>> New at www.wdev.eu:

* Mapping Social Protection in South Asia: Where does it stand and where could it go?
Social protection has become a key area of policy interest on the international development agenda. Developing countries and donors alike are promoting social protection as a prominent policy intervention. And indeed, if social protection complements policies directed at increasing and improving employment and decent work, and at sustaining and improving the delivery of social services, notably health and education, it can be an enabler for development. This additionality is prerequisite to the arguments put forward in this note. By Gabriele Köhler
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* Quo Vadis, German Development Cooperation? What we can expect from the new government
The German development community has been through uncertain times since the federal elections took place in late September. The Social Democrats lost, and the SPD development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul had to step down from her post - after shaping Germany’s development policy for eleven years. The liberal FDP, the main winner of the elections had put forward the demand of doing away with an independent development ministry in its election campaign. Bodo Ellmers reports
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* The Commission's "Whole of the Union" Smokescreen: Policy coherence for development under attack
Today, development policymakers need more than ever to work with colleagues to prevent and remediate negative impacts of finance, trade and other policies on developing countries. At the same time, the European Commission is proposing to change directions on policy coherence for development, undermining its power as an EU Treaty obligation, reports Denise Auclair.
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>> Read in WDEV 5/Sep-Oct 2009:

* The Tobin Tax Lives Again. Powerful message to the casino
Tobin tax-like proposals are back on the agenda. Latest example: France and Germany managed to get the financial transaction tax (FTT) proposal de facto into the Pittsburgh Declaration of the G20. The IMF is tasked to prepare a report on instruments to make the financial industry "a fair and substantial contribution toward paying for any burdens associated with government interventions to repair the banking system". Dani Rodrik comments the new momentum.
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* Development Aid and Low Tax Developing Countries: Cutting ODA or strengthening local tax systems?
For countries with low tax rates or lax enforcement of tax laws, the air is growing increasingly thin. Against the background of the present global financial and economic crisis, so-called tax havens are finding themselves faced with growing pressure to improve the transparency of their tax systems and discontinue unfair practices. A comment by Christian von Haldenwang
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* UNCTAD Calls for New Exchange-Rate Management. Beyond G20
More effective regulation and supervision of financial market activity is indispensable to prevent a repeat of the current global financial and economic crisis. But equally important is a reform of the international monetary and financial system aimed at reducing the scope for gains from currency speculation, and at avoiding large trade imbalances, concludes the new Trade and Development Report (TDR). WDEV summarizes UNCTAD’s approach to such reform.
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* World Bank/FAO: Deceptive Fortune Tellers. Commercial agriculture in Africa
The dimensions are truly gigantic: „A vast stretch of African savannah land that spreads across 25 countries has the potential to turn several African nations into global players in bulk commodity production“, reads a press release from the FAO. Four million km2 of Guinea Savannah, „one of the largest underused agricultural land reserves in the world“, could be developed for commercial agriculture, says a new FAO-World Bank study reviewed by Uwe Hoering.
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* The Scent of Money and the Stench of Corruption. Dams and corruption
When there is a chance to push a big loan out the door, some people just can’t say no. Every World Bank President since James Wolfensohn has committed to fight the cancer of corruption. For more than ten years, the Bank has talked the talk, but has not walked the walk. Peter Bosshard comments on the latest dam project in pipeline.
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>>> Visit also our newsblog: The European Civil Society Round-Up

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