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Viewing blog posts on: Economic growth



The importance – and absence – of good governance indicators
posted Friday, May 16, 2008 9:17 AM by Verena Fritz

As governance indicators have proliferated in recent years, so has their use and the controversy that surrounds them. As more and more voices are pointing out, existing indicators – many of them developed and launched in the 1990s – have a number of flaws. This is particularly disquieting at a time when governance is at the very top of the development agenda. .. (more)

1678 Views,  1 Comments


Tackling the food price crisis: five steps
posted Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:06 AM by Simon Maxwell

The word "crisis" is much abused. But the current food price crisis constitutes a genuine emergency. Urgency in tackling it is essential... (more)

2664 Views,  5 Comments


The Japan G8 in 2008: a New Year’s Resolution for delivery on the big questions?
posted Thursday, December 20, 2007 10:29 AM by Fletcher Tembo

The 2008 G8 Summit in Toyako, Japan will be particularly significant because there are big issues on the international development agenda that require firm G8 commitments to be made in 2008; and yet the risk of not delivering on these agendas has never been higher... (more)

7610 Views,  2 Comments


EPAs: Distinguishing what we know from what we don’t know
posted Friday, November 30, 2007 5:56 PM by Chris Stevens

We always knew that the final few days before the EU’s self-imposed deadlines for initialling Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) texts to forestall the application of generalised system of preferences (GSP) tariffs on 1 January would be frenetic. And so it has proved to be... (more)

6608 Views,  2 Comments


Growth in Africa: can it be sustained?
posted Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:21 PM by Dirk Willem te Velde

African economies are booming. This was a key message from a recent meeting organized by the City of London Corporation in collaboration with Rwanda and Tanzania, and DFID, Africa Matters and Africa Practice. Developed countries are looking at Africa once again, but it is different this time, it was suggested. .. (more)

2670 Views,  0 Comments


Important messages from the UK Government on international development. Are we listening?
posted Monday, October 15, 2007 9:51 AM by Simon Maxwell

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,.. (more)

3208 Views,  3 Comments


Ten steps to a new development agenda
posted Monday, July 16, 2007 3:43 PM by Simon Maxwell

This is a time of transition in politics and policy.  What contribution can ODI make? We are always careful not to be party political and not be tarred as advocates or campaigners.  Nor do we have an institutional view which might constrain.. (more)

1959 Views,  1 Comments


How do we mainstream pro-poor tourism?
posted Monday, June 25, 2007 6:23 PM by Jon Mitchell

Mainstreaming pro-poor tourism is a bold aim, and the subject of a recent event, organised by the ODI Tourism Programme on Friday 15 June. This aimed to find new and better ways to assess the current reality and future potential for tourism to benefit the poor in developing countries and to change reality through influencing the operating practices of the mainstream tourist industry as a sharper force for good... (more)

2879 Views,  6 Comments


Davos 2007
posted Monday, January 29, 2007 10:36 AM by Simon Maxwell

The business agenda dominated at Davos this year, with fewer NGOs invited, hardly any Africans, and fewer sessions with ostensible development content.  On the other hand, our ‘What’s Next’ theme at ODI reminds us that the business agenda is actually.. (more)

2555 Views,  0 Comments


The global development agenda in 2007
posted Friday, December 22, 2006 12:55 PM by Simon Maxwell

(This piece was first published in www.openDemocracy.net) 2007 will be a difficult year in international development, for five reasons. First, there will be many reminders that poverty remains ubiquitous, that conflict destroys lives and livelihoods,.. (more)

3982 Views,  4 Comments


What do readers think of Bill Easterly's book, 'The White Man's Burden'?
posted Monday, November 06, 2006 12:18 PM by Simon Maxwell

Bill Easterly's new book has attracted a lot of publicity, mainly because it provides a strong criticism of aid.  We helped him launch the book in London on 21 September, at a meeting chaired by David Goodhart, Editor of Prospect Magazine. .. (more)

2392 Views,  1 Comments


The role of politics in investment climate: Some thoughts from the Bolivian experience
posted Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12:40 PM by Massimiliano Cali

It was quite surprising to read in yesterday's Financial Times that the Bolivian government is set to approve a US$ 2.3bn bid by two Indian companies (Jindal Steel and Power of India) to extract of one of the world's largest untapped iron ore deposits... (more)

2102 Views,  0 Comments


IMF Reform: Tinkering at the Margins
posted Wednesday, June 07, 2006 11:52 PM by Lauren Phillips

Anne Kruger’s comments in yesterday’s Financial Times article (“IMF to give more weight to Asian vote”) disingenuously makes it sound as if there is still some scope of negotiation on IMF governance reform.  In fact, behind closed doors, both the.. (more)

2617 Views,  1 Comments


Pricing in Politics? What recent financial market losses signal about political risk in emerging market economies
posted Tuesday, May 23, 2006 3:31 PM by Lauren Phillips

Yesterday global financial markets faced their worst sell of since the Russian default and Asian crisis of 1997-98.   The Brazilian and Mexican stock markets – two of the largest in the developing world – closed massively down, as did those.. (more)

2309 Views,  0 Comments


Like hydrogen without oxygen? Politics, Economics and Society in Chavez's 21st Century Socialism
posted Tuesday, May 16, 2006 1:03 PM by Lauren Phillips

President Hugo Chavez opened last night's Canning House speech by saying that making economic policy without consideration for social goals is like having hydrogen without oxygen - in other words, having only half of the ingredients necessary.. (more)

2536 Views,  3 Comments


Notes from Davos 2006
posted Tuesday, January 31, 2006 11:01 AM by Simon Maxwell

1. This year's Davos gathering, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, was designed to focus more on business and less on 'development', thus fewer sessions on Africa and few African representatives - but ironically the business agenda threw.. (more)

4120 Views,  0 Comments