Weitzenegger's Websites of the Month 2010

foto

December 2010

The Economist and Private Sector Development Services (EPSDS)
http://www.epsds.org
The Economist and Private Sector Development Services (EPSDS) seeks to satisfy the growing demand for supplementary and specialist technical advisory services on the part of DFID’s 100 Economists and 30 Private Sector Development (PSD) Advisors. The service is open to other users within DFID and other donor agencies. It provides additional expertise to supplement in-house resources and enable DFID advisors to meet surges in demand for the services of technical specialists. The EPSDS is poised to mobilise specialists to hostile and post conflict environments, manage the attendant security and risk requirements, and operate in disaster and post-disaster situations. The EPSDS website is designed to explain how to use the service and contact the management team. It also enables DFID staff to access information and learning generated by the EPSDS and the Economist Resource Centre (the predecessor to the EPSDS) through the Document Library.

SEEP Community - Global learning for microenterprise practitioners
http://seepcommunity.com
Through The SEEP Network, practitioners from around the world collaborate to develop practical guidance and tools, build capacity, and help set standards. It connects microenterprise practitioners from around the world to develop practical guidance and tools, build capacity, and help set standards to advance our common vision: a sustainable income in every household. Discover valuable information, share your experiences, and help shape the future of microfinance and enterprise development. Work with us to advance our common vision: a sustainable income in every household.

B2Bxl Global FairNet - connect business & social concern
http://www.globalfair.net/
B2Bxl is an open platform on business development at development countries and emerging markets. Its content is to be established by a community of cooperative individuals and organisations with the common interest of linking their personal interests to sustainable and social market development.

Ideas for Development
http://www.ideas4development.org
This is an international Blog meant to stimulate debate on development issues. It brings together a set of senior professionals engaged in this sphere through their careers and personal convictions. This Blog aims at offering a new forum for open discussion and interaction between scholars, students, professionals of various backgrounds and the public at large. Together, they can share information, viewpoints and visions for the future with the common goal of advancing the cause of development.

Safety Nets How To
http://go.worldbank.org/UKUF8CMGW0
This is a resource guide for practitioners involved in the design and implementation of social protection systems. It pulls together summary information, country cases and guidelines on key processes and cross-cutting issues, with lessons for everyday program implementation. The information is organized in a standardized, concise and accessible format and draws on best practices across a variety of contexts, including middle-income, low-income and fragile states. This portal is a living product. Feedback and suggestions are welcome so that the content can be enriched and an enhanced version 2 can be developed in the future. In particular we are interested in addressing any information gap on key topics.

The Africa Portal
http://www.africaportal.org/
This is an online knowledge resource for policy-related issues on Africa. An undertaking by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), the Africa Portal offers open access to a suite of features including an online library collection; a resource for opinion and analysis; an experts directory; an international events calendar; and a mobile technology component—all aimed to equip users with research and information on Africa’s current policy issues.

R4D - A Portal to DFID Funded Research
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/R4D/
R4D is a free access on-line database containing information about research programmes supported by DFID. R4D provides you with the latest information about research funded by DFID, including news, case studies and details of current and past research in over 30,000 project and document records.

New Online Database on African Fiscal Performance Data and statistics
http://tinyurl.com/2wtgheb
A complete database of public revenue flows for 50 African governments is now publicly available. Data show a gradual increase in tax revenues between 1996 and 2008, a performance largely fuelled by rising commodity prices. With prices coming down as a result of the global economic crisis, the progression was stalled in 2009.

Latin America Investment Facility
http://tinyurl.com/23szzbb
The Latin America Investment Facility (LAIF) is a financing mechanism aiming at mixing grants (non refundable financial contributions from the European Commission and other donors) with loans of multilateral or bilateral public European Development Finance Institutions and Regional Latin American Banks.

The South-South Learning on Social Protection Gateway
http://south-south.ipc-undp.org
This is an online collaborative platform for policy dialogue and knowledge-sharing amongst social protection practitioners in the Global South. It is an initiative of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth to foster South-South collaboration, aiming to expand the knowledge base and capacities of developing countries to design and implement nationally-owned poverty reduction strategies, bridging the gaps between theory, policy and practice with accessible and diverse social protection information, as well as providing a space where practitioners can share ideas, experiences and resources.

Aidflows.org
http://aidflows.org
Aidflows is a new tool to visualize how much development aid is provided and received around the world. Users can select individual donor countries (providing the aid) and beneficiary countries (receiving the aid) to track the sources and uses of aid funding. To use the site, select a donor or a beneficiary country, either from the left navigation or by clicking on the world map. Some countries are listed as both a donor and a beneficiary.

The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)
http://www.afi-global.org
AFI is the first global knowledge-sharing network designed exclusively for financial inclusion policymakers from developing countries. The goal is to support developing country knowledge exchange on financial inclusion policy that will enable an extra 50 million people living under the poverty line have access to basic financial services by 2012.

Good Humanitarian Donorship
http://www.goodhumanitariandonorship.org
Meeting in Stockholm in June 2003, a group of 17 donors endorsed the Principles and Good Practice of Good Humanitarian Donorship. There are now 37 members of the Good Humanitarian Donorship group who contribute through this forum to the pivotal role of donors in providing effective and accountable humanitarian assistance. GHD-SHARE is one GHD initiative aimed towards strengthening partnership.

The Advocacy Project (AP)
http://www.advocacynet.org
The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. It seeks to produce social change by helping marginalized communities claim their rights. This is done by partnering with advocates from the communities themselves. We believe strongly that change is best achieved by those who are directly affected by abuse. AP recruits graduate students (Peace Fellows) to help partners tell their story, develop information tools and launch campaigns.

Danish Development Research Network - Members Forum
http://ddrn.dk/ddrn_activities-members-forum.html
This Forum is a new platform established to allow dialogue among DDRN members. Please note that this forum is intended for learning and sharing, and not as a space to advocate for funding to own projects.

The UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library
http://maps.grida.no
This service is an on-going project to collect and catalogue all graphic products that have been prepared for publications and web-sites from the last 15 years in a wide range of themes related to environment and sustainable development.

International Development Research Centre (IDRC - CRDI)
http://publicwebsite.idrc.ca
IDRC funds researchers in the developing world so they can build healthier, more prosperous societies. IDRC supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most. I recommend to Tools and Training section of the new website.

Accountability tools for policy research
http://www.oneworldtrust.org/apro/
The One World Trust, with support from the International Development Research Centre, has created an interactive, online database of tools to help organisations conducting policy relevant research become more accountable.

Due South - Provocative insights into sustainable development in an unjust world
http://www.iied.org/sustainable-markets/blog/due-south
Due South examines sustainable development through the overlapping lenses of the environment, economy and social justice. Its writers offer insights and opinions on a wealth of issues, from mining and small-scale agriculture to climate change adaptation; from the arms trade and deforestation to renewable energy for the poor. The blog challenges conventional wisdom with research embedded in the experiences of countries and communities across the global South.

Informal Economy Resource Database - ILO
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/infoecon/
This database contains over 500 ILO entries directly or indirectly related to the informal economy and decent work. The database is searchable by country, keyword, ILO author unit and date. Each entry contains information about the resource, and usually includes a brief summary of the contents. In most cases the resources can be accessed electronically, in PDF format.

AidInfo
http://www.aidinfo.org
This initiative by Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DIPR) works to accelerate poverty reduction by making aid more transparent. ‘‘We believe that aid will work better – and that poverty reduction will come about more quickly – when information about aid can be accessed quickly, easily and cheaply. In short, we think that better aid will result from better information.” A portal is coming up.

Trade Knowledge Network (TKN)
http://www.tradeknowledgenetwork.net
The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas working on issues of trade, investment and sustainable development. Coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the TKN links network members, strengthens capacity in areas of research, training and policy analysis, and also generates new research to assess and address the impact of trade and investment policies on sustainable development.

October 2010

AidData portal
http://www.aiddata.org
AidData is an initiative with researchers, practitioners in a number of different disciplines including economics, political science, sociology, development operations, government, and foreign aid. AidData attempts to capture the universe of development finance and foreign aid, increase the value of data by providing more descriptive information about development activities, provide data in an accessible format, and strengthen efforts to improve donor and recipient strategic planning and coordination.

capacity4dev.eu - Connecting the Development Community
http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu
Capacity4dev.eu is a growing online community for development practitioners. This interactive platform was set up by EuropeAid to enhance knowledge through the exchange of practices on effective international cooperation. Capacity4dev.eu provides an open forum for all commission staff, partner countries, other donors, researchers and civil society representatives to share ideas and expertise. The platform offers a magazine that keeps subscribers up to date on relevant developments pertaining to the work of EuropeAid and its partners. There is also a knowledge sharing section where topical issues and documents are presented and where public or closed groups can be set up to discuss issues, exchange experiences, or prepare for new initiatives.

Chronic Poverty Research Centre
http://www.chronicpoverty.org
CPRC is an international partnership of universities, research institutes and NGOs established in 2000 with initial funding from the UK's Department for International Development. Many organisations work to address poverty issues, but what distinguishes CPRC is its focus on persistent or chronic poverty. The program is currently on its Phase 3 stage, where important work on thematic research, policy analysis and policy engagement are carried out.

Digital Development Debates is published by Inwent - Capacity Building International
http://www.digital-development-debates.org
InWEnt has launched a new online magazine. Each issue focuses on a prevailing topic from the development policy sector. Our authors – all experts from their respective fields – explore different facets of this central topic in their contributions. Digital Development Debates takes a two-tiered approach: We offer short journalistic articles aimed at interested laypeople, and more in-depth technical articles that provide well-founded and detailed information.

EADI Research – featuring research findings by EADI members
http://www.eadi.org/research
This website and information service aims to give researchers an easy access to working papers, policy briefs and publications by EADI members. It also features results from research projects led by EADI and members. Several dossiers and a monthly research monitor provide the visitor with recent research findings on selected development issues. Publications are provided in English, French, Spanish and German.

EUFORIC
http://www.euforic.org
Euforic.org is a non-profit service dedicated to spreading and sharing voices, ideas and information on Europe’s International Cooperation. Euforic.org helps audiences communicate and share their voices.

Evaluative Reports Database of ALNAP
http://www.alnap.org/resources/erd/erd.htm
The Evaluative Reports Database (ERD) is a key tool to facilitate information-sharing and lesson-learning among humanitarian organisations. The ERD is a bibliographic collection of evaluative reports of humanitarian action. Apart from evaluation reports, the database also contains other evaluative reports, such as lessons studies, reviews, synthesis reports and good practice studies. Hosted by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Aid.

IOCE - International Organisation for cooperation in evaluation
http://www.ioce.net/
IOCE offers linkages to other evaluation organisations, material on how to develop evaluation associations, forums that network evaluators internationally, news of events and important initiatives, and opportunities to exchange ideas, practices, and insights with evaluation associations, societies and networks throughout the world.

Knowledge Brokers’ Forum (KBF)
http://www.knowledgebrokersforum.org
The Knowledge Brokers’ Forum (KBF) is a collaborative space to promote knowledge sharing and dissemination on knowledge brokering (KB) and the role of intermediaries in international development. Our aim is to foster a global community of peers interested in KB from a diversity of sectors and practices, consolidate information and resources on intermediaries and help promote experiences and refine practices in knowledge brokering and knowledge translation (KT).

New Gateway on Social Protection
http://south-south.ipc-undp.org/
The new South-South Learning Gateway on Social Protection is an online collaborative tool aiming to create open, independent and critical networks to exchange experiences across regions and countries. The website has been set up as a ‘‘virtual bookcase” with a searchable database of social protection materials from across the world. The collection includes tools, case studies, policy papers and research. Besides the library, there is a section featuring a social protection mapping of developing countries.

ODI's Trade Website
http://www.odi.org.uk/work/themes/details.asp?id=28&title=trade
The work of ODI on trade encompasses a number of key concerns for developing countries. ODI research on trade is led by the Trade Programme, with support and input from other programmes across the Institute.

Online Handbook: Corporate diversity management
http://www.business-and-biodiversity.de/en/handbuch/welcome.html
With this online handbook users can directly access pertinent checklists to analyse a company. It also provides detailed best practice examples and indepth information and links on specific topics. Using an interlinked structure, the online handbook illustrates how business and biodiversity are closely networked and explains the fields of action involved in comprehensive biodiversity management.

Partnership for Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A)
http://www.mfw4a.org
This is an initiative to support the efforts of African countries to boost economic growth and fight poverty by encouraging and facilitating financial sector development. The Partnership brings together African governments, development partners and the private sector to unleash the full potential of the financial sector to drive economic development and reduce poverty across the continent. The website is now also available in French.

Quality of Official Development Assistance
http://www.cgdev.org/section/topics/aid_effectiveness/quoda
Brookings Senior Fellow Homi Kharas and Center for Global Development President Nancy Birdsall unveil the Quality of Official Development Assistance (QuODA) assessment, comparing each donor country or aid agency to its peers. By using a comprehensive set of 30 indicators, donors should be able to evaluate their effectiveness and find areas for improvement.

UNCTADstat
http://unctadstat.unctad.org
UNCTAD compiles, validates and processes a wide range of data collected from national and international sources. Through its data dissemination system, UNCTADstat, it provides free access to comprehensive statistical time series and indicators essential for the analysis of world trade, development, and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and durable development.

February 2010

Access to Insurance Initiative
http://www.access-to-insurance.org
This website provides information on the Initiative and its sponsors and disseminates all knowledge that is created within the Initiative. The goal is to enhance broad-based, demand-oriented and sustainable access to insurance for low-income clients; thereby growing financial inclusion in the insurance sphere.

AfriGadget: Solving everyday problems with African ingenuity
http://www.afrigadget.com
AfriGadget is a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.

Andris Piebalgs - EU Commissioner for Development
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm
Andris Piebalgs is now teh Euroean Commissioner for Development. In his free time, he is also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ECDevelopment

ASC Library dossiers - Nelson Mandela
http://www.ascleiden.nl/Library/Webdossiers/NelsonMandela.aspx
A web dossier to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Mandela’s release. It contains titles on and by Nelson Mandela from the library's online catalogue, including monographs, articles, and films.

BBC Guide to Development Speak
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/916_dev_speak/index.shtml
To guide you through the debate, the BBC World Service Trust has compiled a brief clickable index of terms that frequently appear in development-related discussions, policy and practice at all levels - local, national and international.

'Capacity is Development' Virtual Knowledge Fair
www.capacityisdevelopment.org
The United Nations Development Programme is pleased to announce the opening of the 'Capacity is Development' Knowledge Fair and invites you to share your experience. The knowledge fair seeks to collect experiences on policies, investments and programs that have proven successful in driving human and institutional capacity development in diverse settings around the world.

Directory of Development Organizations 2010
http://www.devdir-microfinance.org
The directory of development organizations 2010 is a comprehensive listing of 60.000+ development organizations dedicated to good governance, sustainable development and poverty reduction. Microfinance is highlighted.

EarthTrends Environmental Information
http://earthtrends.wri.org
EarthTrends is a comprehensive online database, maintained by the World Resources Institute, that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world.

GTZ Open Community Education & Youth
http://www2.gtz.de/network/education-youth/open-community/index.asp
The GTZ- Open Community Education & Youth is open to all practitioners, counterparts, research institutions, donors and interested consultants worldwide facilitating an inter agency exchange of experiences and best practices. The network links not only GTZ-supported education and youth projects, but it seeks working relations to other development institutions, as well. The website provides you with recent news and lessons learned from GTZ as well as from other development agencies and research institutions in the fields of education and youth.

id21's publication insights is now available electronically on Eldis
http://www.eldis.org/go/topics/insights/
insights is a thematic overview of recent policy-relevant research findings on international development. insights aims to make research accessible to non-academics and non-native English speakers. It is distributed free to policymakers and practitioners worldwide. Each issue goes out to over 20,000 subscribers mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

IMF Data Mapper
http://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/
The IMF has macroeconomic data for most countries. The IMF Data Mapper is a complementary tool. It projects the WEO data on to a map and offers a quick way to compare countries. You can use it, for example, to enhance a PowerPoint presentation: make a selection, copy the screen and add the image! It will make the presentation more dynamic and less academic than just a display of tables and figures. Source: FITA.

International Jobs - A new Twitter list
http://twitter.com/kweitzenegger/international-jobs
Twitter is without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now. Twitter Lists are Twitter’s long awaited ''groups” feature. They offer a way for you to bunch together other users on Twitter into groups so that you can get an overview of what they’re up to. It is quick and easy, yet has stunning results. After two month of existence, Twitter List already have changed the way people use the Web. Maybe it changes yours, too.

International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications
http://www.inasp.info
INASP's work focuses on communication, knowledge and networks, with particular emphasis on the needs of developing and emerging countries.

International Public Management Network (IPMN)
http://www.ipmn.net
The purpose of the IPMN is to create and sustain a dialogue on emerging management concepts, methods and technology so that members and I can learn about innovation and change in public sector organizations throughout the world. The website includes the membership directory and a number of services to members, and a list server to permit rapid information flow among members. IPMN seeks to facilitate exchange and cooperative work among its members.

Local Economic Development Network of Africa LEDNA
http://www.ledna.org
Throughout this knowledge hub we aim to share as many resources on local economic development (LED) as possible - those that are free and in the public domain. We are not supporting any particular approach, rather presenting in an unbiased way as many approaches and experiences as we can that are in he public domain.

Market Place for International Development.
http://www.comminit.com/en/classifieds
Development Classifieds includes listings of jobs, consultants, requests for proposals, events, trainings, and books, journals, and videos for sale - related to all development issues and strategies. Development Classifieds is linked to The Communication Initiative (The CI)... a network of 75,000 people (and growing)...with 2 million individual user sessions (and growing) per year...from the full spectrum of development action in all possible contexts.

Monde.org - la maison du développement
http://www.monde.org/fr/
The French aid agency wanted to provide information about development to the French-speaking community. In response, Development Gateway created a platform that systematically compiles resources on one Web site. It brings together content including news items, tenders, events, publications, and jobs. The site has more than 60,000 resources.

ODI: European Development Cooperation Support Programme
http://www.odi.org.uk/edcsp
The programme has been established to support the debate on EU institutional and policy change by building an infrastructure of knowledge, contacts and information on EU development cooperation.

Practical Guidebook for SME-VSE Entrepreneurs in Africa
http://www.pme-guide.org
This website gives the entrepreneurs of VSE's/SME's useful and concrete references. It gives the strictly necessary information for a first orientation of the entrepreneur or entrepreneur-to-be with a view to improve her or his credibility and longevity as actor of the private sector. This website addresses the African as well as European entrepreneurs, as it concerns everybody wishing to develop an economic activity in Africa and who should be able to undertake the financial risk thereof.

The Access to Insurance Initiative
http://www.access-to-insurance.org
Purpose of the Initiative is to contribute to sound, effective and proportionate policies, regulation and supervision of insurance markets that facilitate growth of insurance for the low income clients.

UKCDS launches new website and newsletter
http://www.ukcds.org.uk
The UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS) – which aims to maximise the contribution of UK research to international development – has launched a new website and e-newsletter for the development sciences community.

Weitzenegger's International Development Job Market
http://www.weitzenegger.de/new/jobmarket.php
Looking for a job in development cooperation? This Website gives you a list of professional opportunities around the world. Updated as you arrive. Click to get directly to the job notices. Here are also links to the relevant job market sites. We do this as a free service to the colleagues who contact us for finding jobs.

World Watch Magazine has a new online format
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/534da32d#/534da32d/1
The January/February 2010 issue of World Watch looks at the recent resurgence in heavy dam construction worldwide, the new challenges that climate change poses to security policy, and shovel-ready ways to draw carbon out of the air. These stories and more are available in a newly enhanced electronic version of the magazine that offers readers an interactive, reader-friendly format that is more accessible and easier to navigate.

foto foto foto foto foto