RISE is the first global policy scorecard of its kind, grading 111 countries in three areas: energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy. The report is aimed at helping governments assess if they have a policy and regulatory framework in place to drive progress on sustainable energy and pinpoints where more can be done to attract private investments. Read More…
IRC recently posted on a book chapter being prepared addressing issues around progress in WASH, and in particular sanitation. The authors review failure in the sanitation sector and recommend new approaches based on sustainability science. There recommendations fit well with what Transform International is working on what respect to in-country centres. Read more…
As he prepares to leave Africa for Afghanistan, UN Assistant Secretary General Toby Lanzer speaks to the Guardian: ‘Donors are stretched – there are more mega crises than ever’.
The Guardian recently stated that aid is flowing in reverse – more leaves poor countries for rich ones than the other way around. “What they discovered is that the flow of money from rich countries to poor countries pales in comparison to the flow that runs in the other direction,” so that “Rich countries aren’t developing poor countries; poor countries are developing rich ones.” Read More…
Isn’t capacity building a potentially never-ending bureaucrat’s fantasy? Isn’t it time for a serious rethink?
From The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/nov/10/what-does-capacity-building-mean
In broadest terms, capacity building means improving the organisational performance of institutions. But the terms technology transfer, institutional strengthening, capacity building and capacity development have all been used to describe more or less the same process – so there’s a distinct lack of clarity about the concept.
Capacity building has been a cornerstone of development policy for 70 years and vast amounts of money have been spent on it. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development calculated that capacity building accounts for 25% of aid expenditure, representing about US$15bn (£12bn) a year. (more…)
A recent study illustrated the power of “nudges” in changing WASH behaviour. Robert Dreibelbis and his team tested the use of visual cues to modify behaviour. (more…)