ODI Blog
The ODI Blog features the personal views of ODI experts on a range of current events and issues. This page contains our most recent blogs. For a full list of ODI blogs, use the search on the left (selecting 'ODI blog posts' under 'Flagship resource series').
Climate research and policy make extensive use of two concepts, ‘mitigation' and ‘adaptation'. And while these are a helpful starting point, a broader focus on 'climate
compatible development' may now be needed.In the Kyoto Protocol (1997), and more.. (more)
posted
by
Simon Maxwell on
Friday, July 23, 2010 4:50 PM
383 Views,
Current debates on South-South cooperation (SSC) and its effectiveness are marked by the absence of some of the most prominent providers of financial and technical assistance to the South. Brazil is a case in point. But is the country ready to engage.. (more)
posted
by
Lidia Cabral on
Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:13 PM
586 Views,
The debate over whether the UK should continue providing development assistance to India is not new, but it has become a lightning rod for those who argue that the UK aid programme has lost its way. In reflecting on the specifics of the case it is worth.. (more)
posted
by
Alison Evans on
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 9:46 AM
1256 Views,
The UN system has long been criticised for not matching its often impressive and widely supported commitments to gender equality with the human and budget resources, as well as the requisite institutional muscle, to translate commitments into reality.. (more)
posted
by
Nicola Jones on
Tuesday, July 06, 2010 6:04 PM
1014 Views,
When the great and the good gather at the Millennium Development Goals Review Summit in New York in September, it will be interesting to see how prominent general budget support (GBS) is on the agenda. Back in May, a paper on ‘Budget Support and MDG performance',.. (more)
posted
by
Heidi Tavakoli on
Tuesday, July 06, 2010 9:58 AM
777 Views,
Responding to policy-makers' needs is important, and being able to clarify and communicate research is an essential skill for development researchers. But it may have unintended consequences. By always giving policy-makers what they want – shorter, simpler and easier things to read – are we implicitly accepting that they should not be held up to the same standards as other professionals? In short, are we unintentionally ‘dumbing down' the audience? .. (more)
posted
by
Enrique Mendizabal on
Monday, July 05, 2010 2:50 PM
1063 Views,
The EU's Foreign Affairs Council discussed development issues on 14 June. Its Conclusions can fairly be considered as a partial endorsement of the proposals put forward by the Commission in its Spring Package back in April. Of 31 specific proposals,.. (more)
posted
by
Simon Maxwell on
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 3:16 PM
888 Views,
Most developed G-20 countries are walking a tightrope, trying to balance actions to promote growth whilst ensuring fiscal sustainability. So most headlines about the G-20 Summit in Toronto were about the agreement on growth-friendly plans to reduce deficits,.. (more)
posted
by
Dirk Willem te Velde on
Monday, June 28, 2010 1:17 PM
1330 Views,
Next week, G-20 leaders will meet in Toronto, only weeks after their Finance ministers agreed a shift toward collective austerity. Today, ODI launches a collection of essays in a study to inform the G-20 leaders and underline the impact their decisions.. (more)
posted
by
Dirk Willem te Velde on
Friday, June 18, 2010 10:49 AM
756 Views,
In New York this week, leaders from civil society, NGOs and the business world met at Informal Interactive Hearings of the General Assembly on the MDGs. The hearings were organised as a forum for UN Member States to engage with civil society, NGOs and.. (more)
posted
by
Kate Higgins on
Friday, June 18, 2010 9:53 AM
790 Views,
Juba – an isolated garrison town during Sudan’s civil war – is now an important political and economic centre as the new capital of South Sudan, and a hub for regional trade. But the throngs of hard-headed investors, the new roads and busy restaurants.. (more)
posted
by
Ellen Martin on
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 11:31 AM
962 Views,
There is strong consensus that growth is important to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We know that growth tends to be positively correlated with improvements in income, and that there is a strong link between growth and poverty reduction... (more)
posted
by
Kate Higgins on
Thursday, June 10, 2010 3:04 PM
880 Views,
At his recent speech at the Royal Society, UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, representing the new coalition government, made a significant step forward in the push for greater aid transparency by announcing a commitment.. (more)
posted
by
Samuel Moon on
Monday, June 07, 2010 11:20 AM
1039 Views,
A renewed donor interest in stabilising countries affected by political violence, armed conflict and chronic poverty – so-called fragile states – should come as a welcome development to humanitarians who have long complained of the indifference shown.. (more)
posted
by
Samir Elhawary on
Friday, May 28, 2010 4:34 PM
1372 Views,
Yesterday saw the launch of the UK coalition agreement. Whilst such documents should not be seen as White Papers (and while continental European coalition negotiations tend to take longer to prepare such documents), it is rather tempting to go directly.. (more)
posted
by
Dirk Willem te Velde on
Friday, May 21, 2010 4:06 PM
1531 Views,
The overall tenor of the report by the Reflection Group on the future of the EU to 2030, issued earlier this month, can best be described as alarmism leading to a call for renewal. According to the report, internal and external threats to Europe's prosperity.. (more)
posted
by
Simon Maxwell on
Thursday, May 20, 2010 4:35 PM
692 Views,
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.. (more)
posted
by
Simon Maxwell on
Monday, April 26, 2010 12:03 PM
1510 Views,
The EU 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? .. (more)
posted
by
Simon Maxwell on
Thursday, April 22, 2010 4:15 PM
2156 Views,
The UK election campaign is hotting up. Last week all the major political parties issued their manifestos and a few others besides. We also witnessed the first live televised debate between the three main contenders for the UK’s highest.. (more)
posted
by
Alison Evans on
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10:47 AM
2469 Views,
ODI Director Alison Evans voices concerns about the lack of focus on development issues in the latest UK budget, and asks whether this represents a subtle shift away from the international development agenda.
.. (more)
posted
by
Alison Evans on
Friday, March 26, 2010 6:41 AM
2363 Views,
In early 2009, a global network of 50 researchers coordinated by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) embarked on a unique monitoring study on the economic and social impact of the global financial crisis in 10 developing countries. They revealed.. (more)
posted
by
Dirk Willem te Velde on
Friday, March 19, 2010 10:16 AM
3325 Views,
