ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

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').

 

Why a focus on mitigation and adaptation conceals the real challenge of climate change

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,  1 Comments

Brazil’s development cooperation with the South: a global model in waiting

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,  0 Comments

Returning to first principles – why give aid to some countries and not to others?

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,  1 Comments

From a ‘shack’ to a new-age building? Appraising the new UN gender equality architecture

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,  1 Comments

General budget support and the Millennium Development Goals

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,  1 Comments

'Dumbing down' the audience

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,  6 Comments

Summer surprise or summer shock? How did the EU's development ministers treat the Commission’s Spring Package?

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,  0 Comments

Result! A development-proof European External Action Service. Almost

What is the verdict on the compromise deal on the European External Action Service (EEAS)?.. (more)

posted by Mikaela Gavas on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 2:17 PM
617 Views,  1 Comments

The G-20 summit in Toronto: what does it mean for development?

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,  0 Comments

The G-20 growth framework: what role for low-income, small and vulnerable countries?

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,  1 Comments

The Millennium Development Goals: moving forward collectively to 2015

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,  1 Comments

City of Dreams? The harsh reality of daily life for the new urban poor in Juba

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,  0 Comments

Growth, equity and the MDGs: supporting redistributive and inclusive growth

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,  0 Comments

Pushing ahead with aid transparency - a great step forward

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,  1 Comments

Uneasy bedfellows? Stabilisation and humanitarian action

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,  0 Comments

A development scorecard on the UK coalition agreement.

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,  0 Comments

Putting the right words in the right order: The Reflection Group Report

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,  0 Comments

Reorganising Europe’s foreign affairs: what role for international development?

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,  0 Comments

A change is gonna come…

The results of the UK elections will mean a change in UK development policy, no matter who takes power on 6 May. .. (more)

posted by Leni Wild on Friday, April 23, 2010 2:27 PM
2098 Views,  2 Comments

The spring package is a promising start

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,  0 Comments

The UK election and international development: main parties pledge 0.7% for aid, but how will it be spent?

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,  4 Comments

UK Budget 2010 – what news for development?

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,  0 Comments

The Ugandan homosexuality bill: a threat to human rights and development

As Uganda debates new anti-homosexuality laws, this blog asks how the international community -- and individual activists -- should respond... (more)

posted by Jessica Espey on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 6:30 AM
2031 Views,  9 Comments

World Water Day: Skewed adaptation to climate change spells trouble for water resource management

Marking World Water Day 2010, this blog argues against a growing emphasis on technical solutions to climate change adaptation... (more)

posted by Lindsey Jones on Monday, March 22, 2010 6:23 AM
1924 Views,  1 Comments

The global financial crisis and developing countries: what happened, and what have we learned?

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,  2 Comments