🚀 go-pugleaf

This Newsletter is a Reader’s Digest of trends in economic development
in international co-operation policy. Reposted from sources linked
below. Prepared by the Economic Development Department of AGEG
Consultants eG. Feel free to circulate it to your network. Join by
sending an email to: AGEG-eco-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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CONTENT

1. World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development
2. Integrating environment in EC development cooperation
3. Migration in the EU: An opportunity and a challenge
4. African Diaspora Marketplace Business Plan Competition
5. GTZ requires Capacity WORKS certificates from Consultants
6. European Commission adopts communication on Fair Trade
7. New XING Group: Aid & Development Professionals
8. World Bank investigators and OLAF jointly target aid fraud
9. Training and Events
10. Publications
11. Websites of the Month
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Take a Deep Thought | http://weitzenegger.de/thought/

The real difficulty lies not in developing new ideas, but in escaping
from the old ones. John Maynard Keynes
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1. World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development

The United Nations Conference on the world financial crisis adopted a
wide-ranging Outcome Document (http://www.un.org/ga/search/
view_doc.asp?symbol=A/CONF.214/3&Lang=E). The Outcome Document
recognizes that the incoherence of the global economic system needs to
be urgently addressed. It stresses the importance of the United
Nations’ role in international economic issues,emphasizing that its
universal membership and legitimacy makes it well positioned to
participate in various reform processes aimed at improving and
strengthening the effective functioning of the international financial
system and architecture. It makes references to issues and
recommendations of the Stiglitz Commission which presented an advanced
report to the Conference, including on resources and policy space for
developing countries to mitigate the crisis, debt restructuring and
standstills, reform of the global reserve system and an independent
panel of experts on the world economic and financial crisis that would
inform international action, political decision-makin and foster
constructive dialogues and exchanges among policy makers, academics,
institutions and civil society.  The precise role of the UN in global
economic governance reform will likely be hotly debated in the coming
months. Source: UN-NGLS

The European Commission stressed that the crisis shows how deeply the
prosperity and the future of advanced economies, the emerging
economies and the developing countries are linked. The cooperation and
contribution of all developed, emerging and developing countries is
needed. Source: European Commission, http://www.eu-un.europa.eu

As developing countries face the full impact of the economic crisis,
European governments are falling short by nearly €40bn on their aid
promises, a new report from CONCORD, the European confederation of
Relief and Development NGOs, reveals. Source: Concord, http://tinyurl.com/numbm8

A groundbreaking study coordinated by ODI finds that developing
countries are being hit harder than expected by the global financial
and economic crisis, and that, sooner or later, they will need to
respond. Research in ten developing countries, carried out by 40
researchers, provides a vivid picture of how these countries are
faring in the crisis. The research examines the transmission belts --
such as remittances, private capital flows and trade -- that have been
affected and are now carrying the crisis from the rich industrialised
countries of the north to the poor developing countries of the south.
Source: ODI, http://tinyurl.com/nc5yoy

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group called for urgent
solutions to financial crisis. ACP states are amongst those hard hit
by the crisis and want solutions to focus on countering the effects of
the crisis. Since the crisis started, ACP states have experienced
major falls in their export earnings; foreign direct investment has
slowed down, official development aid declined and remittance flows
have shrunken. The ACP Group believes that the crisis poses a severe
threat to its members, compromising not only the efforts and economic
gains achieved over the past years, but also the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The ACP Group underscores that
the impact of the crisis would undoubtedly exert strong pressure on
the macro-economic balance of the ACP countries. ACP cited sub-Saharan
Africa as an example, where growth outlook has dropped to 1.5% for
2009, against 5.4% in 2008 and 6.8 percent in 2007. Source: ACP
Secretariat, http://www.acp.int/en/press_releases/financialcriisis/pressrelease_financialcrisis09.html

A Joint Statement by the African Development Bank, European
Commission, and World Bank calls to align support to mitigate the
impact of the economic crisis. The crisis calls for more coordination
of infrastructure development in Africa. This statement outlines the
concerns shared by the three institutions and highlights the priority
interventions required at this time. Responding to urgent needs, the
three organisations have announced their willingness to increase their
aid volumes to provide much needed counter-cyclical spending in
support of rapid recovery, job creation and to promote long-term
growth. In this context, the three institutions call on development
partners to support harmonized spending and interventions around the
following strategic areas of alignment with proven high impact:
development of regional infrastructure: transport corridors, power
networks and ICT; maintenance of existing assets; and enhancement of
policy, regulatory and administrative frameworks. Source: European
Commission, http://tinyurl.com/mjz86l

The recent second Global Review of Aid for Trade demonstrates that
despite the crisis, there is good news for developing countries: in
2007, total aid for trade reached USD 25.4 billion, USD 4.3 billion
(21%) more than the 2005 baseline. Even so, World Bank estimates show
that 53 million more people are expected to be living on less than USD
1.25 a day. And while a few countries have slightly reduced the
targets they set in 2005 for 2010, the bulk of the commitments remain
in force. DACnews describes the action being taken on many fronts. A
survey recently concluded by OECD and the WTO – the second of its kind
– demonstrates that the Aid-for-Trade Initiative is a success. Since
its inception in 2005, developing countries have given higher priority
to trade in their development strategies. Donors have responded by
offering more funds to help them overcome their supply-side
constraints. Source: OECD, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/52/43150493.htm

Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation released the publication Re-Defining the
Global Economy (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/06293.pdf)
after forum in April 2009. The current global economic crisis presents
an opportunity to to engage the political governance of the global
economy. Leading economist and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz
introduces this publication for which FES invited expert authors to
discuss three approaches to Re-Defining the Global Economy namely,
necessary institutional arrangements for a just well-governed and well-
functioning financial system, the question of national or regional
versus global regulation of such a system and the necessary political
and economic arrangements for securing social protections.

Canadian IDRC suggested solutions for Global Economic Governance based
on their project findings: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-139286-201-1-DO_TOPIC
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2. Integrating environment in EC development cooperation

Sustainable management of natural resources and adaptation to climate
change, as well as energy saving and promotion of renewable energy,
are fundamental to ensure sustainable urban and rural development and
progress in poverty eradication, in particular the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). External assistance should tackle
these issues in a more rigorous and systematic way. The Council
invited the Commission to set up an appropriate framework, consisting
of the Commission and Member States, to prepare and monitor the
implementation of the EU approach to environment integration. During
2009, a work programme listing deliverables and responsibilities
should be prepared. It should also allow sharing experiences and good
practices with a view to helping inform the development of EU
positions for relevant international fora when and where appropriate.
Throughout this process, consultations with civil society actors
should be ensured. The Council invited the Commission to prepare an
ambitious EU wide environment integration strategy, to be presented to
the Council by late 2011. Source: EU Council,
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/envir/108745.pdf
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3. Migration in the EU: An opportunity and a challenge

The European Union has historically attracted millions of immigrants.
Most of them come legally, but there are some who do not. Immigration
is both an opportunity and a challenge for Europe. Legal immigrants
are needed to fill gaps in the EU labour force, as the EU’s own
population grows older and its birth rate declines. However, the EU
needs to curb illegal immigration and cooperate with other countries
to arrange the return of irregular immigrants on a voluntary basis.
The EU also has a duty to protect genuine asylum-seekers fleeing
persecution or serious harm. The aim of European leaders is to devise
a common strategy, to help each country cope with the challenges and
benefit from the opportunities. This is why they have agreed on a
European Pact on Migration and Asylum. Source: CTA, European
Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/move/81/en.doc
CTA Briefing on migration: http://brusselsbriefings.net/past-briefings/december-11-2008/
CTA Reader on migration: http://brusselsbriefings.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/reader_migration_eng-v-2.pdf
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4. USAID and Western Union Launch African Diaspora Marketplace
Business Plan Competition

The African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) is a business plan competition
designed to support the entrepreneurial spirit and resources of the
U.S.-based African diaspora community to promote economic development
in Sub-Saharan Africa by facilitating diaspora direct investment in
viable small and medium enterprises. Sponsored by USAID and the
Western Union Company, the ADM is currently seeking proposals for
start-up and established businesses operating (or to be operated)
through partnerships between U.S.-based members of the African
diaspora and local Sub-Saharan African entrepreneurs. Through this
program, USAID anticipates awarding matching grants between $50,000
and $100,000 each to 10 to 20 businesses. Proposals are due by July
21, 2009. See http://www.diasporamarketplace.org.
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5. GTZ requires Capacity WORKS certificates from Consultants

Capacity WORKS is GTZ's new management model for sustainable
development. It supports the steering of international cooperation
projects and programmes. Using five success factors, the cooperating
partners structure the projects, evaluate each step along the way and
identify necessary interventions. This makes the measures more
transparent and increases the scope for action by the partners
involved. Capacity WORKS facilitates the management of complex
projects and boosts their sustainable results. Capacity WORKS also
provides the basis for knowledge and quality management in cooperation
activities. Capacity WORKS is now being systematically introduced in
GTZ's international cooperation projects and programmes, and
integrated into all the company's relevant standard instruments. Not
least, GTZ will also be making expertise in Capacity WORKS a
requirement in its future job openings. GTZ has concluded a framework
agreement with AGEG Consultants eG to act as 'Capacity WORKS
multipliers' by training both individual consultants and consulting
companies in Capacity WORKS, and keeping them updated on a regular
basis. GTZ will accept certificates of participation issued by AGEG.
See our German Website for courses: http://www.ageg.de/capacity_works_training
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6. European Commission adopts communication on Fair Trade

The European Commission has adopted a communication on the role of
Fair Trade and non-governmental trade-related sustainability assurance
schemes. The communication recognises the significant development of
the Fair Trade movement and the significance of a European market now
worth EUR 1.5 billion per year. The communication also lays out new
policy areas where Fair Trade and other schemes can contribute to
European sustainable development objectives. It also sets out main
principles and definitions and the fundamentals for public procurement
of sustainable goods and services. Source: European Commission,
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/may/tradoc_143089.pdf
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7. New XING Group: Aid & Development Professionals

Karsten Weitzenegger took over the moderation of the Aid & Development
Professionals group on XING (https://www.xing.com/net/aiddevprofs/)
and invited all subscribers of this Newsletter. This Group a forum for
international development professionals working with different
organisations to end poverty world-wide. XING is an online networking
tool you can use to manage all of your contacts and to find
interesting new business contacts. The group has 194 members today,
there is a good chance you know someone. Here is an invitation to join
the group: http://www.xing.com/group-17892.250b88/4466179
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8. World Bank investigators and OLAF jointly target aid fraud

The joint fight against fraud affecting development aid is at the
centre of a co-operation agreement signed today in Brussels between
the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the World Bank’s Integrity
Vice-Presidency. The World Bank is the trustee of significant funds
from the EU. The agreement will allow investigators from both
institutions’ anti-fraud and anti-corruption bodies to join forces
more effectively in the defence of monies dedicated to help the
poorest and in other fields of their work. From the perspective of the
European Union, the co-operation arrangement between OLAF and INT is
of particular importance in the field of development aid. In addition
to being involved in many projects together, the World Bank is also
the trustee of significant funds from the EU. Closer co-operation
between the investigative arms of both institutions will help maximise
the protection of those funds. Source: EC, http://tinyurl.com/md9fb8
World Bank's Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) http://tinyurl.com/nqlaq4
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) http://ec.europa.eu/olaf
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9. Training and Events

Capacity WORKS for the Consulting Business
Germany, different locations, starting July 2009
http://www.ageg.de/capacity_works_training/
Capacity WORKS is GTZ's new management model for sustainable
development.
AGEG Consultants eG is offering a series of certificate seminars on
behalf of GTZ. GTZ will also be making expertise in Capacity WORKS a
requirement in its future job openings. See our German Website for
courses or contact Ms. Bettina Nasgowitz, b.nasgowitz@ageg.de, on tel.
+49 7021-970 87-17.

Join The SEEP Network Online Conference
http://communities.seepnetwork.org/edexchange/node/2128
From July 6-10, The SEEP Network’s Enterprise Development Exchange
will host an online conference, Understanding and Accessing Social
Investment, to discuss the emerging world of ‘‘social investment”, a
range of capital targeted to entrepreneurial approaches to social and
environmental problems.

Fourth Annual African Microfinance Conference
http://www.apim-burkina.bf/spip.php?article74
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 7 - 10 July 2009
The conference will focus on the issue of access to financial services
for small and medium sized African entrepreneurs, operating both in
the rural and the urban areas. The Organizing Committee views this
issue as the biggest challenge in microfinance for the African
continent.

New Developments in Reporting Standards for the Microfinance Industry
http://www.microlinks.org/afterhours
Live Event + Webinar (July 15) and Online Discussion (July 21 - 23)
Two events addressing key issues: Update on the Microfinance Reporting
Standards Initiative; Financial transparency and reporting by MFIs;
Reporting ratios for savings and capital adequacy. Hosted by Financial
Services WG and microLINKS.

Conference on Global Financial Crisis: Regional Cooperation and
Architecture Policy Issues
http://tinyurl.com/ksxf78
Tokyo, Japan, 16 July 2009

Fortbildungsprogramm Evaluation in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
(FEEZ)
http://www.feez.org
Germany, 3 Sessions, 16 Jul – 17 Oct 2009
FEEZ is offering a package of 3 modules on Evaluation in German
language.

Advocacy and Policy Influencing
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=121
Oxford, UK, 20-24 July
This INTRAC course gives participants a thorough understanding of how
to influence the policy making process in their own context. Enhance
your ability to lobby decision makers, and gain confidence in the ways
in which you relate to them – give new life to your advocacy work!

Frankfurt School of Finance and Management: Housing Finance Summer
Academy 2009. Frankfurt, Germany, 26-31 July 2009
http://tinyurl.com/n2qd68
Housing finance in developing and emerging countries is growing
rapidly even in a challenging business environment. Issues related to
origination, underwriting, monitoring and funding alternatives of
mortgage loans require specialised knowledge in the area.

Value Chain Concept
http://tinyurl.com/mxumkg
Ede, Netherlands, 24-28 August 2009, MFG Training and Consultancy
Again, this course is designed and conducted in association with Hans
Posthumus Consultancy.

2nd Bonn Conference on International Development Policy - New Impulses
for Development Cooperation between Federal States, Regions and Local
Authorities
http://www.bonn-conference.nrw.de
Bonn, Germany, 27 -28 August 2009
Tying in with the resolution of the Minister-Presidents’ conference on
the development policy of German federal states (October 2008), the
theme of the conference will be the role of sub-national players in
development policy: What position do Europe’s federal states, regions
and local authorities assume within the new development cooperation
structure? How can their policy be reconciled with the objectives of
the Paris Declaration?

Value Chain Program Design: Promoting Market-Based Solutions for MSMEs
http://www.actionforenterprise.org/training.htm
Chiang Mai, Thailand, 7-11 Sep 2009, Action for Enterprise

Urban-rural linkages and migration - a potential for poverty
alleviation in developing countries?
http://www.raumplanung.uni-dortmund.de/rel/typo3/index.php?id=260
Dortmund, Germany, 16-17 September 2009, Techische Universität
Researchers, policy makers and practitioners will jointly discuss the
relevance of rural-urban migration for poverty alleviation, and
implications for governance and development co-operation. The
conference is organised by the Department of Spatial Planning in
Developing Countries (REL/SPRING) of the Faculty of Spatial Planning ,
TU Dortmund, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the
Working Group Regional and Local Development (ReKomEnt) with
participation of AGEG Consultants eG. Contact: eva.gehrmann@tu-
dortmund.de.

Sustainable Livelihoods and Pro-Poor Market Development
http://communities.seepnetwork.org/edexchange
Open now until 16 July at Enterprise Development Exchange (EDX)!
Online discussion invited by the Market Facilitation Initiative
(MaFI). To register for the EDX and the discussion, please go to
http://communities.seepnetwork.org/edexchange/node/362 and join.

Ex-ante Poverty Impact Assessment (PIA)
http://www.ageg.de
Bonn, Germany, 7-9 October 2009, AGEG Consultants eG, GTZ
GTZ and AGEG cordially invite participants from donor organizations,
implementing organisations as well as consultants either from head
offices or abroad, and from partner countries. At the end of this
training course, you will be able to conduct a PIA based on the
methodology and different modules proposed by POVNET. This course is
offered by AGEG Consultants eG in cooperation with GTZ and the team of
trainers Mohan Dhamotharan and Andrea Warner. It was developed by the
GTZ project Mainstreaming Poverty Reduction. Apply until 15 July 2009:
Ms. Bettina Nasgowitz, b.nasgowitz@ageg.de, on tel. +49 7021-970
87-17. More on PIA: http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/pia.html

The Economics of Corruption
http://www.icgg.org/corruption.lecture_2009.html
Passau, Germany, 10 – 17 October 2009
A University Training in Good Governance and Reform - The University
of Passau and Transparency International.

2009 International Forum on Remittances
http://www.ifad.org/events/remittances/index.htm
Tunis, Tunisia, 22-23 Oct 2009, IFAD
Remittances, business models and technology fair will run parallel to
the Forum to allow private-sector entities and other stakeholders to
exhibit their products and services.

European Development Days 2009
http://www.eudevdays.eu
Stockholm, Sweden, 22-24 October 2009
Yearly event hosted jointly by the European Commission and the EU
Presidency. The European Development Days bring some 4000 people and
1500 organisations from the development community together on an equal
footing. Delegates from 125 countries are represented, including heads
of state and leading world figures, Nobel prizewinners among them. The
event aims to make development aid more effective, to build a global
coalition against poverty and achieve the Millennium Development
Goals. Through frank and sometimes controversial debates on pressing
issues, such as governance, poverty and environmental sustainability,
the European Development Days provide unprecedented opportunities for
sharing ideas and launching innovative partnerships. Source: European
Commission.

5th International Microinsurance Conference
http://tinyurl.com/mtgzfq
Dakar, Senegal- 3-5 Nov 2009
Microinsurance Network, the Munich Re Foundation.

International CEFE Conference 2009
http://www.cefe.net
Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 24-27 Nov 2009, Instituto Centro CAPE
Conference language shall be Spanisch and Portuguese. Contact:
ccape@centrocape.org.br .

Promoting Global Value Chains: The Role of Governance
http://www.eadi.org/index.php?id=1120
Maastricht, Netherlands, 26-27 Nov 2009, EADI
The workshop will explore the role of external and internal governance
in promoting sustainable global value chains and other related
topics.

Fragmentation in a Globalised World
http://www.eudnet.net
Paris, France, 9 December 2009
7th AFD/EUDN Conference

Online Training-of-Trainers: Using USAID Poverty Assessment Tools
http://povertytools.org/moodle/
Free online version of the PAT training-of-trainers. It is a self-
paced course that can be completed in ~20 hours. IRIS Trainers monitor
the course daily and provide feedback on certain activities, including
participants’ PAT implementation plans, the guided creation of which
is a significant component of the training. Info: Margaret Richards,
mrichards@iris.econ.umd.edu

Course on agribusiness management for producers' associations
http://tinyurl.com/l38ca8
The manual is aimed at improving the agribusiness management
capabilities of leaders and managers of producers' associations as
well as those of technicians from government, NGOs and the private
sector, who provide technical assistance to agro-enterprises. It is
addressed to small and medium size producers’ associations with
experience in production and marketing of agricultural products.

Music against poverty contest
http://www.ifightpoverty.eu
Young EU citizens are invited to share their message on fighting
poverty and development through a music contest organised by the
European Commission's cooperation office EuropeAid.
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10. Publications

Sorry, this time publications were too much to mail them. Please see
the Web version or get them at http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/publications.html

CIPE Guide to Governance Reform: Strategic Planning for Emerging
Markets
http://tinyurl.com/lmljz9
In order for democracy to deliver value to citizens, it must be
founded on good governance. Accountability, transparency, and citizen
input in decision-making create the foundation for prosperous,
entrepreneurial societies. Good governance is the means by which
citizens of emerging markets countries devise local solutions to local
problems.

David Roodman’s Microfinance Open Book Blog
http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/
This Open Book Blog is a way to share the writing of a book about the
history and impacts of microfinance. CGD research fellow David Roodman
posts and seeks feedback on draft chapters, burning questions, and
useful sources.

EC's report on EU development finance
http://www.eurodad.org/whatsnew/articles.aspx?id=3583
On the 8th of April 2009 the European Commission released its annual
development finance Communication: ‘‘Supporting Developing Countries
in Coping with the Crisis”. Eurodad has summarized and analysed the
main elements on four issues central to aid effectiveness, debt,
reform of international financial institutions, and taxation. For
Eurodad, the EC's annual Communication, based on questionnaires sent
to Member States, is a useful, if limited, accountability exercise. It
shows that much more needs to be done to implement existing European
commitments on development finance, and to go further now that the
financial and economic crises are severely affecting developing
countries and may push a further 100 million people into poverty in
2009. Source: Eurodad

Entrepreneurship in post-conflict transition : the role of informality
and access to finance
http://tinyurl.com/nczugr
The World Bank authors examine the factors affecting the transition to
self-employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, using the World Bank Living
Standard Measurement Survey panel household survey for the years
2001-2004. In the beginning of the sample, the country changed its
legal framework, with the primary aim to promote labor market
flexibility and to encourage entrepreneurial activity. The analysis
identifies individuals that switched to self-employment (employers and
own account) during the sample period and the viability of this
transition, in terms of business survival for more than one year. The
results suggest an important role for financing constraints.
Specifically, wealthier households are more likely to become
entrepreneurs and survive in self-employment. After controlling for
household wealth, having an existing bank relationship increases the
likelihood of starting a business with hired employees and increases
the chances of survival for the new entrepreneur. By contrast,
overseas - and in some cases domestic - remittances decrease the
likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur. Source: GTZ Online - Library
Sustainable Economic Development.

European Development Cooperation to 2020
http://www.edc2020.eu/fileadmin/Textdateien/EDC2020_WP4_Webversion.pdf
This paper has been produced as part of a programme of work on the
prospects for European Union development co-operation in the period up
to 2020. It focuses specifically on the challenges Europe faces by the
emergence of new actors in international development co-operation. In
the past 10-15 years, the established development donors in the OECD's
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) have forged a consensus about
what aid is for, where it should be best directed and how it should be
managed. With the increasing salience of a variety of new actors in
international development, both governmental and nongovernmental, this
consensus is being challenged at a time when aid budgets are under
threat and when there are other new challenges for development
cooperation, not least climate change. Source: EDC2020.

Finance in the Value Chain Framework
http://collab2.cgap.org//gm/document-1.9.34593/09.pdf
Value chain finance' is defined and applied in many ways, referenced
in countless articles and discussed at numerous conferences. This
USAID brief paper is designed to clarify the term for practitioners,
implementers and donors. Source: GTZ Online - Library Sustainable
Economic Development.

Guide to responsible sourcing
http://tinyurl.com/dfqfjf
To help companies develop their own approaches to responsible
sourcing, this guide provides a series of practical steps from a
global and multisectoral perspective. These steps are based on real-
life experiences from around the world, and can be used by companies
of all sizes, sectors and regions.

How green is EU's development aid?
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/05/envi_tools.html
BirdLife International, FERN and WWF presented a new study analysing
how useful are the EU tools designed to integrate environmental
concerns into its development aid. To do so the report looks at 21
geographically diverse Country and Regional Environment Profiles (CEP&
REP)”, and assesses them on the quality and information they provide
using a standardised checklist. Source: BirdLife International

How to Ensure Development Friendly Economic Partnership Agreements –
Lessons Across Regions. Services - Investment - Other Trade Dimensions
http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/How_to_ensure_development_friendly_EPAs.pdf
Negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) of the European
Commission and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of
countries have been ongoing since 2002, and they have attracted much
attention from the development community. BMZ and GTZ have
commissioned a series of analyses into issues covered by the CARIFORUM
EPA which go beyond the trade in goods debate. By Dr. Regine Qualmann,
GTZ Trade Programme. Source: GTZ NEDANews.

Impact assessments in finance and private sector development:
What have we learned and what should we learn ?
http://tinyurl.com/n7ntnl
Until recently rigorous impact evaluations have been rare in the area
of finance and private sector development. One reason for this is the
perception that many policies and projects in this area lend
themselves less to formal evaluations. However, a vanguard of new
impact evaluations on areas as diverse as fostering microenterprise
growth, microfinance, rainfall insurance, and regulatory reform
demonstrates that in many circumstances serious evaluation is
possible. The purpose of this World Bank paper is to synthesize and
distil the policy and implementation lessons emerging from these
studies, use them to demonstrate the feasibility of impact evaluations
in a broader array of topics, and thereby help prompt new impact
evaluations for projects going forward. Source: GTZ Online - Library
Sustainable Economic Development.

Improving impact evaluation production and use
http://tinyurl.com/cqrq3t
The past five years have seen a proliferation of impact evaluations
(IEs) by development agencies across the globe. This report was
commissioned by the UK Department for International Development’s
(DFID’s) Evaluation Department to inform discussions on impact
evaluation production and use within the Network of Networks Impact
Evaluation Initiative (NONIE). It builds on an initial scoping study
prepared for DFID which made recommendations on improving IE
production and use, focusing on clustering, coordination, knowledge
management, capacity strengthening and communication and uptake. This
ODI report goes further by expanding both the literature review and
the annotated database of IEs, as well as honing in on specific
dynamics of IE production across sectors. Source: GTZ Online - Library
Sustainable Economic Development.

Innovative firms or innovative owners ?
Determinants of innovation in micro, small, and medium enterprises
http://tinyurl.com/kq9jos
The authors develop a model of innovation that incorporates the role
of both owner and firm characteristics, and use this to determine how
product, process, marketing, and organizational innovations should
vary with firm size and competition. The analysis finds that more than
one-quarter of the microenterprises are engaging in innovation, with
marketing innovations the most common. As predicted by the model, firm
size has a stronger positive effect, and competition a stronger
negative effect, on process and organizational innovations than on
product innovations. Owner ability, personality traits, and ethnicity
have a significant and substantial impact on the likelihood of a firm
innovating, confirming the importance of the entrepreneur in the
innovation process. Source: GTZ Online - Library Sustainable Economic
Development.

Integrated Financing for Value Chains
http://www.woccu.org/functions/view_document.php?id=value_chain_techguide
WOCCU’s recent technical guide details the methodologies and lessons
learned from WOCCU’s experience developing value chain finance
initiatives for credit unions in Peru (USAID, 2006-09) and Kenya
(USDA, 2006-10). The methodologies in these two countries are
relatively new and still evolving, but they have proven successful in
providing the missing financial link to help increase agricultural
productivity.

Inventory of innovative farmer advisory services using ICTs
http://tinyurl.com/9tktpg
This paper documents all known innovative farmer advisory services or
systems, currently in design, in existence or recently completed in
Africa. The report notes that currently most farmers’ information is
provided either by extension workers, through libraries or via
websites. The authors assert that as the number of extension workers
has been going down while that of farmers has been growing, there is a
need for innovative information systems to address this gap.

Is Informal Normal? Towards More and Better Jobs in Developing
Countries
http://tinyurl.com/mr6xov
Two billion people, or two- thirds of the global labour force, work in
the informal sector. These workers receive low wages and have no
formal contracts or benefits. In the context of the current economic
crisis, likely to result in job losses in the formal sector, the study
Is Informal Normal? by the OECD Development Centre provides evidence
for policy makers on how to respond to the challenge of promoting more
and better jobs for all.

Learning from Evaluation
http://tinyurl.com/kqloor
Evaluation serves two main purposes: accountability and learning.
Development agencies have tended to prioritize the first, and given
responsibility for that to centralized units. But evaluation for
learning is the area where observers find the greatest need today and
tomorrow. Asian Development Bank Knowledge Solutions by Olivier
Serrat.

Open Access Guide for researchers based in Africa: Cheap or free
Access to Databases and E-Journals
http://www.ilissafrica.de/en/howto/OpenAccessGuide.html
The internet library sub-Saharan Africa (ilissAfrica) is a portal that
offers an integrated access to relevant scientific conventional and
digital information resources on the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Participatory Approaches to Value Chain Development
http://collab2.cgap.org//gm/document-1.9.34596/13.pdf
Significant stakeholder involvement in a value chain development
initiative increases the likelihood of success and sustainability.
With broad participation, solutions to value chain constraints are
generally more appropriate to the local setting, and when stakeholders
understand and take ownership of the value chain development process
they are more likely to remain actively engaged beyond the life of the
project. USAID study. Source: GTZ Online - Library Sustainable
Economic Development.

Participatory methods in the analysis of poverty: a critical review
http://tinyurl.com/nebw8m
This paper reviews and analyses the literature on on participatory
methods in poverty analysis. The popularity of participatory poverty
assessments has greatly increased in the last decade, and a growing
number of development agents is adopting some forms of participatory
methodology. this spread however seems to be possible even without a
shared understanding of what participation stands for. This paper
starts by introducing the broad lines of the debate on participation,
before focusing more specifically on participatory methods in poverty
analysis.

Private Sector Development in Post-Conflict Countries: A Review of
current Literature and Practice
http://www.enterprise-development.org/download.aspx?id=1294
This Review by Naoise Mac Sweeney and Jim Tanburn discusses the
characteristics of the post-conflict private sector, and the ways in
which the development community can engage with it. It gives an
overview of current approaches and experiences across most agencies
active in the field. Edited by the Donor Committee for Enterprise
Development (DCED). Source: GTZ NEDANews.

Promoting Economic Innovations in Sub-Sahara Africa
http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/Promoting_Economic_Innovations.pdf
Based on a desktop enquiry, this GTZ paper by Nicole Rippin seeks to
describe how innovations in the specific context of SSA emerge and how
they can be promoted. Source: GTZ NEDANews.

Quantifying Achievements in Private Sector Development. Implementation
Guidelines
http://www.enterprise-development.org/page/library-item?id=1309
These Guidelines have been developed by the Donor Committee for
Enterprise Development (DCED) as a companion to the DCED Proposed
Methodology for Control Points and Compliance Criteria.

SmartAid for Microfinance Index 2009: Submission Guide. A Technical
Guide
http://www.cgap.org/gm/document-1.9.9604/SmartAid_TechnicalGuide.pdf
This SmartAid Technical Guide distills learning from many years of
CGAP’s work in aid effectiveness to measure what funders need to
support microfinance effectively. The Guide draws from CGAP’s
interactions with a broad range of donors and investors - through peer
reviews and our ongoing microfinance work together.

Special Economic Zones: Performance, Lessons Learned, and
Implications
http://tinyurl.com/mhqcct
This paper examines 30 years of experience in zones, reviewing
development patterns and economic impacts of zones worldwide. The
experience shows that while zones have been effective in addressing
economic growth and development objectives, they have not been
uniformly successful; successes in East Asia and Latin America have
been difficult to replicate, particularly in Africa, and many zones
have failed. Source: GTZ NEDANews.

Striving toward a Competitive Industry: The Importance of Dynamic
Value Chain Facilitation
http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=33548_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
This paper will highlights the importance of dynamic facilitation
within the value chain approach. Specifically, it examines approaches
for embedding active read-and-respond mechanisms within the management
systems of a facilitator, while providing practical examples of how a
program actively applies a follow-on facilitation strategy. By David
Knopp, USAID. Source: GTZ Online - Library Sustainable Economic
Development.

Tasks of the new European Commission
http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/ipa/06388.pdf
This publication of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung covers the financial
and economic crisis which represents a window of opportunity for an
active European Commission. The Barroso Commission has largely
confined itself to managing the EU rather than acting as a driver of
reform. The new European Commission will have to be measured by
whether it will go beyond the necessary crisis management. What the EU
needs is a long-term paradigm shift towards a social EU with a
sustainable approach to the economy and a global presence.

The A-Z of German Media Development Cooperation
http://tinyurl.com/kvbrwl
This directory, an initiative by Forum Medien und Entwicklung (FoME),
gives you an overview of the institutions and programmes currently
involved in German media development cooperation.

The business of product innovation : international empirical evidence
http://tinyurl.com/mzx563 World Bank paper by Daniel Lederman.
It is so widely recognized that innovation is a key driver of economic
growth that it is cliché to say so. This article studies product
innovation by firms with data from 68 countries, covering more than
25,000 firms in eight manufacturing sectors. The author assesses the
predictions of inter-disciplinary research on innovation by firms. The
econometric evidence suggests that globalization and local knowledge
increase the likelihood that firms will introduce new products. By
contrast, domestic regulatory impediments to competition are not
robustly correlated with product innovation.

The Debate on the Developmental State: Evidence from the Indian
Software Industry
http://www.soas.ac.uk/cdpr/publications/dv/file51754.pdf
The author, , draws on a well documented case study of the successful
Indian software industry in staking out a new position on the
continuing debate on the preconditions for an effective developmental
state. One of his major points is that supporters of such a state
often assume, unrealistically, that state autonomy - namely, complete
independence from vested political and economic interests- is a
prerequisite for successful state interventions, such as in industrial
policy. By Jyoti Saraswati, Department of Politics, Queen Mary,
University of London, The Centre for Development Policy and Research
Development Viewpoint #31.

The Impact of the Business Environment on the Business Creation
Process,
http://tinyurl.com/mjncf7
New data from the 2008 World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Survey
indicates a very strong and statistically significant relationship
between entrepreneurship and a better business environment. Data for
100 countries on the number of total and newly registered corporations
over an eight-year period (2000– 2007) were collected directly from
registrars of companies around the world. This paper—a product of the
World Bank’s Finance and Private Sector Team, Development Research
Group, and Investment Climate Advisory Services Group—is part of a
larger effort in the departments to study entrepreneurship.

USAID Poverty Assessment Tools Update
http://www.povertytools.org/tools.html
USAID and the IRIS Center at the University of Maryland want to make
sure you are aware of the currently available Poverty Assessment Tools
(PATs), the tools in development, and the resources available to
implementers. There are 26 current USAID PATs, and new tools are
expected to be available in late 2009 for Bolivia, Liberia, Nepal,
Nigeria, West Bank, and Senegal.

USAID Value Chain Resources available in French and Spanish
View French resources at http://www.microlinks.org/francais
View Spanish resources at http://www.microlinks.org/espanol
Value Chain Finance, Integrating ICT into Value Chain Development, and
Participatory Approaches to Value Chain Development are part of a
briefing papers series emphasizing action-oriented recommendations for
improved practice. In addition to these briefing papers, microLINKS
contains a number of other resources available in French and Spanish.

Value Chain End-Market Research Toolkit Available
http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=39116_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
The End-Market Toolkit: Upgrading Value Chain Competitiveness with
Informed Choice informs implementers on the process and value of end-
market research efforts for value chain development, provides a
portfolio of tools, and grounds these tools through case studies of
their practical application. The toolkit is divided into two broad
sections in line with common practices in market research: Phase I:
Secondary End-market Research, and Phase II: Primary End-market
Research.

What future for the Cotonou Agreement?
http://www.cncd.be/spip.php?article610
The Cotonou Agreement is the jewel in the crown of EU development
cooperation with the countries of the South and lays claim to a large
proportion of development spending. However, nine years after its
conclusion civil society organisations both in Europe and in the 77
countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are asking
questions. Does it really promote sustainable development, human
rights and development cooperation in a spirit of mutual respect? The
various authors who have contributed to this publication show that
there are grounds for scepticism and that commercial and political
interests tend get in the way. The book raises some serious questions
by suggesting that although next year should only mark the half-way
stage, the Cotonou Agreement has actually already run its course and
invites the reader to think about why, despite the agreement’s
imperfections, that conclusion is worrying. Source: CNCD

Working in Teams
http://tinyurl.com/m6t5e2
Cooperative work by a team can produce remarkable results. The
challenge is to move from the realm of the possible to the realm of
practice. Asian Development Bank Knowledge Solutions by Olivier
Serrat.
_____________________________________________________________________

11. Websites of the Month

ACP Business Climate
http://bizclim.ning.com
The Private Sector Enabling Environment Facility (PSEEF) is an EU
funded initiative under the Cotonou Agreement. From now on, the
Facility will be promoted under the ACP Business Climate facility
(BizClim).On this newly established Professional Network , you can
have your own page. On the main page, you find videos, pictures,
blogs, links to published documents, BizClim-TV, events (e.g.
workshop, conferences), publications (BizNews, e-zine), etc. Join in
on NING!

AfricaAdapt - Knowledge sharing for climate change adaptation
http://www.africa-adapt.net
AfricaAdapt provides a means for researchers, policymakers, and all
Africans affected by climate change to test new ways of sharing their
experiences and challenges across barriers of distance, culture and
language.

African Economic Outlook
http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/
This is the only place where African countries are examined through a
common analytical framework, allowing you to compare economic
prospects at the regional, sub-regional and country levels. Beyond
numbers and stats you will find news, events, resources and in-depth
analyses of sectors critical to the continent’s advancement. Whether
you are interested in macroeconomic developments, structural issues,
governance, human development or just the raw figures, it is all here.

Barefootjobs.org - Job portal for social sector
http://www.barefootjobs.org
This portal is been developed after lot of research and understanding
of the social sector. It will endeavor to reduce the recruitment costs
of the non-profits by providing a high-class technology based job
portal.

Capacity Building Forum by WBI and InWEnt
http://capacitydevelopment.ning.com
The World Bank Institute and InWEnt Capacity Building International
started this professional network for international partners in the
development training and learning community with a shared agenda to
improve the practice and metrics of capacity development programs. The
online community originated from a High-Level Retreat on the
Effectiveness of International Development Training. Here you can
watch videos and listen to podcasts of the event and discuss the
issues with experts and practitioners. Join in on NING!

CorpWatch: Holding Corporations Accountable
http://www.corpwatch.org
Information on some of the global companies participating in the
Global Compact, which have caused or contributed to violations of
human rights and/or environmental catastrophes (BASF, Nike, Shell, BP
Amoco, Novartis, Rio Tinto Inc.).

CTA's Knowledge for development
http://knowledge.cta.int
This website supports the policy dialogue on S&T for agricultural and
rural development in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
It enables the ACP scientific community - primarily agricultural
research and development scientists and technologists, policy makers,
farmers and other stakeholders and actors - to share and review
results of national and regional efforts and collaborate to harness
science and technology for the development of agriculture in their
countries.

DevWire.eu - the media portal to EU development cooperation
http://www.devwire.eu
The idea behind this site is to support journalists in their EU
development coverage. This single entry point provides you with a
comprehensive source of news and background - relevant, up to date and
reliable.

Evidence-Based Policy in Development Network
http://ebpdn.org
This website is a key outcome of ODI's Civil Society Partnership
Programme (CSPP), and aims to establish a worldwide community of
practice for think tanks, policy research institutes and similar
organisations working in international development, to promote more
evidence-based, pro-poor development policies.

ExportHelp - Promoting and supporting access to the European market
http://exporthelp.europa.eu
The European Commission runs a database for the explicit support of
market players in developing countries who want to bring their
products on the EU market. The database gives an overview on the EU´s
preferential trade regimes established for developing countries as
well as lists all tariffs, taxes and other requirements for goods
destined for import.

GIGA Journals available free-of-charge on the Internet
http://www.giga-journal-family.org
The four renowned academic journals of the GIGA German Institute of
Global and Area Studies are now available online and free-of-charge.
Every Internet user can now access the full content of the GIGA
Journal Family at no cost, which means that the reach of the journals
is now significantly greater.

ilissAfrica - Africa Virtual Library on the Internet
http://www.ilissafrica.de
Finding relevant literature on a specific African topic or country –
this is possible with the Internet Library Sub-Saharan Africa, which
is now online and accessible to everyone. Users can search for books,
anthologies, journal articles and Internet resources. They are then
led directly to the corresponding website or shown at which library
the book or journal article can be found. The portal is a joint
project of the University Library in Frankfurt and the GIGA German
Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg.

ILO’s Synergies project
http://www.itcilo.org/synergies
The Synergies project site is intended as a platform on current
applied research and practical implementation of linking financial
services to business services that contribute to pro poor enterprise
development, income and job creation.

Knowledge Sharing Toolkit
http://www.kstoolkit.org
The Institutional Knowledge Sharing (KS) Project together with CGIAR
Center partners has been experimenting with a range of KS tools and
methods over the past five years and has recently been assembling
these and many others into this toolkit. It is an evolving resource,
continually updated, edited, expanded, and critiqued and it’s aimed at
scientists, research support teams, and administrators working in
international development agencies, with a special emphasis on those
engaged in agriculture and agricultural research.

Microfinance Gateway launches new and improved website
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/
In response to user feedback, the Microfinance Gateway now offers
interactive features, a new look and feel, and updated information on
hot topics in microfinance. Microfinance Voices, a series of feature
articles, focuses on current issues, trends and debates in the
industry. Readers can now build conversations around these articles
using the new Comments feature to voice their opinions and create
dialogue around current topics. The latest in this series,
Microfinance and the Environmental Bottom Line, explores the growing
field of green microfinance.

Political Finance Database
http://www.idea.int/parties/finance/db/index.cfm
The International IDEA database on Political Finance Laws and
Regulations contains information on the laws on funding of political
parties for more than 100 countries in the world. That makes it the
largest collection of such information available. The database
provides information on different themes like regulation and
enforcement; public funding provisions; bans on sources of funding;
and on disclosure rules and ceilings for income and expenditure.

Remittance Prices Worldwide
http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org
The Remittances Prices Worldwide Website provides data on the cost of
sending and receiving small amounts of money from one country to
another. For the first time since the site was launched in September
2008, new data has been published. Plus, new features have been added
to the site, including 14 new country-to-country corridors, categories
that describe the extent of network coverage in recipient countries,
and a new set of standardized measures of transfer speed.

SPM Network - Making microfinance work for the poor and excluded
http://www.spmnetwork.net/group/communitymanagedsavingsloangroups
The SPM Network connects individuals and organisations who are
committed to managing and achieving social performance in
microfinance. This is also a space for practitioners to share
experiences, common challenges and key lessons learnt around social
performance management (SPM). Join in on NING!

The African Good Governance Network (AGGN)
http://www.aggn.org
The AGGN comprises a group of highly educated African academics who
have either studied in Germany or are still studying in Germany. AGGN
members consider it their duty to actively promote the values of Good
Governance and thus accompany the economic and political
transformation process in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global University Network for Innovation
http://www.guni-rmies.net/
The Global University Network for Innovation - GUNI is composed of
UNESCO Chairs in Higher Education, research centers, universities,
networks and other institutions highly committed to innovation in
higher education. More than 100 institutions from around the world are
GUNI members. There are a number of reports on higher education
available on the GUNI website.

World Press
http://www.theworldpress.com
Want to be informed? Have a look at this website. World Press offers
headlines and links to more than 5,000 news publications in more than
190 countries. Source: FITA.