Making Poverty History? How Activists, Philanthropists, and the Public Are Changing Global Development

From August 1 to 3, 2007, fifty preeminent U.S. and international experts from government, business, academia, and the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors came together at the Aspen Institute to explore the changing contours of the global development community. By examining the common challenges development actors face -- promoting accountability, using resources effectively, and achieving scale and sustainability -- participants aimed to spur successful practices and establish foundations for collaboration among the expanding field of players determined to lift the lives of the world's poorest people

Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory: (SE Lab): A University Incubator for a Rising Generation of Leading Social Entrepreneurs

How can universities help create, develop and sustain a rising generation of social entrepreneurs and their ideas? What new forms of learning environments successfully integrate theory and practice? What conditions best support university students interested in studying, participating in, creating and developing social change organizations, thinking through their ideas, and connecting with their inspiration? What is the intellectual content and the rationale for a curriculum addressing this at a university

Ahead of the Curve: Insights for the International NGO of the Future

International NGOs have a unique and important role to play in addressing today's complex global challenges. But few of them are living up to their full potential. With support from the Hewlett Foundation, FSG researched how the most innovative INGOs are adapting to the disruptions in the global development sector and embracing four approaches to create greater impact

Enriching Policy with Research

{Excerpt} The failure of researchers to link evidence to policy and practice produces evidence that no one uses, impedes innovation, and leads to mediocre or even detrimental development policies. To help improve the definition, design, and implementation of policy research, researchers should adopt a strategic outcome-oriented approach. In the development sector, research in science, technologies, and ideas can make a difference if they identify what tools, methods, and approaches no longer work; test new ways of doing things; and link knowledgeof that in ways that inform policy and practice. Research, the systematic effort to increase the stock of knowledge, has innumerable applications. For this reason, educational institutions, governments, and philanthropic organizations—the three major purveyors of money—spend billions of dollars on research every year. A propos developing countries, where utilitarian science policy is favored, proponents contend persuasively that it can help save lives, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of human existence

Philanthropy: Current Context - Issues, Actors and Instruments

This report attempts to provide an overview of philanthropy and the 'philanthropic ecosystem' that has evolved over the recent decade. Special focus of the report is on international development philanthropy. It is relatively broad in scope and aims to be of use for all practitioners in the fundraising and philanthropy field. However, it cannot claim to be exhaustive and to cover each one of the examined topics sufficiently. Its aim is to raise questions and provide a basis for discussion first and foremost.The special focus on international development philanthropy brings certain challenges with it, as it is a topic that is not easily summarised in a couple of bullet points and conflicting opinions are as present as in any discussion that deals with the interaction of the developed and developing world, and especially the emancipation of the developing world from the 'North'

Gender and Energy: Opportunities for All

The global drive to provide universal access to sustainable and modern energy by 2030 is creating numerous opportunities for energy users and suppliers. However, men and women do not benefit equally from these opportunities. Women’s contribution to energy planning, supply, and policymaking is limited, as the energy sector is heavily dominated by men. Therefore, universal energy access cannot be achieved without women being able to use the modern energy services they need. Despite these stark gender differences in the energy sector, there has been a lack of evidence to inform more equitable policymaking. This issue of the IDS Bulletin aims to fill some of these evidence gaps through five original papers, produced as part of ENERGIA’s Gender and Energy Research Programme. Carrying out research in 12 countries in Africa and Asia, the programme delivered nine studies on gender and energy under the following thematic areas: electrification, productive use of energy, energy sector policy dynamics, energy subsidy reform, the role of the private sector in scaling up energy access, gender mainstreaming approaches, and global trends in gender and energy. The IDS Bulletin issue starts with an article that identifies global trends that could help catalyse the closing of energy access gaps around the world and shows how these trends relate to gender inequality. Three further articles go on to discuss gender and entrepreneurship, reinforcing the argument that women’s engagement in the energy sector can improve access and distribution of energy for those most underserved. The final article highlights wider findings and policy implications from the nine research projects of ENERGIA’s Gender and Energy Research Programme

YALJOD Full Issue 3.1

The Young African Leaders Journal of Development (YALJOD) is a biennial journal and an official publication of the Young African Leaders Forum (YALF). It was established in 2015 to host scholarly analysis and competing viewpoints about the development of Africa; and it’s multidisciplinary approach makes it more formidable. YALJOD accepts papers from varied disciplinary areas — including Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Humanities — that show direct relevance to the development of Africa. It publishes researches understood as the social, economic, political, cultural and technological processes of change in Africa. The intended audience of the journal remains the entire African people. Howbeit, for effectiveness, special emphasis is given to African leadership operators, development academics, researchers and youths — who appear to be the next African leaders

Armenia: What drives first movers and how can their efforts be scaled up?

The paper examines ways to expand the contribution of the Armenian diaspora to Armenia’s long-term development agenda. It identifies factors that could explain the involvement and dynamics of a small group of entrepreneurs from the diaspora who have been active in and with Armenia. Based on these findings, it develops recommendations, consistent with the diaspora’s institutional capabilities, for increasing the number of such business activists and transforming diaspora efforts from humanitarian relief campaigns to business initiatives and development projects. The findings are based on detailed interviews with a group of prominent diaspora activists.diaspora, Armenia, diaspora mobilization, diaspora expertise for development

Global Governance Initiative Annual Report 2005

This is an annual report of the WEF

From Local to Global

In 2010, after a decade focused on its home city of Boston, the Barr Foundation launched a pilot in global grantmaking. Over the next three years, guided by a vision for a vibrant, just, and sustainable world with hopeful futures for children, the foundation engaged with over 20 organizations striving to improve the lives of children and families living in poverty in East Africa, India, and Haiti. This booklet summarizes their approach, grant investments, and learning from this initiative