DevDispatch Recommends: March 2023 Publications
Our March recommendations interestingly mirror- in some ways- this month’s most topical global conversations. From the push for economic advancement of women as we close out women’s month, protests in the Kenyan streets, the state of the digital economy in Africa and adoption of renewable energy for a more sustainable future.
We hope you find each of these insightful.
Women, Business, Law 2023
By The World Bank
The ninth edition of the World Bank’s Women, Business, Law 2023 series released this month measures laws that affect women’s economic opportunities in 190 economies. The report puts forward that on average, women enjoy only 77% of the legal rights that men do, and nearly 2.4 billion women of working age around the world live in economies that do not grant them the same rights as men.
One of the key findings of the report is that the first decade of this century saw significant progress towards legal gender equality. More than 600 reforms were introduced between 2000 and with a peak of 73 reforms in 2002 and 2008, but since then, progress has stagnated especially in areas related to women’s ability to inherit and own property. It affirms that policies encouraging women’s economic advancement are critical to sustainable development.
This report is 131 pages long and is recommended for legal practitioners and advocates for women’s economic rights.
Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All: 2021-22 Report
By The International Labour Organization (ILO)
The ability of nations to provide social protection to cushion their citizens from economic shocks and unprecedented life events has never been more critical in light of recent events including the COVID-19 pandemic. This ILO report reveals that unfortunately, inequality is on the rise and more and more people are without social protection globally, threatening the prospects of more inclusive global development and the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It estimates that developing countries will need approximately US$1.2 trillion of additional investments to close the social protection gap and ensure minimum income security and health care for citizens.
The report attributes social protection coverage gaps to insufficient investments in social protection and asserts that closing these gaps will require:
- Convincing ministries of economy and finance to invest more in national social protection systems
- Building integrated strategies and approaches to extend coverage to the informal economy
- Fostering the creation of decent jobs in promising sectors of the economy
- Mobilising more international financial support for social protection
This 88 paged report is a must-read for economic and finance ministries as well as departments overseeing the social welfare of citizens.
Urbanisation and Conflicts in North and West Africa
By OECD, SAHEL and West Africa Club Secretariat
This report is part of a continued effort by OECD and the SAHEL and West Africa Club Secretariat to document the varying effects of violence across different regions in Africa. It examines the links between cities and violence, and maps an identified region’s major conflict hotspots. North and West Africa are under spotlight in this edition with a focus on the link between rapid urbanisation and unprecedented levels of violence.
The report found that despite rapid urbanisation, violence occurs predominantly in rural areas, particularly in West Africa, and that more than 40% of all events and fatalities recorded since 2000 occurred in areas with fewer than 300 people per square kilometre. It also found that while political violence has reached an all-time high in West Africa, it has considerably decreased in North Africa following the end of the Second Libyan Civil War. It is interesting to note that only five countries account for 93% of the violence and 94% of the fatalities recorded from January 2021 through June 2022, namely Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon and Niger. The publication highlights that patterns of violence remain largely dependent on states’ abilities to manage sovereignty within their own borders.
The report is 88 pages long. If you would like to learn how cities shape conflict, particularly in the North and West African region, we recommend this publication for you.
Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs
By The World Bank
Digital technologies continue to play a vital role in different spheres of our lives and this report showcases the transformative potential of digital technologies on jobs on the African continent, which is positioned to have the largest workforce in the world by 2100.
In 250 pages, and four detailed chapters, the report explores enablers of technological transformation for jobs, avenues for creating better and more meaningful jobs through innovation, ways for households to support productive use of digital technologies for inclusive economic impact and policy and regulatory reforms related to digital and data infrastructure. The report argues that digital transformation is central to unlocking the economic potential of the continent.
We recommend this report for policymakers working within the digital technology realm.
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Renewables 2023 Global Status Report
By REN21
For quick reads, check out these blog posts
This report shines a light on the global renewable energy landscape. It highlights policy trends, market developments and trends such as electrification before zoning in on specific modules dedicated to the state of renewable energy in sectors including building, transport, and agriculture analysing policy, investment, market developments, challenges and opportunities for each.
It argues that in the building sector, greater electrification of buildings would contribute to demand response and system flexibility, helping to achieve higher levels of renewable energy integration. With regards to transport, the report states that rising fossil fuel prices and declining prices for electric alternatives could further incentivise consumers to shift to electric vehicles. Turning to agriculture farmers are advised to increase their income by adding value through the use of renewable technologies in their production processes.
The report offers 75 pages worth of practical information and tips for businesses operating in sectors including construction, transport and agriculture. Policymakers are also encouraged to refer to this resource to contribute towards the development of sustainable societies.
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Malawi Economic Monitor, December 2020 : Doing More with Less - Improving Service Delivery in Energy and Water
By the World Bank
The pandemic has induced a sharp recession in many countries across the globe. Malawi’s economy has been heavily affected, with growth projected at 1.0 percent in 2020, down from earlier projections of 4.8 percent. With population growth around 3.0 percent, this represents a 2.0 percent contraction in per capita GDP. Political stability has returned following the June 2020 Presidential elections, which should support investment. However, global and domestic factors emanating from the pandemic are affecting Malawi’s economy, including: 1) disruption in global value chains and trade and logistics; 2) decrease in tourism; and 3) decrease in remittances. This has combined with social distancing policies and behavior to also reduce domestic demand. The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) provides an analysis of economic and structural development issues in Malawi. The publication intends to foster better-informed policy analysis and debate regarding the key challenges that Malawi faces in its endeavor to achieve high rates of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Energizing health: accelerating electricity access in health-care facilities
By the World Health Organization (WHO), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), World Bank Group
This 240 paged report makes a case for renewable energy as a catalyst for universal health coverage, highlighting how access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, particularly electricity in health facilities, is critical to meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. It delves into what delivering healthcare in the climate change era looks like, techno-economic considerations for electrification of health-care facilities and shares case studies on India, Uganda and Nepal, to assess the state of electrification in the three countries.
Practitioners interested in energizing health will find this report insightful.
AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa
By the World Economic Forum, AfCFTA Secretariat
The report details how public-private partnerships can support the implementation of the AfCFTA. It outlines high-potential sectors eyed to facilitate the AfCFTA through high trade volumes including the automotive industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics. For each one, it highlights key trends and opportunities. One of the report’s go to chapters is an offering of operational tools for companies wishing to conduct operations in Africa.
Businesses within the continent and those wishing to invest in Africa should get hold of this 37 paged report.
Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021
By WHO
This report looks into how effective the strategies planned for 2016-2021 have been in the fight against HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. Progress has indeed been made despite the disruption of the global pandemic but in the same breath, there are still many targets that have not been reached. The number of new HIV infections has fallen by 23% to its lowest rate since 2010 with 1.7 million new infections in 2019 however this is far from the target of only 500 000 new infections.
Stigma and lack of resources to implement people-centred policies and services still remain the largest hindrance. COVID-19 severely affected the ability for people to get tested easily. This report analyses the success and shortfalls of each WHO region. The report recommends that the only way to try and get back on track is for governments to collaborate their efforts into universal health care systems beneficial for the most vulnerable.
This report is targeted at anyone who works with marginalised communities of people infected by HIV, hepatitis or any STIs and is also a good read for health care workers and policy makers. It is moderately long at 108 pages.
Mainstreaming gender in urban public transport
By Stockholm Environment Institute
Africa is the fastest urbanizing continent, yet walking still remains the most affordable mode of transport in urban areas. This is due to a lack of service provision. There is also a large gender inequality problem when it comes to transport both in operation and in use. This report seeks to shed light on the under researched matter of women’s participation in transport decision making and their use of public transport systems.
The report uses the case studies of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala by interviewing all members of society from taxi drivers to policy makers in the ministries of transport and transport planners. The report identifies accessibility and safety of public transport systems, sexual assault and harassment, lack of integrated and gender sensitive urban planning and underrepresentation as larger barriers towards gene=der mainstreaming in transport.
This report is the perfect short read for city and transport planners at only 40 pages.
Terrorism in the Sahel Facts and Figures
By NATO Strategic Direction- South, ACSRT
The fight against terrorism in the Sahel is still a major issue that deserves attention as the number of terrorist attacks has increased by 18.5% in 2020. This report analyses current and past data to show a conclusive analysis on the rate of terrorism. The largest threats come from the following terrorist groups Boko Haram, ISGS, JNIM and ISWAP and the most affected countries are Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
This analysis is taken in the form of quantitative analysis with a lot of informative graphs and infographics as well as qualitatively by looking at the types of attacks. The report concludes that 2020 has been the most intense year in terms of terrorism in the Sahel.
This report is target to all members defence ministries and counter-terrorism organisations. It is a very brief read with only 37 pages.