Knowledge

Statistical Brief: Local Government Finance Indicators in South East Europe

Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe NALAS (2019)

Published by NALAS in 2019, this report provides and compares compressed quantitative data on local government performance, public revenue, expenditure and investments in South-East Europe. Divided into two parts, Section One presents first hand-data on the status of national and subnational government finance in the region. Section Two in turn focusses on national and subnational spending patterns between 2006 and 2018.

Financial Flows Mapping: The Potential for a Risk Finance Facility for Civil Society

ODI (December 2019)

With the goal of developing a financing model that can better address the needs of communities affected by crisis, the Start Network hired ODI to conduct a mapping of global disaster risk financing and humanitarian funding streams. The aim was to identify and quantify gaps in the existing financing landscape. The results are summarized in this briefing note. The research demonstrates that funding is reactive and not pre-planned, dominated by post-event response and not sufficiently able to meet the needs of people affected by under-the-radar crises. The current findings are preliminary and will be complemented in future by three country-level examinations conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Philippines to enrich the theoretical findings with perspectives from people affected by large scale crises as well as under-the-radar-crises.

Seizing Opportunities for Urban Change: IIED Launches New Episode of Their Podcast

IIED (February 2020)

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has launched the third episode of its “Make Change Happen” podcast. This newest episode “Seizing opportunities for urban change” looks at how IIED’s local-to-global urban work developed and at its current priorities.

The episode features David Satterthwaite, who spearheaded IIED’s work on urban poverty, senior urban researcher Anna Walnycki as well as the podcast host and IIED’s director of communications Liz Carlile. The researchers find that one key issue regarding an inclusive urban agenda is donor’s willingness to channel money where it matters: to the frontlines of urban need. Listen to the guests discuss the innovative nature of urban community groups and why they feel optimistic about the upcoming WUF to offer opportunities to explore more inclusive, low-carbon sustainable urbanisation.

Social Cohesion in Times of Forced Displacement: The Perspective of Youth in Jordan

Kuhnt et al., in: Zeitschrift für Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung

Jordan has experienced a large influx of Syrian refugees in the last few years. This has significantly impacted the country’s society and its youth’s perception regarding social cohesion. This article by development economist Jana Kuhnt et. al. highlights the difficulties faced by young Jordanians in terms of participation opportunities and provides recommendations on how to dismantle the barriers between the host and refugee population

Beyond Local and International: Humanitarian Action at the Margins

ODI (December 2019)

Discussing roles instead of actors: That is the approach of this briefing note published by ODI in December 2019. It examines the potential complementarity between international humanitarian and already existing community action. It considers the role of people working at the margins of humanitarian response and relates these insights to research provided by the four core aspects of the HPG’s local humanitarian agenda: capacity and complementarity, dignity in displacement, humanitarian financing and the protection of civilians.

Gender in Displacement: The State of Play

ODI (December 2019)

Are crises enhancing gender inequalities? Does displacement affect women or men more severely? Does migration contribute to a shift in power dynamics between the sexes? ODI’s paper ‘Gender in Displacement: The State of Play’ provides important answers to these and many other questions concerning the change of gender roles during crises and how humanitarian programming has, more or less, addressed this crucial issue. A critical assessment of the latter demonstrates where further action is needed by international humanitarian organisations to tackle the problem of gender inequality.

The Urbanization of Food Insecurity and Malnutrition

IIED (2019)

Urban poverty has many facets, ranging from insecure housing conditions and limited access to education to food insecurity and malnutrition. This briefing paper by IIED addressed how urban poverty, defined across multiple dimensions, limits access to safe, nutritious and convenient food. Moreover, it provides precious insights on the gendered nature of food-related responsibilities.

Using Mobile Phone Surveys to Track Resilience and Post-Disaster Recovery: A How-To Guide

BRACED (January 2020)

In what ways do surveys need to be designed so that they encourage participation by a high number of people and reach respondents on a large scale? ODI offers guidance to this question in their How-To guide for mobile phone surveys. The reported results are based on the insights obtained by the Building Resilience and Adaption to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) programme. Conducted between 2017 and 2019 in Myanmar, the goal of this well received survey was to evaluate and monitor resilience building activities and the success of post-disaster recovery programmes. This How-To guide provides practitioners working in international development with valuable insights on how to tailor and conduct their own phone surveys.

Disasters Journal: Technology Virtual Issue

ODI (October 2019)

This joint special issue of Disasters and Development Policy Review examines the impact of technology and social media in disaster and development contexts. Using articles dating back to 2013, it illustrates not only the achievements of technological progress for conflict prevention, but also the restrictive nature that applies to certain technologies in some countries, such as gender-biased access to mobile phones. In addition, it demonstrates how humanitarian organisations can use new technologies to generate trust and to facilitate higher citizen participation.

Urban Refugees in Nairobi: Tackling Barriers to Accessing Housing, Services and Infrastructure

IIED (December 2019)

In times of large-scale migration between countries, one demanding issue is the provision of healthcare for new inhabitants. This paper examines the situation of refugee’s access to healthcare, housing and infrastructure in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Published by IIED in December 2019, it aims to identify and offer solutions to how the potential for conflicts between refugees and city inhabitants can be reduced and how service provision in urban areas can be improved. The results of the study are globally applicable.