report July 29, 2021 How government donors engage with the Sustainable Development Goals In 2015, 193 nations signed on to Agenda 2030 setting forth the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The predecessor Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a narrower set of eight objectives targeted specifically at enhancing economic and social progress in lower- and middle-income countries—with first-order implications for focusing donor development assistance. In contrast, the 17 SDGs are universal—they cover a broader... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 29, 2021 Donor engagement with Agenda 2030: How government agencies encompass the Sustainable Development Goals Overview In 2015, all members of the United Nations adopted an ambitious agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals. The agenda consists of 17 development goals to be achieved by 2030. This report examines how government donor agencies encompass SDGs in international development cooperation, covering 20 of the 30 members of the Development... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report July 28, 2021 US trade and investment in Africa Thank you very much, Chairman Van Hollen, Ranking Member Rounds, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, for your extraordinary leadership on U.S. Trade and Investment with Africa. Your exemplary bipartisan work on Africa inspires many in the U.S. and abroad on how politics can be used to serve the greater good. I am incredibly honored and grateful for the... By Brookings Institute, Testimony Brookings Institute
report July 28, 2021 Slums, sprawl, and skyscrapers These three words are probably the most used in popular and policy discussions of city development. The squalor of slums, unsustainability of sprawl and sterility of skyscrapers are the proverbial Achilles heel of community leaders and urban planners. They call for livable neighborhoods with a vibrant mix of homes, shops, offices, and local amenities. In a recent report, “Pancakes to... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 28, 2021 A structured learning approach to support scaling: Guidelines for how to do this in practice You don’t have to look far to find mentions of “adaptive learning” or “multistakeholder collaboration” in the global education sector. Donors typically ask for the programs they fund to be adaptive and collaborative, implementers try to embrace flexible and inclusive approaches, and researchers tinker to learn about the most effective ways to do these things. But what do they... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 28, 2021 The impact of COVID-19 on industries without smokestacks in Kenya: The case of horticulture, ICT, and tourism sectors Abstract COVID-19 has had not only far-reaching implications on the Kenya economy as a whole but also varied short-term and long-term impacts on various sectors. This policy brief provides an early assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the selected industries without smokestacks (IWOSS) that is horticulture, information and communication technologies (ICT), and tourism. Kenya’s economic growth in... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report July 28, 2021 Industries without smokestacks in Africa: A Kenya case study Abstract This study assesses the scope for industries without smokestacks (IWOSS) to generate large-scale wage employment opportunities in Kenya especially for the youth. IWOSS are non-manufacturing industries that demonstrate high productivity and employment potential similar to manufacturing. While Kenya has, since independence, prioritized industrialization anchored on manufacturing as an avenue for employment creation and economic growth, the country is facing early... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report July 27, 2021 What constrained firm investments in digital technologies during the pandemic? While firms during COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, this adoption can operate through different pathways: expansion of digital platforms or investments in new digital technologies. In this blog, we analyze if there are specific barriers limiting some of these pathways, and specifically what barriers may have limited businesses investments in new in digital technologies in response to... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 27, 2021 The impact of COVID-19 on industries without smokestacks in South Africa Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has hit several sectors of economies, including those in Africa particularly hard. The affected sectors include industries without smokestacks (IWOSS). The purpose of this brief is to conduct an early assessment of the effect of the pandemic on the economy, and specifically, the IWOSS sectors considered in the country case study, both in terms of the... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report July 27, 2021 The impact of COVID-19 on industries without smokestacks in Senegal Abstract In Senegal, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant health and economic damage. More specifically, the country’s promising industries without smokestacks (IWOSS) have adversely been impacted, with a dramatic reduction in turnover, investment, and jobs. In addition, the pandemic has significantly reduced fiscal space by both shrinking the government tax base and reducing sovereign debt solvency, and, hence, its international... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report July 27, 2021 Education in emergency in Nigeria: Creating gender equitable policies so all girls have an uninterrupted right to learn Even under what some may describe as normal conditions, girls in Nigeria face a distinctive set of barriers to formal education at all levels. Nearly 2 out of 3 (about 6.34 million) of the country’s 10.19 million out-of-school children in the country are girls. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, violence, child, early, and forced marriages (CEFM), lack of schools,... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 26, 2021 Measuring internet poverty For the majority of the world, it is impossible to think of life without the internet. Think about life and work during COVID-19 when internet connectivity and digitalization were among the most necessary aspects of daily life. The internet allows us to stay entertained, informed, and, most importantly, connected. The internet is now a basic necessity like food, clothes,... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 26, 2021 The changing map of economics The International Economic Association’s triennial World Congress has long been one of the most important global gatherings of economists, owing to its success in bringing together researchers and policymakers from the poorest to the wealthiest corners of the world. The 19th edition of the event earlier this month, albeit held via Zoom instead of in person, was no exception. One... By Brookings Institute, Op-Ed Brookings Institute
report July 26, 2021 Reconciling economic growth and youth employment creation in Senegal In recent years, high youth unemployment has become one of the most pressing challenges facing African policymakers. Unlike in industrialized and emerging economies, export-led manufacturing is playing a much smaller role in the structural transformation of Africa’s economies. Senegal is no exception to this trend. While agriculture has lost more than 10 percentage points of its labor share between... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 23, 2021 Cash will soon be obsolete. Will America be ready? By Erik CarterWhen was the last time you made a payment with dollar bills?Some people still prefer to use cash, perhaps because they like the tactile nature of physical currency or because it provides confidentiality in transactions. But digital payments, made with the swipe of a card or a few taps on a cellphone, are fast becoming the norm.To... By Brookings Institute, Op-Ed Brookings Institute
report July 23, 2021 Addressing Africa’s extreme water insecurity Access to clean, affordable, and safe drinking water is both a fundamental human right recognized by the United Nations and Goal 6 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. However, access to this essential resource in Africa is not yet universal, with 1 in 3 Africans facing water scarcity and approximately 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacking access... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 23, 2021 What lessons can Africa learn from India’s COVID-19 crisis? India is unlikely to be the last country encountering catastrophic outbreaks as the COVID-19 pandemic persists and evolves. The lessons from India’s experience are especially relevant to other developing countries, like those in Africa, that will not benefit from the shield of mass vaccination in the near term. The overarching lesson is that COVID-19 is a “complacency virus”; its... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 23, 2021 The economic benefits of cities in the developing world Dulani Chunga moved from a safe, quiet but poor village in Malawi to Blantyre, the prime business city, in the hopes of changing his destiny. He was drawn to the city by stories of streetlights, the opportunity to make money, and the chance to send his children to school. He lives in Ndirande, an immense slum with squalid conditions.... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report July 23, 2021 Training and support for female entrepreneurs in Vietnam: What do women want and need? Considered one of the world’s poorest countries in the 1980s, Vietnam today has emerged as a rising star in Asia with impressive economic and social progress. By 2035, Vietnam aims to graduate from lower- to upper-middle income status, and become a prosperous, creative, equitable, and democratic society. As women are half of the population and women’s economic empowerment increases... By Brookings Institute, Post, Uncategorized Brookings Institute
report July 22, 2021 What India’s COVID-19 crisis means for Africa By May 9, 2021 India accounted for 57 percent of new COVID-19 cases anywhere in the world. This phenomenon rippled through the interconnected economies of the world, including those in Africa. Indeed, India has risen over the past decade to become Africa’s thirdmost-important trading partner, after the European Union and China. In fact, the African market is precariously dependent... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
