostly representing my work on international development from 2010-2025. Among much else, there are over 50 book reviews, more than 20 papers and training cases on bridging research and policy and on managing think-tanks, nearly 100 articles on climate change, and many papers on other topics, including aid, food security and nutrition, and the future of international development. See ‘Topics and Themes’ for more details. I can be reached at sm@simonmaxwell.net.
Blog
What did Tony Blair get right (on climate)?
Not the End of the World: How we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet
Hannah Ritchie
COP 28: neither a triumph nor a disaster, so let’s just crack on
State of Climate Action 2023
Within Reach: Navigating the Political Economy of Decarbonization
Stéphane Hallegatte and others, for the World Bank
International development in a contested world: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change
Climate Change Isn’t Everything
Addendum: age-specific carbon budgets
A personal lifetime carbon budget
Next steps for carbon footprint calculators
The Value of a Whale
Panning for gold: what’s to like in the new UK strategy for international development?
Gambling on Development: Why Some Countries Win and Others Lose
Stefan Dercon
Challenges for the activist think-tank
Strategising development cooperation for the (rest of the) 2020s
How to avoid a climate disaster: The solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need
Bill Gates
Sustainable Futures: An Agenda for Action
Where to go from Glasgow? Three priorities for developing countries
Beyond a Fringe: Tales from a reformed Establishment lackey
By Andrew Mitchell
Degrowth or Decoupling?
Can we live within environmental limits and still reduce poverty?
Fairness and opportunity: A people-powered plan for the green transition
The final report of the IPPRInstitute for Public Policy Research (London) Environmental Justice Commission
Seven Ways to Change the World: How to Fix the Most Pressing Problems We Face
Gordon Brown
Go Big: How to Fix Our World
Resilience and relevance: the role of reserves in managing think-tanks
Do Not Disturb: a challenge to development actors on human rights and authoritarian development
Four lessons from the UK-Bangladesh Climate Partnership Forum – and four actions needed by policy-makers
Think-tanks in times of crisis. Prepare. Prod. Promote. Pitch. Produce.
What Next for UK Aid?
Can we do better than A-S-I? Yes. Shrink! Shift! Shuffle!
Emissions Gap Report 2020
Less is More: Previewing a debate on de-growth
Motivate. Mobilise. Manage. Repeat. Further thoughts on leadership.
How can the Y20 influence the G20: a ten point plan
Counting carbon in global trade: why imported emissions challenge the climate regime and what might be done about it
The conversation we need to have about the recovery from COVID: what’s easy, quick and cheap?
Virus Vision and Virus Realism. In reverse order.
Technology and think-tanks: two challenges
Loaded after Covid: priming policy for after the pandemic
How to manage cross-cutting issues in a think-tank
Got Brexit Done. What Now for International Development?
Theses for the European Re-Formation
How to unlock the Glasgow COP
Principles for a Global Green New Deal
Climate action: why developed countries should track imported emissions, and how to make certification and labelling work for developing countries
India in Africa: serving both profit and wider purpose
A DFIDDepartment for International Development response to the ‘climate cataclysm’
A priority for MEPs: elbow your way onto the Development Committee
People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent
Joseph Stiglitz
Ten Questions for new MEPs
Time to give the carbon footprint a higher profile in climate change policy
Strengthening research impact: the LIFT model for leaders and managers
The Globotics Upheaval: Globalisation, Robotics, and the Future of Work
By Richard Baldwin
Policy relevant research and influence: a climate change teaching case
The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul Collier
Time to reboot EUEuropean Union aid?
So you think you know about EUEuropean Union aid: Take the Quiz!
The EUEuropean Union to the rescue: priorities for a positive multilateralism
Prosperity and Justice: A Plan for the New Economy
Final report of the IPPRInstitute for Public Policy Research (London) Commission on Economic Justice
Brexit update – September 2018
Trumped-Up Aid and the Challenge of Global Poverty by Tony Vaux
Re-thinking the concept of fragile states
Finding meaning in Theresa May’s Cape Town speech
‘Advancing Human Development: Theory and Practice’ by Frances Stewart, Gustav Ranis and Emma Samman
The challenge for global think tanks in 2018
Edge of Chaos
The Mordaunt doctrine: A mission for Global Britain
Does ICAI need a broader remit? Lessons from the Review of the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund
A World for the Many Not the Few: The Labour Party’s Vision for International Development
A Brexit update: why the development sector needs to mobilise
Training Cases on Think-Tank Governance
Two opinion pieces on the EUEuropean Union development agenda in 2018
Jobs in Africa: the role of a forward-looking food industry
Six questions regarding Foreign Office management of UK aid
In the Footsteps of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
We need to talk about Europe
Where next for the global climate negotiations?
Trouble in the Making? The Future of Manufacturing-led Development
Roadmap to Remain: An Open Letter to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron
Taming Cerberus
Working together after Brexit: why and how Germany, the EUEuropean Union and the UK can continue to collaborate on international development
Time to end the tying of EUEuropean Union oda?
Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
By Alexander Betts and Paul Collier
Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a twenty-First Century Economist
Kate Raworth
A Note on the 2016 aid statistics
A new case must be made for aid. It rests on three legs.
DFID’s Economic Development Strategy
The proposed New European Consensus on Development: Has the Commission got it right?
'How Change Happens' by Duncan Green
Putting flesh on the bones of the new UK Aid Strategy
Brexit: lessons for global development governance
Can the private sector deliver climate compatible development?
(Researchers) Surviving Brexit
Proposed: A Compact with the people of Syria
Five lessons regarding Brexit from the Book of Exodus
Revising the European Consensus on Development
Three memoirs of British aid
Development Frontiers: where poverty and sustainability meet
A commentary on aid reportage
Humanitarian issues in the spotlight
‘Why Europe?’ and ‘What Europe?’. Issues for the new EUEuropean Union Global Strategy
Only inside the European Union can the UK help fight global poverty
Finding a place of one’s own: development agency choices in a new landscape
Climate Compatible Development: Pathway or Pipedream?
Climate change: time for development (studies) to lead the charge
The new UK aid strategy: comments and questions
Towards next generation food policy research
The SDGs: a transformatory challenge for NGOs
Climate change: the Emissions Gap
PCD: Not just for anoraks
Why Clubs matter: Five axioms for the future of global governance
Tomorrowland: a strategy for Italy’s new development cooperation
Finding a niche for DFIDDepartment for International Development in the SDGs
Response to the ICAI consultation
How to avoid the winner’s curse: lessons for a new nutrition policy
Financing for Development: A Rapid Assessment
Six questions for the new ICAI
A challenge on the SDGs
Should protecting and promoting livelihoods be a new Humanitarian ‘Principle’?
Putting on a play: how to moderate a public meeting
The EUEuropean Union International Cooperation and Development Results Framework: A commentary
The Conservative Manifesto: A Reading
DFID is changing - but is it changing fast enough?
What should be the priorities for the new EUEuropean Union Security Strategy?
Seven indivisibilities and a conundrum: how to deliver women’s empowerment
2015: the choreography
This Changes Everything: Capitalism Versus The Climate by Naomi Klein
Did the DACDevelopment Assistance Committee (of the OECD) HLM do enough to tee up the Addis Ababa FFD?
Is teacher pleased? The DACDevelopment Assistance Committee (of the OECD) Peer Review of the UK 2014
Has Ban Ki Moon hit a six on post-2015?
Climate change: what's next?
Development Cooperation Report 2014: Forwards or sideways on Financing for Development?
The New Climate Economy: Report of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate
Our Collective Interest: why Europe’s problems need global solutions and global problems need European action
Latest poll on the future of DFID, vote now.
CDKN Annual Report 2014
Climate Compatible Development in Theory and Practice: three book reviews
Hold onto your hat: the UN Finance Report is out
Post-2015: Arriving or Departing?
Designing the development agency of the future
Is ICAI getting there?
In defence of fair trade
Can we develop a ‘stress test’ for national food systems?
Re-shaping Global Development: will Europe Lead?
Review of Aid on the Edge of ChaosClimate sceptics: what to do with the headless chickens
Paying for Zero: Global Development Finance and the Post-2015 Agenda
Why the European Parliament elections matter for international development - and eight things to look out for in the manifestos
DFID’s MAR Update is thorough. Now they need a multilateral policy.
Review of Influencing Tomorrow: Future Challenges for British Foreign Policy by Douglas Alexander and Ian Kearns
Sailing into harbour or drifting out to sea? Consensus and challenge on post-2015
How to win the argument on climate change: a five point plan (Part 3 and final)
Summit on the Global Agenda 2013
How to win the argument on climate change: a five point plan (Part 2)
How to win the argument on climate change: a five point plan (Part 1)
Paging Goldilocks: Where do we stand on post-2015 after the New York Special Event?
Commentary on the Review of the EEAS
Is the EU making an argument to transform aid? And is it right?
Lessons from President Obama’s Climate Action Plan
Optimistic about the Global Nutrition Compact
What is the ICAI up to, what have we learned, and what should happen next?
Lessons from the EUEuropean Union Changemakers
Review of ‘Divided Nations: why global governance is failing and what we can do about it’ by Ian Goldin
Unpeeling the onion: reflections on the post-2015 High Level Panel report
Can the EUEuropean Union deliver joined-up thinking and action in international development? Eight steps for a better External Action Service
Maximum Aspiration and Minimum Standards: Driving Change in Business Contributions to Poverty Reduction
Pitching on the post-2015 goals: A Decent Life for All
What is the future of (UK) oda?
How can the EUEuropean Union take forward the resilience agenda: a ten point plan
Is there a future for Northern NGOs in a world of MICs?
Review of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson
Review of ‘The Carbon Crunch’ by Dieter Helm
The optimists and pessimists are far apart on climate change. How can we disrupt the psychological status quo?
Conquering the Hydra: a twenty point programme for reform of multilateral aid
How to achieve lift-off for post-2015 global goals
Looking to the future of development and humanitarian aid: what can be seen in the crystal ball?
Is there a blueprint for driving change at global level – and is it being applied to sustainable energy and food security?
The new EUEuropean Union development policy. A waymark reached. Is the finish line in sight?
Inclusive green growth: A review of the World Bank policy paper
Lessons beyond the local: Prospects for Peace and Development in South Sudan
Are countries ready for change? The new KPMG/ODI Change Readiness Index
Beware Greeks bearing gifts? The House of Lords on aid impact and effectiveness
Time to end ambiguity in European policy-making
The search is on for Rio and Los Cabos deliverables: how about a ‘green growth guarantee’?
Poor economics: a review
Will cities lead the charge? Review of The Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser
Will second wave environmentalism learn from the errors of the first wave?
Too much aid to middle income countries? The EU’s aid allocation conundrum.
Wrapping up Busan
Re-thinking Europe: what development can offer
Living the Durban DurbarPutting some bite into Busan
From Cannes to Los Cabos: the future of the G20
Can we make progress on green growth without a global deal?
Chatham House Climate Change Conference 2011
From 19 to 22 September, the EADI and DSADevelopment Studies Association of the UK and Ireland hosted a conference in York looking at “Rethinking Development in an Age of Scarcity and Uncertainty”. The EDCSP team held a panel discussion, jointly with its partner think tanks, as part of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG), which explored the subject of “Modernising European Development Policy in a Changing World”, and posed the question, ”What can Researchers bring to the Table?”
Click here to read Simon's reflections on the conference, and for some insights from the panel discussion.
Is vaccination good economics as well as good politics?
The G20 response to the food crisis of 2011 needs better politics and greater ambition
Budget support is becoming an endangered species: what Busan must do to save it
Is evolution a good model for innovation?
A challenge to the ACP
The results agenda 2.0
What kind of shape is DFIDDepartment for International Development in?
Seeing the wood for the trees: why Busan must raise its sights to shape the future of aid
Time to re-invent development studies?
Ten propositions on climate change and growth
The reviews are finished. Should DFIDDepartment for International Development now publish a White Paper?
The HERR is here!
Looking behind the headlines of DFID’s bilateral and multilateral aid reviews
The European Commission one year in. How is it doing? The current Commission, headed by Jose Manuel Barroso, took office on 10 February 2010. One year in, how is it doing?
Scrutinising DfID: A new report from the International Development Select Committee points to new themes in scrutiny of the UK aid programme.
Davos 2011
Should the EUEuropean Union set up a Leader's Group to accelerate progress on global climate negotiations?
European Development Cooperation: Priorities for 2011
Take climate negotiations to the highest level
Two weeks on the beach in Cancun ought to be enough to banish winter blues – but is unlikely to next week for Connie Hedegaard and the other EUEuropean Union climate negotiators. Never mind that there probably won’t be time for them to feel the sand between their toes. The real problem is that the mood in Cancun is likely to be downbeat, not raising spirits but rather the reverse.
For the full text please visit the broker
The High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing: Global deal or civil service review? Read Simon's blog and vote in the linked poll.
Playing poker with EUEuropean Union development policy
Doing aid centre-right: marrying a results-based agenda with the realities of aid
Shaping the mission statement and the work programme of the G20
Climate Change 2010 - Chatham House conference
Why a focus on mitigation and adaptation conceals the real challenge of climate change - blog
When first published, this was a work in progress, a review of ‘War Games: The Story of Aid and War in Modern Times’ by Linda Polman. It has now been published in DPR (Vol 28 No 6, Nov 2010 Pgs 771-5). Comments welcome.
Reading Linda Polman’s polemic on humanitarian aid feels dangerously, even thrillingly illicit. It’s like watching a cheetah bring down an impala on the Serengeti plain. Your sympathy is with the doe-eyed victim – but you can’t help admire the power and ruthless ferocity of the predator.
The argument is merciless, the detail wide-ranging, the narrative entertaining and rich in colour. Polman argues that humanitarian aid is rooted in high principle, but has in practice come to be sordid, commercial, exploitative and counter-productive. Specifically, humanitarian aid (HA):
- Fosters conflict and encourages atrocities, as militias around the world escalate operations in a bid to ‘win’ attention from the outside world;
- Protects the perpretrators of violence in so-called ‘refugee’ camps;
- Funds the continuation of violence, through formal and informal taxies and levies, and through looting;
- Is coopted by the security organs of donor countries, who use NGOs as camouflage in conflict;
- Leads agencies to exaggerate and manipulate the media as they compete for contracts and donations;
- Allows a proliferation of unqualified, unprofessional and unethical aid agencies and workers, who do very little good and often harm;
- Undermines local economic development by creating high-wage enclaves; and
- Degrades individuals and whole societies by importing inappropriate values and cultural norms.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 25-27 May 2010
I was in Yogyakarta for two working days, mainly to make a presentation at the Asia-Europe (ASEM) development conference, but also to share a platform with Andris Piebalgs, the EUEuropean Union Development Commissioner, and Dirk Messner of the German Development Institute, at a pre-meeting for all EUEuropean Union Delegation heads from Asia. Dirk also participated in the ASEM meeting, along with Dirk Willem te Velde from ODI.
I was at the Centre for International Governance Innovation for two days, for a conference on ‘Issues for 2010 Summits’. The main focus was on the G-20 and the main substantive discussion on the Financial Stability Board and the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth (from last year’s Pittsburgh G20). See here.
CIGI has a particular attachment to the G20, of course a Canadian invention, originally for Finance Ministers and now for leaders. Paul Martin was the original inspiration, when he was Finance Minister of Canada, and was at the meeting. There was quite a lot of discussion about legitimacy and representativeness, but, perhaps not surprisingly, enthusiasm for this particular contribution to what was described as ‘messy multilateralism’. CIGI has been supporting the G20 process around the world – for example, they ran a seminar in London last year, which I went to, and are doing work in Korea as well as Canada. This is track 1.5 diplomacy, apparently.
Simon, Mikaela Gavas and Deborah Johnson were in Brussels for a public debate on the European Think Tanks Group Report, hosted by Friends of Europe, and for a series of meetings with DG Development and our think tank colleagues. The visit came just a few days after the publication of the Spring Package, on which Simon and Mikaela had written a blog; and also on the day that the Foreign Affairs Council was debating the arrangements for the new External Action Service, on which we also had a blog.
Reorganising Europe's foreign affairs: what role for international development, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, April 2010
European Union Foreign Ministers are meeting today to agree the shape and functions of the new European External Action Service created by the Lisbon Treaty . This is not the final stage of the approval process. The European Parliament must agree the required budget and can thus require further change. Nevertheless, Monday's meeting will mark the point at which European Foreign Ministers sign up to the deal that gives Baroness Cathy Ashton her mandate as the EU's first Foreign Minister. International development forms part of the deal. Will the EU's contribution to poverty reduction , human security and environmental sustainability be well or badly served?................ (see link in title for full article)
The spring package is a promising start, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, April 2010
The EUEuropean Union Commission’s ‘Spring Package’ on development, launched this week, will be scrutinised with special care, as the first major policy statement by the new Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs. Does it mark new strategic leadership? Does it suggest the Commissioner will take political risks? Will it excite and challenge the Member States? There are five key points................. (see link in title for full article)
Simon, Mikaela Gavas, Deborah Johnson and Leah Kreitzman were in Brussels for two days on 17-18 March 2010. The highlights were a presentation of our European Think Tanks Group Report in the European Parliament, and a private breakfast with the Development Commissioner for the four think-tanks in the EUEuropean Union Think Tanks Group.
I attended Davos principally as Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Humanitarian Assistance, but also pursued interests in climate, business/development linkages and development more generally. I must say ‘my’ Davos is very different to that of those who focus mainly on global economic and financial questions: no more or less valid, but a reminder that there are many Davos pathways.
I was flat out all week, but did not attend any public sessions, except for those I moderated or spoke at. In addition to lots of private meetings and briefings, key engagements included:
- Being a table leader at the big opening plenary on Redefining the Global Commons;
- Moderating a session on humanitarian issues in the main public programme;
- Helping to lead a meeting hosted by WFPWorld Food Programme on nutrition;
- Presenting the work of the Global Agenda Council in the IdeasLab;
- Speaking at the annual WFPWorld Food Programme dinner, devoted this year mainly to Haiti;
- Attending a working lunch on practical ways forward after Copenhagen;
- Attending a dinner on carbon capture and storage;
- Moderating a two and a half hour workshop for political and business leaders on new Models of Collaboration for Economic Development; and
- Speaking as one of three rapporteurs at the final plenary round up on the agenda for 2010.
From regional club to global player: how Lisbon could transform Europe, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Oct 2009 - with M Gavas
The Irish ‘yes’ to the Lisbon Treaty brings ratification one step closer. Attention now turns to the Czech Republic and Poland. If ratification proceeds without delay, the Swedish Government will hold the ring on the next stage of political appointments. By the end of the year, we could know who will be the first President of the EUEuropean Union and the new, more powerful foreign affairs chief, as well as the leadership team supporting Jose Manuel Barroso in the European Commission................. (see link in title for full article)
G-20 -- a starting gun for recovery, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, April 2009
The G-20 communiqué offers many of the right right words and some of the right measures.
The alarm bells are ringing on aid, but the UK is leading the way, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, April 2009
Latest aid volume statistics look good, but are not adequate to reach the agreed targets for 2010 and beyond. This blog rings alarm bells for European aid, but welcomes the UK Government's commitment to agreed aid levels................. (see link in title for full article)
Dealing with the crisis: here comes the EU, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, 2009
Simon blogs on the publication of new proposals by the European Commission for tackling the global crisis
The G-20 is a temporary sticking plaster, not a full organ transplant, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, March 2009
Simon Maxwell, outlines why we need to reinvent globalisation and international institutions to ensure they genuinely reflect and represent regional, cultural and income diversities and provide a framework to govern the world amid new global threats.
The seven principles for a global 're-boot', ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, November 2008
This blog comments on the recent World Economic Forum's Summit in Dubai, which has called for a global 're-boot' for human progress.............
Multilateralism in action, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, October 2008
A renewed commitment to multilateralism may be one of the benefits of the financial crisis. Coordinated action by Governments and Central Banks is one indicator of change. There are others.
For example, Douglas Alexander (the UK Secretary of State for International Development) gained a victory in Washington at the weekend, securing agreement that the next President of the World Bank should be appointed through open competition, rather than simply through US nomination. The Guardian reported that ‘Douglas Alexander, brokered a deal to throw open the post to candidates from any country. Backed by European governments and developing countries, Alexander overcame resistance from the US and Japan’. Good job. This is a long-standing item on the multilateral reform agenda..............
Can we move from a risk framework to an opportunities framework in international development?, ODI Blog, October 2008
In thinking about the future of international development, under the rubric of our ‘What’s Next?’ theme, I’ve found it very useful to make use of risk management frameworks, like the global risks analysis pioneered by the World Economic Forum. An example of what they do is pasted in below, taken from the Global Risks 2008 Report. This charts 26 core global risks by likelihood and by severity of economic loss. An asset price collapse is in the top right-hand corner, seen as reasonably likely and very expensive. Extreme inland flooding is in the bottom left hand corner, seen as rather unlikely and somewhat less expensive. The Report was published in January 2008. I don’t know whether the WEF tracks the accuracy of its analysis, but this year has been marked by both an asset price collapse and severe inland flooding, both very expensive in money terms and in human misery. It is worth looking at some of the other risks in the table: pandemics, nanotechnology, transnational crime, war. Not all bad things have happened at the same time. Yet..............
High drama at the High Level Forum, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog September 2008
I've just returned from the ministerial day at the third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, where I moderated the two main plenary discussions (for other resources prepared by colleagues in advance of the Forum, see ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) on... the Third High Level Forum). The High Level Forum, 2-4 September, was held in Accra, Ghana and generated a great deal of drama. For those who don’t live and breathe aid effectiveness, this is a triennial ministerial event of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/DAC). The last Forum, in 2005, generated the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, enshrining principles and targets for things like harmonisation, alignment and mutual accountability between donors and recipients. The process is designed to remedy all those shocking facts we cite – 700 donor missions to Vietnam last year, 25 health donors in many African countries..........................
The Millenium Development Goals are at risk: The EUEuropean Union should give them new momentum, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Sept. 2008
A high profile European report on the MDGs is being launched in Brussels on Friday and in New York on 24 September. The report has been written by an independent group of European economists, led by Professor Francois Bourguignon, Director of the Paris School of Economics, and of which I am a member. It says the Millennium Development Goals have been a force for good in the world, but that progress is uneven, too slow and threatened by the global economic slowdown. The authors argue that the European Union brings particular strengths to the MDG project. The EU’s own history shows the advantages of regional cooperation, support to weaker members and joint action to secure public goods of value to all. Its development policy and implementation capacity provides a unique marriage of political, economic and aid instruments, underpinned by a structure of mutual accountability. All this provides a platform to do more................. (see link in title for full article)
Reform of the International System: the momentum is building, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, June 2008
The Commonwealth mini-Summit in London is the latest sign that reform of the international system is moving rapidly up the agenda. The Summit discussed reform of the UN, the Bretton Woods Institutions and global environmental governance. On all these, there is enthusiasm among Heads of Government for faster and better coordinated change. We can expect to see this translated into specific proposals at the EU Council, the UN MDG Summit, and the Doha meeting on Financing for Development, and in discussions leading up to the Copenhagen conference on climate change........ for the full article follow the link above.
The food price crisis: another 'lost decade' for development?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog June 2008
This blog outlines four key items to be delivered at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) crisis summit on food prices in Rome, June 2008...............
Rome exceeded expectations; will the G8Group of Eight do the same?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, June 2008
The Food Summit in Rome turned out better than expected. It was not derailed by Robert Mugabe. It survived the unedifying wrangling over a final communiqué. It gave the topic a good hearing. It confirmed some practical actions. And it passed the torch successfully to the G8 in Japan in July.
As usual, delegates spent too much time arguing about statements of principle and too much time on political issues only loosely linked to the summit theme. Not surprisingly, they found it hard to reach agreement on contentious issues, like biofuels. But there have been some large new pledges, and a high degree of consensus on the twin issues of agricultural development and social protection for the poorest....................
Tackling the food price crisis: 5 steps, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, May 2008
The word 'crisis' is much abused. But the current food price crisis constitutes a genuine emergency. Urgency in tackling it is essential.
The very poor in the developing world may spend up to 80% of their income on food. The recent spike in food prices has had an immediate impact on their welfare and has already cost lives through civil unrest. Many more lives are now at risk from hunger................. (see link in title for full article)
Will rising food prices derail development efforts?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Feb 2008
Rising food prices are very much in the news. Farmers may gain, but poor consumers are hard hit – and don’t hesitate to let the politicians know. Governments and aid agencies are under pressure to provide more robust safety nets, while simultaneously facing higher costs................. (see link in title for full article)
Where next for DfID? A public debate is needed on the forthcoming PSAPublic Service Agreement and budget settlement, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) blog Dec 2007
In the heart of Whitehall, negotiations are currently underway on two matters that will shape the Government’s actions on international development until 2011. Surprisingly, there is little public debate about either. Yet there should be. Aid volumes are increasing sharply. At the same time, the development agenda is changing very fast, in some ways extending or moving beyond the poverty reduction paradigm that has dominated for the past decade. This challenges the Government as a whole to be clear about its objectives, and particularly challenges DFID. Will the Department fulfil its mandate as the lead agency across government on all aspects of international development? Or will it find itself concentrating its efforts on spending the additional aid volume, in some ways reverting to the mission of the old ODA?................. (see link in title for full article)
Re-imagining EUEuropean Union development aid, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Oct. 2007
Imagine the Berlaymont late at night. A full moon hangs in the sky. High up in the building, an office lamp still shines. It illuminates four people. They are sprawled comfortably in armchairs for an intimate conversation. The four lead the EUEuropean Union on international affairs. They are Commission President José Manuel Barroso, two of his commissioners - Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Louis Michel - and High Representative Javier Solana. Their topic is the new European political landscape, following the arrival in office of President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and the June 2007 agreement on the new 'Reform Treaty'.
Important messages from the UK government on international development. Are we listening? ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Oct. 2007
There have been some important messages on international development from the UK Government since the change of administration in June – and they signal changes of emphasis to which we might want to react. A first set of changes was to do with structure, especially the appointment of Mark Malloch Brown to the post of Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN in the FCO, and the appointment of Gareth Thomas as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State jointly in DFIDDepartment for International Development and the new Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, with special responsibility for trade policy. Both these signal a commitment to joined-up thinking across Government................. (see link in title for full article)
A master-class in bridging research and policy, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Oct 2007
I approached The Bottom Billion with trepidation, but do you know what – I loved it. I was wary because I’m not naturally sympathetic to the kind of heavy-duty econometrics which is Paul Collier’s stock-in-trade, especially when the results depend on the use of unexpected transformations or recondite instrumental variables. Let’s be honest: it doesn’t help that I can’t do that kind of work and don’t usually understand it. However, I have always recognised that Paul has an extraordinary ability to apply sophisticated technique to answering high-level common-sense questions about the world, and that he then uses his results to tell stories that, In Diane Stone’s phrase, ‘capture the political imagination’................. (see link in title for full article)
What future for the World Bank?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, Aug. 2007
The World Bank’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President, Francois Bourguignon, was in London yesterday, for informal consultations on the future strategy of the World Bank. This contributes to the Long Term Strategic Exercise (LTSE), described on the World Bank website, on a page which also provides opportunities for electronic comment................. (see link in title for full article)
Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group Report, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, July 2007
The Conservative Party’s Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group reported today. Without being party political, we are going to use the blog to discuss the analysis and recommendations.................
The food crisis: are we making progress?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, July 2008
If every word written about the global food crisis were a grain of rice, hunger in the world would be a distant memory. But let’s not be cynical - there is cause for cautious optimism. Progress is being made on the policy front and the commitments are beginning to stack up. That does not mean the crisis is over. Events in the Horn of Africa remind us that weather-induced famine is a risk for the poorest, quite independently of what is happening to international grain markets. Nevertheless, the food crisis has been testing our capacity for collective action this year, and we have not been entirely disappointed................. (see link in title for full article)
Where are the political divides on international development?, ODI Blog, June 2007
With Gordon Brown about to take office, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) asked representatives of the three main political parties in the UK to speak on the theme ‘What’s Next in International Development?’. These three speeches tell us something about the issues that will shape political debate in the months to come..............
Will the new EUEuropean Union Code of Conduct on Division of Labour improve or undermine aid quality?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, May 2007
The EUEuropean Union Code of Conduct on Complementarity and Division of Labour in Development Policy, approved by the Council on 15 May 2007, is potentially revolutionary, with significant implications for the future of British and other bilateral aid......................
Is Tony Blair’s legacy on Africa at risk?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, May 2007
With the trade talks failing and aid volume way below target, is Tony Blair's legacy on Africa at risk? The G8Group of Eight meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, in June, provides a last opportunity to persuade the most powerful leaders in the world to deliver on their promises. Angela Merkel will need to show some muscle.
Africa is only on the agenda in Germany because Blair won Merkel over. He persuaded her not to focus exclusively on her preferred topic, energy security (for which read relations with Vladimir Putin). This was a brave decision, because Germany is one of the countries in the firing line for not meeting pledges made at Blair’s own G8, at Gleneagles, in 2005..........
Is Sir Mike Aaronson right to call for DfID to be merged back with the FCO? ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, May 2007
Participants at the launch of Roger Riddell’s new book, ‘Does Foreign Aid Really Work?’ at ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) last week were surprised to hear Sir Mike Aaronson, former director of the Save the Children Fund, suggest that DFIDDepartment for International Development should be merged back with the FCO................ (see link in title for full article)
Is DfID any good or isn't it? And who's asking? ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, April 2007
This has been a challenging couple of weeks for DFID. On 19 March, Bronwen Maddox published a sceptical piece in The Times newspaper, that was followed up in its tabloid stablemate, The Sun, and then in a series of interviews on 25 March on the World This Weekend, a flagship current affairs programme on the BBC’s Radio 4. There was then a flurry of questions in the House of Commons on 28 March, dealing in different ways with the need for more independent audit of DFID’s work. In the same period, the Civil Service published its own Capability Review of DFID; and in the previous week, the department itself published its own policy paper on Preventing Violent Conflict, relevant because much of the case against DFIDDepartment for International Development has been about political analysis and about working with other departments................ (see link in title for full article)
What will the High Level Panel on UN Reform announce this Thursday?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, November 2006
Kemal Dervis, the UNDPUnited Nations Development Programme Administrator, spoke for ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) and the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development on Wednesday and hinted at the recommendations of the UN High Level Panel on System Wide Coherence..........................
Blunt and brutal. But UN reform is possible. Blair, Brown and Benn can make it happen, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, November 2006
I welcome the release of ‘Delivering as One’, the Report of the High Level Panel on UN Reform. The Report is blunt and brutal. That’s what happens when you commission a report from three serving Prime Ministers and have Gordon Brown on the team.
The Report criticises the incoherence, fragmentation and unpredictability of UN work on international development. Quite right too, we can’t have 20 UN agencies in every country, all fighting for the Minister’s ear. Nor can we expect the UN to do its job, when donors withhold funding and cherry-pick their favourite projects.....................
What do readers think of Bill Easterly's book, 'The White Man's Burden'?, ODI Blog, November 2006
'Bill Easterly has been criticised - by no less an authority than Amartya Sen - for being 'swept up by the intoxicating power of purple prose'. Unkind, I think. This book is a hoot from start to finish. Whether he is poking fun at UN jargon on donor coordination, describing his experience with an electric blanket, or citing the 'bons mots' of his small children, Easterly is nothing if not entertaining. Add the fact that he segues rapidly from history to statistical analysis to anecdote and back again, and Easterly has delivered a classic page-turner. This is one you can take to the beach.................
Is ‘human security’ a neat way of framing a poverty-focused aid programme, or a clever device for the EUEuropean Union to appropriate development aid for the purposes of foreign policy?, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, October 2006
This blog asks whether human security a neat way of framing a poverty-focused aid programme in the modern era, or a clever device to appropriate development aid for the purposes of foreign policy?...............
Can the International Health Partnership deliver a new way of funding health spending?, ODI Blog, 2007
The International Health Partnership was launched in London on 6 September, signed by 8 bilateral donors, 7 developing countries, 9 international organisations, and 2 other donors. Importantly, the ‘signature party’ was led by two Prime Ministers, Gordon Brown from the UK and Jens Stoltenberg from Norway. A high profile initiative, but here’s the interesting thing – no new money was involved. The key focus of the initiative is ‘coordination’. Two Prime Ministers and all those others, spending time and political capital on a dry subject like coordination. What’s that about?.................
Six approaches to fragile states, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, January 2006
Put aside the controversy about the term 'fragile state', which many developing countries find offensive; and also the debate about which countries at which times fall into the category. The key questions policy-makers ask are about the instruments available to outsiders who might wish to take an interest, and about the principles that should govern their deployment. What lies between mild exhortation and full-scale military invasion? And who, when, in what combination and in what sequence, should do what?
The ultimate objective is relatively straightforward. As Ghani et al have proposed, it involves developmental states which are representative and accountable, and which are able to deliver the things people require of their governments: law and order, infrastructure, the supply of public goods, and the provision of social services (Figure 1)............
Is the WTOWorld Trade Organization too complicated? Or not complicated enough?, ODI Blog, January 2006
The WTOWorld Trade Organization is certainly complicated, and not just because of the profusion of acronyms and the arcane detail of trade policy. The real complexity lies in the way many different issues are brought to the table, with the idea that losses in one area may be offset by gains in another. There were some obvious examples in Hong Kong: the best known was the EUEuropean Union demanding better access to developing country markets for its manufactures and services in countries like Brazil, as a quid pro quo for reduction in its agricultural subsidies and for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)................
The cost of war: DRC seeks £10 billion from Uganda, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, December 2005
Is anyone following the judgement of the International Court of Justice on Uganda’s activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
This is an extraordinary story, which I first noticed on the BBC website. The BBC reported that the International Court of Justice had found Uganda guilty of looting and human rights abuses in DRC, and that DRC was claiming $US 10bn in compensation.................
Diplomats and NGOs to blame for UN Summit failure – send them all to boot camp, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, September 2005
Two main groups carry the blame for the relative failure of the UN Summit in New York last week. The first group are the NGOs, whose error was to focus on the wrong priorities. They should be sent back to campaigning school. The second group are the diplomats, whose collective error was to mismanage a year’s worth of negotiation. Diplomacy school would be too generous. Boot camp seems more appropriate: long hours and scant rations until re-education is complete on how to create the right incentives for reform..................
UN Summit: Getting the structures right and securing effective collective action, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, September 2005
There are two big agendas at the UN MDG Summit in mid-September. One matters and one does not. Keeping this thought in mind helps greatly in sorting through the Bolton amendments and in helping to focus debate during the last days before the meeting.
The agenda which does not matter is the one on which most NGONon-governmental organisation attention has focused: the MDGs themselves. The draft outcome document, named for Ambassador Ping, the President of the General Assembly, reiterates the principles underlying the MDGsMillennium Development Goals and lays out sectoral priorities..............................
The pilot IFFInternational Finance Facility gets the go-ahead. Now is the time to start talking about the future aid architecture, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, August 2005
Eurostat and the UK Office of National Statistics have announced an important decision which will pave the way for governments to contribute to the pilot version of Gordon Brown's proposed International Finance Facility, and perhaps eventually to the full-scale IFF. This means aid will rise even faster than already planned. A conversation about how to reshape the aid architecture becomes ever more urgent.Both the IFFIM and the full-scale IFFInternational Finance Facility are designed to front-load aid, and work by governments borrowing capital sums from bond markets against future repayments. The question was whether statistical authorities would insist that the totality of contributions to the immunisation pilot be counted against government expenditure at the time of the original borrowing, or whether they would be counted only when repayments were made. If the former, then the benefit of the mode of financing would effectively disappear.....................
A special $20 billion aid fund for Africa? Perhaps, but not just yet…, ODI Blog, July 2005
Speaking at ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) on Friday, Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu called for most of the new aid for Africa to be placed in a special new $20bn fund – equivalent to 5% of Africa’s GDPGross Domestic Product – channelled through the African Development Bank, but administered directly by African Ministers of Finance. He amplified his remarks in a later interview for the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme. The purpose of this new fund would be to implement the programmes and activities foreseen in the NEPADNew Partnership for Africa's Development Action Plans. Professor Nkuhlu is Chairman of the NEPADNew Partnership for Africa's Development Steering Committee and Head of the NEPADNew Partnership for Africa's Development Secretariat, as well as being an adviser to South African President Thabo Mbeki. He was flying a kite, either of his own accord or as part of a strategy. But is this a kite that should fly?....................
'Yes, but... or Yes, and...': How to pitch the 2005 debate, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, June 2005
On Tuesday, we held a media briefing at ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) on the 2005 agenda. As usual, we paid tribute to the political leadership and energy driving the 2005 agenda, and then got stuck in to the technical issues we mostly work on: absorptive capacity, investment policy, trade issues and all the rest. The first comment we received, from a senior BBC journalist, was ‘hang on, the audience out there can’t handle this complexity. The story has to be simple. The problem is poverty. The answer is debt relief, aid and trade liberalisation’. End of story. Literally........................
UK suspension of aid to Ethiopia raises accountability questions, ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Blog, June 2005
An interesting report yesterday evening, that Hilary Benn, the UK Secretary of State for International Development, has announced suspension of planned budget support to Ethiopia worth £20m, in reaction to the way electoral unrest has been dealt with. Two points:First, this news comes hot on the heels of last weekend’s announcement that all HIPCHeavily-indebted poor countries completion countries, of which Ethiopia is one, would receive immediate debt relief. A question I asked in my earlier contribution was whether relief would be automatic or subject to a good governance test. This decision by Hilary Benn would seem to support the case for a review before granting debt relief......................
Debt is a Red Herring: It's Really About Aid and Trade!, ODI Blog, June 2005
The debt deal announced by the G7 finance ministers is definitely a success, and reflects well on the political leadership provided by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, as well as a skilful and powerful campaign by NGOs. That being said, I found myself at the weekend pondering six points.First, it's worth remembering that taking on debt is in itself a good thing, if the money is well used and if the borrower can afford the repayments. The IDA, the soft loan window of the World Bank, has just benefited from a 30% replenishment to enable it to lend to poor countries, and Gordon Brown is busy campaigning for the International Finance Facility, which involves the UK government borrowing money to finance aid. It's important not to demonise debt. By the way, about 40% of IDA's resources come from countries repaying past loans, some of them countries like China and Korea that have used earlier loans to graduate to middle income status..................
Read more...