The new International Development Minister has made a speech. That is neither surprising nor, in itself, even noteworthy. Under normal circumstances it might have just joined the background noise of government trying to present deep and damaging budget cuts as somehow strategic. This speech is different. It is [...]
The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) should be clearly defined and understood by all. It is a UK national security force multiplier that uses Official Development Assistance (ODA) means and resources to help achieve political, strategic, and security goals. However, the strategy the ISF is designed to support is [...]
The problems of Tigray are not to be found in former fighters awaiting a sustainable return to civilian life; nor in the internally displaced people awaiting the chance to return to their homes; nor in the hopes for recovery of war shattered communities; nor even in the fact [...]
Many will be suffering from whiplash due to recent events. Navigating the new normal and responding to it is challenging. The news that the UK will increase its defence budget at the expense of its development budget is disheartening. The world isn’t black and white. Situations don’t lend [...]
Boris Johnson has announced the merger of DFID into the FCO. He cites the need to fully integrate all arms of foreign policy into a single coherent whole as his motivation. But the characterisation of DFID as a lone wolf or a “cash point in the sky” is [...]
COVID-19 (C19) is throwing out the normal rule book; and causing everyone to have to think again about what they do, how they do it and why. There has been a rapid re-purposing of almost everything, demanding a much sharper clarity of purpose. Resources are being aligned to the [...]
Political Economy Analysis (PEA) is… …about people Although often billed as a mapping of events and institutions, it is really people who shape both. (Although there are times when even the best intentioned people are unable to overcome the effects of a poorly conceived programme or an inappropriately [...]
Key conclusions Sustainable change is behaviour change. Understanding the incentives which govern why people do what they do is essential. Learning is essential. Programmes that cannot learn cannot operate in a dynamic or challenging context. Opportunity matters. Change - of any kind - is not guaranteed to happen; [...]
The Guardian have now included a separate section on development issues on their website. Click here to visit. JAB
