Innovation in Development

Emerging economies demonstrate that poor countries can achieve a growth path, but the gap is growing between these success stories and countries sliding further into poverty, instability, and violence. The traditional tools of development aid alone are unable to address these challenges, but opinions on how to move forward are highly polarized. In our work, we review aid instruments to make them more effective and innovative, and promote development policies that go beyond aid.”

Commentary

TTIP vs. WTO: Who Sets Global Standards?

The WTO’s negotiating processes may be difficult and sometimes painstakingly slow, but they remain the only way to avoid the formation of costly economic blocs.

By Clara Weinhardt, Fabian Bohnenberger
Article

Effective and Accountable: UN-Business Partnerships at a Crossroads

We need new tools and approaches to both measure and ensure the effectiveness of UN-business partnerships.

Experts

Thorsten Benner

Director

Alexander Gaus

Project Manager

Elias Sagmeister

Non-Resident Fellow

Kristina Teicke

Research Associate

Andrea Binder

Non-Resident Fellow

Wade Hoxtell

Head of Operations

Julia Steets

Director

Clara Weinhardt

Non-Resident Fellow

Funding & Contact

Our funders and clients include the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the European Commission, and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

For more information, please contact Wade Hoxtell.

Focus: Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Development

When governments agreed on the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, the idea that fair and sustainable development needs governments, business and civil society players to act in concert gained traction. Multi-stakeholder partnerships promised solutions where governments had failed. Indeed, there has been progress. The GAVI Alliance, for example, has made basic vaccinations available in almost all countries while also helping to develop new vaccinations. But partnerships need to be carefully designed to be effective

In over 25 research and advisory projects, we have found that three conditions are most important: an alignment of strategic interests among all partners; political backing and operational capacity within their organizations; and transparency to ensure accountability. While the private sector is often a part of the problem, it also must be a part of the solution. We remain committed to providing sober analysis and advice on when and how to partner with business for achieving development goals.