Overseas Development Institute
ODI Blog

ODI services
Email updates News feeds
Podcasts Event bookings

Posts by date

<July 2008>
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Viewing blog posts on: Politics



From Gleneagles to Hokkaido: Monitoring G8 commitments on aid to Africa
posted Friday, June 20, 2008 2:49 PM by Geoff Handley

In 2005, Africa was promised an additional $25 billion per year in aid. But has the G8 delivered? There is no simple answer, given the complex package of commitments. As we approach the Japanese G8 summit at Hokkaido in July, there is a dangerous dearth of concrete and accessible information in the public domain... (more)

739 Views,  1 Comments


Reform of the International System: the momentum is building
posted Friday, June 13, 2008 10:19 AM by Simon Maxwell

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... (more)

798 Views,  2 Comments


The IMF Reform Package: Small progress towards increased representation for developing countries
posted Monday, May 19, 2008 3:01 PM by Lauren Phillips

In April, after several years of negotiation and discussion, the member states of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a governance reform package. The impetus for the reform was to ensure that the IMF maintains credibility and legitimacy with fast growing developing countries. It is, therefore, envisioned as a first step in a longer process of reform for the representation of developing countries in the IMF... (more)

1412 Views,  0 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)

2665 Views,  5 Comments


Can the international community deliver on the ‘Democratic Imperative’?
posted Monday, February 18, 2008 6:24 PM by Alina Rocha Menocal

The UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, delivered an excellent speech last Tuesday (12 February) on the importance of international efforts to support democracy in the developing world, or what he called ‘the democratic imperative’. The speech.. (more)

3903 Views,  1 Comments


The view from Davos - Part three: Perspectives on the environmental debate
posted Monday, February 04, 2008 10:46 AM by Simon Maxwell

In the third of four blogs, I consider perspectives in three key areas- biofuels, climate change adaptation and water... (more)

2819 Views,  0 Comments


The view from Davos - Part one: Global corporate citizenship in 2008
posted Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:04 PM by Simon Maxwell

Last week, I attended the World Economic Forum in Davos. This is the first of four blogs with my reflections and predictions on how the debates will be taken forward in 2008... (more)

2711 Views,  3 Comments


Spin or reality? The state of play on EPAs
posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007 4:33 PM by Mareike Meyn

Is the breakthrough in the negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) being claimed by the Commission an example of spin or has the chasm that existed only a couple of weeks ago really been bridged? Mandelson labelled the initialling of an.. (more)

2955 Views,  0 Comments


IMF fails to agree reform deal
posted Monday, October 22, 2007 2:09 PM by Lauren Phillips

This weekend, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank held their annual meetings in Washington. Top of the agenda was the reform of IMF governance, and in particular the formula which determines the representation of each country in the IMF, which has been under negotiation since last spring. No progress was made, despite high expectations and a need to push the reform programme forward prior to the end of the year. .. (more)

2043 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


Can the International Health Partnership deliver a new way of funding health spending?
posted Friday, September 07, 2007 2:56 PM by Simon Maxwell

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,.. (more)

3039 Views,  9 Comments


What future for the World Bank?
posted Wednesday, August 29, 2007 12:55 PM by Simon Maxwell

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.. (more)

2830 Views,  3 Comments


Engaging with Fragile States: Challenges and Opportunities
posted Tuesday, July 31, 2007 5:17 PM by Alina Rocha Menocal

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank hosted a conference in Addis Ababa on ‘Engaging with Fragile States: Challenges and Opportunities’ on Tuesday and Wednesday last week (24-25 July). It was organised in close collaboration with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Overall, I thought the conference was very interesting, especially in terms of the people it was able to bring together. .. (more)

2551 Views,  5 Comments


Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group Report
posted Saturday, July 21, 2007 3:39 PM by Simon Maxwell

The Conservative Party’s Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group reported today.  At nearly 500 pages long, the report is a substantial contribution: there are 76 recommendations.  Without being party political, we are going to use the.. (more)

3367 Views,  5 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


De Rato's summer to-do list
posted Sunday, July 15, 2007 2:45 PM by Lauren Phillips

Just weeks after the leadership debacle at the World Bank seemed to have finally faded from front page news, the uncertainty spread across H Street to the Bank’s sister institution, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the IMF, announced his intention to resign from his post much earlier than expected. .. (more)

1723 Views,  0 Comments


Where are the political divides on international development?
posted Friday, June 22, 2007 1:05 PM by Simon Maxwell

With Gordon Brown about to take office, ODI 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.. (more)

2708 Views,  4 Comments


Will the new EU Code of Conduct on Division of Labour improve or undermine aid quality?
posted Friday, May 25, 2007 10:02 AM by Simon Maxwell

The EU 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. The Code of.. (more)

2758 Views,  3 Comments


Beyond-Aid issues: Is DFID’s response to Parliament sufficient?
posted Thursday, May 17, 2007 3:48 PM by Alan Hudson

DFID’s 2007 Annual Report was published on 15 May. As in previous years, the report outlines what DFID has done over the last year to tackle global poverty. In response to a demand from Parliament, a whole chapter is devoted to 'Working with others on policies beyond aid'. This chapter – along with sections of other chapters on fragile states, conflict, the environment and climate change – sets out how DFID has worked across Whitehall and with international partners including the EU in an effort to ensure that UK and wider international policies on beyond-aid issues are supportive of, are at least do not harm, international development... (more)

5890 Views,  2 Comments


Is Tony Blair’s legacy on Africa at risk?
posted Tuesday, May 08, 2007 2:20 PM by Simon Maxwell

With the trade talks failing and aid volume way below target, is Tony Blair's legacy on Africa at risk?  The G8 meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, in June, provides a last opportunity to persuade the most powerful leaders in the world to deliver on.. (more)

4895 Views,  5 Comments


Is Sir Mike Aaronson right to call for DfID to be merged back with the FCO?
posted Thursday, May 03, 2007 5:59 PM by Simon Maxwell

Participants at the launch of Roger Riddell’s new book, ‘Does Foreign Aid Really Work?’ at ODI last week were surprised to hear Sir Mike Aaronson, former director of the Save the Children Fund, suggest that DFID should be merged back with the FCO... (more)

2292 Views,  7 Comments


Millennium Development Goals, agriculture and climate change
posted Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:12 PM by Martin Prowse

With July 7th 2007 designated the official mid-point of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the time is ripe to assess challenges to meeting these goals, and to look beyond them. In this blog we ask: how do the physical impacts of climate change affect the prospects for achieving the first goal, to halve world poverty?.. (more)

3706 Views,  8 Comments


Is DFID any good or isn’t it? And who’s asking?
posted Wednesday, April 04, 2007 9:47 AM by Simon Maxwell

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.. (more)

4710 Views,  11 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)

3983 Views,  4 Comments