GSDRC newsfeed on All ThemesAcademic and policy-relevant publications on governance and international development.Towards a 'Generative' Model of Social Protection: Making the Links to Development Policy- January 1, 2008 This chapter in the Commonwealth Secretariat's publication Mainstreaming Gender in Social Protection for the Informal Economy argues that the current conceptualisation of social protection schemes has led to their value being calculated in narrow fiscal terms. It offers a gendered analysis of social protection schemes and argues they can have 'generative' developmental benefits, which lead to a reframing of the affordability question.http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3024&source=rss Social Exclusion and the Gender Gap in Education- January 1, 2008 Why does an educational gender gap remain in some countries This policy research paper for the World Bank Human Development Network Chief Economist's Office reviews gender in education and tests the relevance of ethno-linguistic fractionalisation in explaining cross-country differences in learning and school attainment. Despite a sharp increase in the share of girls who enrol in, attend, and complete various levels of schooling, social exclusion within some countries triggers economic and...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3029&source=rss Turning the Tables: Aid and Accountability Under the Paris Framework- January 1, 2008 Have donors lived up to their pledges under the Paris Declaration Is aid becoming more effective and accountable for impoverished people This report for the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) focuses on progress against two principles of the Paris Declaration, ownership and accountability, in Cambodia, Honduras, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, and Sierra Leone. The country case studies show patchy and partial progress, with donors and executive arms of recipient government...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3018&source=rss Pitfalls of Participatory Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Education in India- January 1, 2008 Is participation the panacea for the problems of service delivery in developing countries This paper for the World Bank Development Research Human Development and Public Services Team evaluates three different participatory interventions aimed at improving education in Uttar Pradesh, India. None of the interventions had any impact on community involvement in public schools, teacher effort, or learning outcomes. One intervention that trained volunteers to teach illiterate children to read had a..http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3030&source=rss The Case for Direct Cash Transfers to the Poor- January 1, 2008 Is the enormous expenditure on poverty eradication through centralised mechanisms the best way of improving the welfare of India's poor and achieving its development objectives This Economic and Political Weekly article argues that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state. It proposes a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments.http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3023&source=rss Good Governance, Aid Modalities and Poverty Reduction: From Better Theory to Better Practice- January 1, 2008 What are the challenges for donor agencies in delivering aid through recipient-owned modalities such as General Budget Support (GBS) and programme-based approaches This report synthesises a two-year research programme undertaken for the Advisory Board for Irish Aid by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana, the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) Norway, the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) Tanzania and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) UK. The study focuses on...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3013&source=rss Producing Social Accountability The Impact of Service Delivery Reforms- January 1, 2008 Which types of state reform improve public services and citizen engagement How can accountability mechanisms improve service delivery This Institute of Development Studies (IDS) paper draws on the polity approach, which suggests that the organisation of state institutions influences who engages in collective action and around what issues. Collective action is essential for the poor if direct accountability is to work. Successful cases of social accountability are often the result of alliances...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3015&source=rss Our Money, Our Responsibility: A Citizens' Guide to Monitoring Government Expenditures- January 1, 2008 How can citizens monitor government expenditure What are the best strategies for effecting budgetary change This guide, by the International Budget Project, looks the work of organisations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It argues that civil society organisations have many opportunities to monitor budget implementation. Strategies include creating new monitoring methodologies and collaborating with the legislative branch on oversight. A wide variety of organisations around the world have...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3036&source=rss Implementing Community-Based Policing in Kenya- January 1, 2008 Community-based policing (CBP) is an approach to policing that brings together the police, civil society and local communities to develop local solutions to safety and security concerns. This paper, published by Saferworld, assesses outcomes of and lessons learned from two CBP pilot-sites supported by Saferworld as part of its broader programme of police reform in Kenya. CBP improves public trust in the police, cooperation between police, citizens and community, and develops stakeholder...http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3042&source=rss Introduction: Tradition-based Approaches in Peacemaking, Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Policies- January 1, 2008 What role does traditional justice play in dealing with legacies of human rights abuses How can interpersonal and community-based practices interrelate with state-organised and internationally sponsored forms of retributive justice and truth telling This International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) report provides a comparative analysis of traditional justice mechanisms in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Uganda and Burundi. Most of the countries studied..http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3011&source=rss |