Global Policy Agenda Research Articles

Using financial accounts: A central banking perspective

The development of financial accounts is high on the global policy agenda. These accounts have become an essential element of the SNA, drawing from the traditional description of real economic aggregates augmented to present information on financial flows and positions. Several steps have been taken in recent years to refine important aspects of this framework, with the goal of building “integrated sectoral financial accounts”. To this end, two areas of focus are important. One relates to collecting the statistics to “fill” standard economic accounts. Large data collections have been undertaken since the 2007–09 Great Financial Crisis to build better-quality, more comprehensive and flexible data sets. A second important issue is to highlight how these statistics can be useful and support public policy. These areas are of particular relevance for central banks. As producers, they have been highly involved in the statistical exercises launched to address the challenges highlighted by the 2007-09 crisis. As data users, they have an increasing demand for information in order to understand, and act on, the financial system in pursuing monetary and financial stability policy objectives; financial accounts represent a key opportunity to address these information needs.

Transnationalization of climate adaptation by regional governments and the RegionsAdapt initiative

Non-technical summaryAdaptation to climate change has traditionally been framed as a local problem. However, in recent years, adaptation has risen on the global policy agenda. This article contributes to the study of transnational climate adaptation through an investigation of international connectivity on climate adaptation between regional policy-makers. We examine the RegionsAdapt initiative, the first global commitment to promote and track the progress of regional adaptation. While adapting to climate change at the regional level is crucial, we suggest that transnational adaptation governance not only helps to promote adaptation measures, but also improves the process of tracking the progress of such action, its visibility and its aggregation.

Political Settlements and the Implementation of Maternal Health Policy in the Developing World: A Comparative Case Study of Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda and Bangladesh

Maternal health, and in particular the issue of reducing maternal mortality, has been a prominent feature of the global health policy agenda for the past three decades. However, maternal health has rarely become a political priority at national levels, with policy uptake and implementation proving relatively disappointing. In this paper, we compare the experience of Rwanda, Bangladesh, Uganda and Ghana in reducing maternal mortality, relating policy uptake and, in particular, implementation to the underlying balance of power and institutions, or political settlement, on which these countries’ politics is based. Rwanda’s ‘dominant-developmental’ political settlement has enabled a vigorous, joined-up approach to maternal mortality reduction, while, at the other end of the spectrum, Ghana’s inclusive-competitive settlement has been less effective in matching policy commitment with implementation. Uganda and Bangladesh’s more intermediate settlements present a more mixed experience. The paper argues that policy reformers should try to optimise their maternal mortality reduction strategies within the context of the political settlement in which they operate. That implies a government-supporting strategy in more dominant developmental settlements, while engaging non-state actors or building out from pockets of effectiveness in other types.

The Forest–Water Nexus: An International Perspective

Discussions on the relationships between forests and water have primarily focused on the biophysical nature of these relationships. However, as issues such as land degradation affect the ability of forests to provide water-related ecosystem services resulting in water insecurity, the human dimension of the forest–water nexus has become more evident. This has resulted in the identification of the forest–water nexus as an issue that requires urgent recognition within major international policy processes and where knowledge gaps on the global state of the nexus exist. To address this, two major international policy frameworks driving the current development and environment agenda, namely the Sustainable Development Goals and the (Intended) Nationally Determined Contributions were analyzed to assess the integration of forests and water in international policy agenda. In addition, data on tree cover and water risks as well as data on forests managed for soil and water protection was analyzed to understand the global state of the forest–water nexus. The results indicate that even though there is no single indicator monitoring forest–water interactions, there are existing indictors that provide partial information on the forest–water nexus, which would be key to measuring progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, the research has highlighted increasing political will as well as global trends that could be used to further harness support and include the forest–water nexus in these global policy agenda. As international processes move forward, the methodology presented here provides a way to evaluate progress of global management of forests for water ecosystem services and gives specific areas where further research that integrates the scientific and socio-political spheres is needed. It is hoped that the initial approach presented in this paper serves as a stepping-stone for further action that might result in better management of and policies for our global forest–water resources and their associated ecosystem services.

Global adaptation governance: An emerging but contested domain

AbstractAdaptation to climate change has steadily risen on global policy agendas and entered a new era with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which established a global goal on adaptation. While this goal responds to calls to strengthen global governance of adaptation, it has not yet been operationalized. Further, few studies take stock of current global adaptation governance to inform the implementation of the goal. Against this background this review asks: To what extent is there global governance of climate change adaptation? Can it be characterized as a strong domain of global governance? In what ways is it contested? Global adaptation governance is defined here as occurring when state and non‐state actors in the global (including transnational) sphere authoritatively and intentionally shape the actions of constituents towards climate change adaptation as a public goal. Although empirical evidence is scant, it is proposed here that global adaptation governance is indeed emerging. Yet, its further strengthening appears contested. First, measurement of progress towards adaptation as a public goal at the global level is severely challenged by the ambiguity of adaptation and the lack of distinct metrics. Second, the lack of a clear global‐level problem‐framing, or recognition of adaptation as a global public good, has meant limited legitimacy of global governance initiatives. A consequence of contestation is that governance forms and functions used so far have not been authoritative in how they seek to shape actions. The review concludes by identifying research needs for advancing science and policy on adaptation.This article is categorized under:Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance

Statement by The Managing Director on the Work Program of The Executive Board

This Work Program translates the strategic directions and policy priorities laid out in the Spring 2019 Global Policy Agenda and the International Monetary and Financial Committee Communiqué into an Executive Board agenda for the next twelve months. Its main policy priorities and related deliverables are as follows: • Support domestic policies to enhance resilience and inclusion: • Upgrade global cooperation to level the playing field and address other shared challenges • Adapt the Fund’s toolkits to lead and support change: • Continue to modernize the Fund to deliver for the future:

Responsibility, affective solidarity and transnational maternal feminism

Maternal health has become a top global priority. In contrast to the decline of the maternal subject (Stephens, 2011), and despite previous evidence that maternal health has struggled to find a place on the global policy agenda (Shiffman and Smith, 2007), it is now clear that the promotion of health for mothers and children is a staple of both government and private donor commitments. On humanitarian grounds, it makes sense to focus on maternal health and survival in the Global South. Death related to pregnancy or childbirth is a disheartening example of needless suffering. But beyond the initial impulse to reduce suffering, what motivates and/or requires action for addressing injustice in the form of distributional inequities for maternal and reproductive health? In this article, I make a case for the necessity and validity of transnational cooperation to address maternal mortality and morbidity in the Global South. The first component of my argument addresses the transnational elements of both global interconnectedness and responsibility to act. These elements are drawn from Iris Marion Young’s philosophical justification for North-South responsibility-taking. The second component of my argument adds the concept of affective solidarity to that of transnational responsibility. My argument in this section draws from Iris Marion Young’s earlier work on identity (Young, 1990) and embodiment (Young, 1984) and expands the analysis of affective solidarity as a form of both embodiment and political commitment in order to explain the mechanism for transnational connection and understanding. And the final component of my argument explains how both of these elements – transnational responsibility and affective solidarity – support a theory of transnational maternal feminism.

Who Controls the City in the Global Urban Era? Mapping the Dimensions of Urban Geopolitics in Beira City, Mozambique

In recent years, a new era of interventionism has emerged targeting the development of African cities, manifested in ‘fantasy’ urban plans, surging infrastructure investments and global policy agendas. What the implications of this new era will be for specific urban contexts is still poorly understood however. Taking this research agenda as a starting point, this article presents findings of in-depth empirical research on urban development in Beira city, Mozambique, which has recently become the recipient of massive donor investments targeting the built environment. Informed by current debates on urban geopolitics, the article unpacks these mounting global flows while locating them alongside pre-existing struggles over urban space. By doing so three distinct yet inter-related dimensions of urban geopolitics are identified, relating to the workings of the state, so-called ‘informality’ and international donors. Far from representing homogeneous categories, these dimensions each represent contradictory practices and interests which are shaping Beira’s urban trajectory. The article concludes by arguing that the inflow of donor resources has exacerbated pre-existing struggles over urban space while contributing to new contentions in ways which have undermined social equity targets of contemporary global development agendas. In doing so it provides important contributions to current debates on urban development in Africa

Early childhood education for all: a mixed-methods study of the global policy agenda in Tanzania

ABSTRACT This study considers the extent to which access to basic education and student learning outcomes have become more equalized or more disparate in Tanzania following the implementation of the international Education for All (EFA) initiative, and whether early childhood education access and performance follow similar patterns. To answer these questions, we apply a mixed-methods research design, which includes a longitudinal analysis of changes in educational opportunity and a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of key education policy documents in Tanzania. Findings from our quantitative analysis suggest that social inequality is persistent across time and consistent across access and learning outcomes at the early childhood and basic education levels. The implication is that, to date, the EFA agenda has only served to reproduce social inequalities in Tanzania, with the exception of increased opportunity for girls. These results align with CDA findings assessing the global and national policy discourse, which find educational inequalities to be prioritized in language but not adequately in final targets and strategies. Given the resiliency of such education inequalities, it would appear that policy capable of removing social barriers to educational opportunity requires more attention to specific at-risk student populations.

Mothers explanatory models of infant stress & adversity in rural Haryana, India: qualitative findings from the Early Life Stress sub-study of the SPRING cluster-randomised controlled trial (SPRING-ELS)

Background Exposure to a range of biological and psychosocial adversities in early childhood is of negative consequence through the lifecourse. This is particularly important for children in low- and middle-income countries where at least 250 million children are at high-risk of not meeting their developmental potential. Minimal evidence describes mothers’ views of this. We therefore elicited an explanatory model exploring mothers’ perceptions of infant stress and adversity in rural Haryana, India. Methods We did eight focus-group discussions to explore the perspectives of mothers in the general population of this rural area of India using a discussion guide based on Kleinman’s explanatory model. Data were coded by two analysts and arranged in themes for presentation. Illustrative quotations were used for presentation of findings. Results All mothers identified several causes of adversity and stress for children, including poverty, neglect and violence. They described the consequences of this for emotions, behaviour and school readiness of children, and that some of the consequences were reversible with appropriate management. Mothers described younger children as being unable to be affected by adversity, because they were “too young to understand”. Conclusions Mothers agreed with much of the current biomedical model for early childhood development, however the predominant view was that young infants were “too young to understand” is an important deviation. These findings are of importance in designing behaviour change strategies for this crucial period of early childhood which is rising up the global policy agenda with the aim of giving every child the opportunity to thrive.

Mothers explanatory models of infant stress & adversity in rural Haryana, India: qualitative findings from the Early Life Stress sub-study of the SPRING cluster-randomised controlled trial (SPRING-ELS).

Background Exposure to a range of biological and psychosocial adversities in early childhood is of negative consequence through the lifecourse. This is particularly important for children in low- and middle-income countries where at least 250 million children are at high-risk of not meeting their developmental potential. Minimal evidence describes mothers' views of this. We therefore elicited an explanatory model exploring mothers' perceptions of infant stress and adversity in rural Haryana, India. Methods We did eight focus-group discussions to explore the perspectives of mothers in the general population of this rural area of India using a discussion guide based on Kleinman's explanatory model. Data were coded by two analysts and arranged in themes for presentation. Illustrative quotations were used for presentation of findings. Results All mothers identified several causes of adversity and stress for children, including poverty, neglect and violence. They described the consequences of this for emotions, behaviour and school readiness of children, and that some of the consequences were reversible with appropriate management. Mothers described younger children as being unable to be affected by adversity, because they were "too young to understand". Conclusions Mothers agreed with much of the current biomedical model for early childhood development, however the predominant view was that young infants were "too young to understand" is an important deviation. These findings are of importance in designing behaviour change strategies for this crucial period of early childhood which is rising up the global policy agenda with the aim of giving every child the opportunity to thrive.

Activist, Entrepreneur, or Caretaker? Negotiating Varieties of Women in Development

Most studies examining gender and development programs in international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) consider how these organizations construct global policy agendas, or how such policies are implemented in local contexts. However, INGOs originate in specific countries. Drawing on the varieties of capitalism literature, this article analyzes the impact of “national gender imaginaries” on gender and development programs implemented by INGOs in Cambodia. Based on 43 in-depth interviews, I argue that INGOs from Scandinavia, the United States, and South Korea, informed by different gender imaginaries, pursue different ways of promoting women in development. Local Cambodian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), aware of this variation in national models among INGOs, employ distinct strategies to appeal to donors while adapting the models to the Cambodian context.

THE GLOBALSOILMAP PROJECT: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, AND NATIONAL EXAMPLES FROM FRANCE

Soils have critical relevance to global issues, such as food and water security, climate regulation, sustainable energy, desertification and biodiversity protec-tion. As a consequence, soil is becoming one of the top priorities for the global environmental policy agenda. Conventional soil maps suffer from large limita-tions, i.e. most of them are static and often obsolete, are often generated at coarse scale, and can be uneasy to handle. Digital Soil Mapping has been developed as a solution to generate high-resolution maps of soil properties over large areas. Two projects, GlobalSoilMap and SoilGrids, presently aim at delivering the first generation of global, high-resolution soil property fine grids. In this paper, we briefly describe the GlobalSoilMap history, its present status and present achievements, and illustrate some of these with (mainly) French examples. At given moment there is still an enormous potential for forthcoming research and for delivering products more helpful for end users. Key here is the continuous progress in available covariates, in their spatial, spectral and temporal coverage and resolution through remote sensing products. All over the world, there is still a very large amount of point soil data still to be rescued and this effort should be pursued and encouraged. Statistically advances are expected by exploring and implementing new models. Especially relevant are spatial-temporal models and contemporary Artificial Intelligence for handling the complex big data. Advances should be made and research efforts are needed on estimating the uncertainties, and even on estimating uncertainties on uncertainties. Attempts to merge different model strategies and products (for instance deriving from different covariates, spatial extents, soil data sources, and models) should be made in order to get the most useful information from each of these predictions, and to identify how controlling factors may change depending on scales.

Confronting human trafficking: The role of state capacity

While human trafficking occupies a prominent place on the global policy agenda, many aspects of this phenomenon remain empirically underdeveloped. We examine the role of state capacity in these illicit supply chains, positing that trafficking flows may persist because even well-intentioned states might lack the requisite capacity to take effective action. Along those lines, we assess the impact of two facets of state capacity, bureaucratic efficacy and fiscal capacity, upon the probability of a country being a source or destination for the two types of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution. We find that state capacity, particularly fiscal capacity, is significantly related to reduced labor and sex trafficking at both the source and destination levels.

Efficiency or compensation? The global economic crisis and the development of the European Union's social policy.

How has the global social policy agenda evolved since the global economic crisis? To shed light on this question, this article looks at the discourses in European Union (EU) social policy. It draws on two rival theoretical approaches from the literature on globalisation and the welfare state, the efficiency and compensation hypotheses, and links these approaches to two fundamental rationales underlying the discourse in EU social policy. Based on an analysis of key documents from two Open Methods of Coordination (OMCs), the article shows that the logic underlying the efficiency hypothesis can be extended to discourses in EU social policy. While policy debates in one OMC remained largely unchanged, the discourse significantly shifted towards the economic rationale during and after the crisis in the other OMC. This suggests that the crisis at least partly strengthened the view that social policy should be geared towards economic efficiency, growth, and the creation of jobs.

Midas’ gift means death: Tax dodging is the biggest obstacle for global justice

Tax havens and tax secrecy have risen to the top of the global policy agenda and may constitute the most important impediment for reducing inequalities. Moreover, complex corporate structures allow charging for services undertaken in various countries through one low-tax country. Transferring profits to low-tax jurisdictions will significantly reduce a multinational corporation’s overall tax burden. Individuals are assisted in opening shell corporations that officially own bank accounts where the real owner (beneficial owner) is not revealed. Reducing this practice of tax dodging (which encompasses both legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion) has proven to be difficult, despite substantial efforts by several international organizations and states over the last decade. It is too easy to be removed from the list of tax havens; mere membership in OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes qualifies. Tax dodgers add to global inequalities and severely weaken states’ capacity to undertake their task of creating a solid tax base, embedded in the principle that all actors are taxed according to the income generated in each country. A weak tax base will lead to less trust, more violence and more deaths.
 Keywords: country-by-country reporting, EU, OECD, tax avoidance, tax evasion, tax havens

‘I Need the Sea and the Sea Needs Me’: Symbiotic coastal policy narratives for human wellbeing and sustainability in the UK

The human desire to be near coastal waters is an innate aspect of both human settlement choices and leisure behaviour. Emerging research agendas in the general field of ‘wellbeing’ focus on outdoor wellness, advocating the health and psychological benefits of nature. This presence of and engagement with coastal landscapes and water, or ‘Blue Space’ is a positive indicator in wellbeing, learning, outdoor activity and pro-environmental behaviour amongst the wider population. Simultaneously, the global marine policy agenda continues its commitment to coastal conservation and sustainability. To date, wellbeing, and marine policy agendas have mostly been segregated. This paper advocates a combined, integrative approach to policy that incorporates symbiotic sustainability-wellbeing narratives, proofing, and monitoring for the long term successful management of the coastal environment. Starting with the proposition that the sea needs humans, and humans need the sea, this research argues that valuing the coast and sea through its learning and wellbeing benefits can encourage pro-environmental and pro-sustainability attitudes. Little has been done to explore how the wellbeing benefits and emotional meaning people have felt through interacting with coastal environments can be harnessed for greater engagement and education around marine conservation. It challenges the mainstream discourse on marine conservation which often relies on people valuing the sea intrinsically from an altruistic and moral perspective. Primary research is presented on UK coastal learning and outdoor wellbeing programmes. Framing the coast as a therapeutic landscape with potential for simultaneously meeting human needs and marine needs, allows for inclusive policy decision making.

Prioritizing a global research and policy agenda for Betel Quid (BQ) and Areca Nut (AN)

Prioritizing a global research and policy agenda for Betel Quid (BQ) and Areca Nut (AN)

Women's needs in new global sustainable development policy agendas

AbstractThis paper provides an audit of how the needs of women are addressed in new global sustainable development policy agendas. The policy agendas audited include the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (AfSD), the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework. An auditing matrix of 21 indicators was developed through a critical discourse analysis. Among the indicators identified were: violence against women; capacity building and access to technology; involvement in leadership and decision‐making; access to finance, land and other property ownership; inheritance; gender equality; and full access to job opportunities and equal pay. The main findings were that the development agendas address women and girls, although to varying degrees, with the 2030 AfSD emerging as outstanding in this regard. However, there were inherent weaknesses in the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework regarding land rights. Further work is needed in following up the promises from these development agendas.

The Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda: Rising Risks: A Call for Policy Cooperation

The Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda: Rising Risks: A Call for Policy Cooperation