August 2006 from weitzenegger.de

 

August 2006

This monthly Newsletter brings you news for international co-operation professionals on economic and social development. Free of charge if you recommend it to other colleagues. Edited by Karsten Weitzenegger, Karsten Weitzenegger Consulting, http://www.weitzenegger.de


CONTENT

  1. Doha: What the South was asking for
  2. Innovative financing mechanisms gain momentum: the Brasilia conference
  3. European Firms invest more outside the European Union
  4. Program Evaluation Report: A useful tool for IPIs
  5. EC classified ''Families'' of evaluation criteria
  6. Remittances do more than investments
  7. Microfinance: Client assessment valuable in widely different circumstances
  8. IntEnt Business out of the Box is looking for partners
  9. Training and Events
  10. Publications
  11. Websites of the Month

 

1. Doha: What the South was asking for

The Doha Development Agenda negotiations are to be suspended because gaps between key players remain too wide. Heads of delegations, speaking in aninformal meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee on 24 July 2006, agreed with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy that this will be a setback for all members. However, 2006 is a chance for the industrial countries to rebuild trust with the developing world. A prerequisite for further talks would be to take serious the positions of the South. A documentation of these positions with Documents of G20, G33 and NAMA-11:
http://www.weltwirtschaft-und-entwicklung.org/cms_en/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.weltwirtschaft-und-entwicklung.org/cms_en/wearchiv/531686981c09aa801.html


 

2. Innovative financing mechanisms gain momentum: The Brasilia conference

The Brasilia conference on 6-7 July gave additional momentum in the mobilisation of new sources for development finance. The meeting, organised by the government of Brazil, was attended by 40 countries and 20 non-governmental organisations and demonstrated that international support for an air-ticket tax is growing very fast. Only five months after the Paris conference where 13 countries decided to introduce a tax on airline travel, six additional nations have already followed suit. Frank Schroeder reports.
http://www.weltwirtschaft-und-entwicklung.org/cms_en/wearchiv/531686979b0b71c02/531686981a063cb01.html


 

3. European firms invest more outside the European Union

The European Union's statistical agency reports that FDI flows by European Union-based firms into countries outside the European Union increased by 19 percent, to 153 billion euro, in 2005. The United Kingdom, with outflows totaling 56 billion euro, was the largest investor outside the European Union. However, much of that investment went to North America (United States and Canada).
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2006/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2006_MONTH_07/2-18072006-EN-BP.PDF


 

4. Program Evaluation Report: A useful tool for IPIs

The Independent Evaluation Group, an independent unit within the World Bank Group, has published a report titled 'Improving Investment Climates: An Evaluation of World Bank Group Assistance'. The report assesses the effectiveness of the World Bank Group in helping its member countries improve their investment climates for businesses. Investment promotion intermediaries will find this report useful as an illustration of how technical assistance evaluation is carried out within the World Bank. It will also provide useful insights on how, potentially, the value and impact of investment promotion activities could be assessed.
http://www.fdicenter.com/toolkit/Documents/1/investment_climate_evaluation.pdf


 

5. EC classifies ''Families'' of evaluation criteria

Constant improvement of evaluation practices is essential for the European Commission, particularly in the field of external assistance and development. The EC proposes a typology of seven families of criteria. The first five correspond to the traditional practice of evaluation of development aid formalised by the OECD (DAC). The questions are classified in different families that correspond to different ''viewpoints'' on what is being evaluated. Seven of these viewpoints, also called evaluation criteria, are to be considered: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, impact, coherence/complementarity, and Community value added.
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/europeaid/evaluation/methodology/methods/mth_ccr_en.htm


 

6. Remittances do more than investments

The British are not investing a great deal in the developing world, but remittances from Britain are emerging as a growing counter to poverty, a new survey shows. Immigrants and their families from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean remit on average 870 pounds (1,627 dollars) a family a year, according to a survey ordered by the Department for International Development (DFID). http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34205


 

7. Microfinance: Client assessment valuable in widely different circumstances

SEEP has published two case studies on individual MFIs that participated in its recent ''Putting Client Assessment to Work'' Practitioner Learning Program: one on ACLAM (Haiti) and another on CRECER (Bolivia). Despite radically different operating conditions, both institutions were able to use client assessment to improve their institutions and services. Client Assessment in Conflict- and Disaster-Affected Environments; The Experience of Action contre la Misère (ACLAM) in Haiti, http://www.seepnetwork.org/content/library/detail/3591, examines how ACLAM used client assessment to help it survive political violence and a devastating hurricane in 2004. In contrast How Client Assessment is Making a Difference at CRECER http://www.seepnetwork.org/content/library/detail/3588 documents how a MFI in Bolivia implemented a client assessment program with in-house staff, a process that led to both operational and product changes.
For the rest of this article visit http://www.seepnetwork.org/content/library/detail/3602


 

8. IntEnt Business out of the Box is looking for partners

Following the success of her migrant entrepreneurship programme, IntEnt has launched a new initiative named Business-out-of-the-Box. Through Business-out-of-the-Box, migrants from Ethiopia and Ghana living and working in The Netherlands can invest in a micro-business, and appoint a relative or friend residing in Ghana or Ethiopia as a manager. Business-out-of-the-Box is looking for partners (NGO’s or private companies). Interested potential partners are can contact IntEnt on +31 70 305 1820, Nienke Stam, nstam @ ondernemenoverdegrens.nl, http://www.ondernemenoverdegrens.nl


 

9. Training and Events

AGEG training workshop Security Awareness – Operating in Unstable Environments
http://www.ageg.de/news-events/news-events.html#Security
Germany, Kirchheim/Teck, 11-13 October 2006, AGEG Consultants eG
This seminar aims at minimizing the risk of the involved international experts by a sensitizing for safety issues as well as by providing ''hands on” security strategies and tools. When acting in unstable environments, it is essential to develop security awareness and have at one’s disposal an appropriate set of security mechanisms, while avoiding exaggerated safeguarding at the same time. Furthermore, it is essential to accept a direct responsibility for one’s own safety and security. Fee: Euro 580. Info: Simona Scheibitz, Phone: +49-7021-97087-21, s.scheibitz @ ageg.de

Conducting Professional Focus Group Research
http://www.ageg.de/news-events/news-events.html#Focus
Germany, Kirchheim/Teck, 23-25 October 2006, AGEG Consultants eG
This three-day focus group training workshop is designed for individuals and organizations working in the field of international development and who wish to improve their capacity for conducting reliable group interviews for program evaluations, assessment of consumer or client needs, or basic research.

Value Chain Program Design: Promoting Market Solutions for MSMEs
http://www.actionforenterprise.org/training.htm
September 11-15, 2006 in Thailand
October 9-13, 2006 in Aachen, Germany
December 4-8, 2006 in Washington DC, USA
Action for Enterprise (AFE) is offering a five-day training workshop that presents the latest methodologies and practice for designing subsector and value-chain programs that incorporate strategies for sustainable impact. Participants will learn how to design programs that result in market solutions to MSME constraints such as market access, input supply, technology/product development, management training, policy reform, and access to finance. Examples will be used from enterprise development programs and practitioners worldwide. The training targets those who wish to improve their facilitation skills and design programs that respect the latest thinking in value chain and market development principles.

Inter-American forum on Microenterprise
http://www.iadb.org/foromic/
Ecuador, Quito, 13-15 September 2006
Access to new markets and better services for the majority
The title of this year's Forum reflects the increasingly important issue of ensuring that micro and small enterprises have access to new markets for their products, whether local or international, and to better financial and enterprise development services to support their pursuit of valuable business opportunities and improved livelihoods. The Microenterprise Forum 2006 will explore the issue of access to markets and services, as well as several other issues that are relevant and critical to the microenterprise sector, and numerous practitioners and experts in the field will present the latest developments, best practices and new methodologies.

ILO Annual Seminar on Business Services: Private Sector Development: What’s next?
http://www.bdsknowledge.org/dyn/bds/bdssearch.det
Thailand , Chiang Mai, 18-22 September 2006
How can our work in developing service markets and value chains benefit millions of people living in poverty?
How can we be sure to choose the most effective strategies?
What about the growing interest in business environment reform?
What does it take to stimulate the private sector to act?
What about post-natural disaster and post-conflict situations?
How do we measure poverty reduction?

FDIC 2006 International Consulting Engineering Conference
http://www1.fidic.org/news/
Budapest, 24-27 September
Designed around three complementary themes that tackle the new challenges in an era of accelerated change.

Building Financial Systems for the Poor: How Donors Can Make a Difference
http://cgap.org/direct/docs/MaliDonorCourseBrochure_2006_fr.pdf
Mali, Bamako, 30 Oct -2 Nov 2006, Training course by CGAP and UNCDF
The training is specifically designed for development professionals, policy makers, and staff who work for international NGOs and investors who would benefit from a deeper understanding of microfinance. The course targets development and government specialists who focus on areas such as pro-poor policies, poverty reduction, economic development, private sector and business development, livelihoods, employment promotion, and gender. It is equally useful for specialists in crisis prevention and recovery, environment, and health who seek a better understanding of how financial services are related to their spheres of work. The training will be held in French.

Making Value Chains Work for the Poor: Current thinking and future opportunities
http://www.intercooperation.ch/sed/download/SED_WS2007_pre_announcement.pdf
Switzerland, Gerzensee (near Bern), 11-12 January 2007
The now traditional SDC Small Enterprise Development (SED) Workshop is a learning and networking event. It aims at presenting new trends and good practices in the field of small enterprise development as well as allowing the participants to exchange information and experiences. The workshop will be held in Gerzensee. It is designed for SED specialists and programme managers, advisers and project staff dealing with SED, in the South and East. It is addressed mainly to the staff of Swiss Development Organisations (SDC, NGOs and other private organisations) or for consultants.

UNCDF Microfinance Distance Learning Program
http://www.uncdf.org/mfdl/index.php?_mode=students.home
The course explores why and how microfinance operations grow to provide financial services to poor and low-income people on a sustainable basis. The course brings together advice and best practices from successful practitioners and institutions around the world. The course was designed for working professionals who need to balance the demands of the job with new learning experiences.


 

10. Publications

How to develop sustainable BDS without Radicalism?
http://www.bds-forum.net/BDS-READER/theory/revise-inefficient-fundamentalist-bds-approach.pdf
Dieter Gagel leads an initiative to revise the inefficient fundamentalist full commercial BDS approach of the International Donor Committee.

A critical assessment of the ''new minimalist approach'' to private-sector development
http://www.die-gdi.de/die_homepage.nsf/6f3fa777ba64bd9ec12569cb00547f1b/beb3781fba03bcedc1256fe7002e42a2/$FILE/Altenburg-Drachenfels%20EADI%2010-9-05.pdf
Paper by Tilman Altenburg and Christian von Drachenfels of the German Development Institute
This paper critically assesses the underlying assumptions of the new private-sector development paradigm and considers whether empirical evidence supports the main hypothesis that the proposed policy focus is sufficient to unleash the growth potential of the private sector, especially in those segments of developing economies where the poor live and work. It shows that while much of the criticism of traditional, supply-side SME policies is well founded and most of the related policy recommendations are highly relevant, the policy mix recommended is far from sufficient to stimulate a vibrant and competitive private sector. Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of some of the core policies recommended is at best patchy.

Private Sector Development in Reintegration and Reconstruction Programmes
http://www.businessenvironment.org/dyn/be/docs/108/GTZPSDinReintegrationandReconstruction.pdf
This GTZ paper by Sabine Becker develops a framework for private sector promotion in post-conflict environments. It begins by analysing the evidence that draws the link between economic development and conflict. This is followed by an encapsulation of current trends in economic development. The purpose is to establish the broader range of private sector development options under normal circumstances. Post-conflict conditions are then examined to narrow down the field of potential interventions. This includes a brief survey on current approaches to emergency aid, reconstruction and reintegration programmes. The resulting framework for private sector development incorporates the intersection of short-term reconstruction processes and long-term economic development strategies.

Rural Finance for Value Chains Quarterly vol 1, no 2
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/businessenvironment/rc/filedownload.do?itemId=1068477
This newsletter is a publication of the Practitioner Learning Program (PLP)in Strategic Alliances for Financial Services and Market Linkages in Rural Areas. The PLP is a SEEP Network initiative for exploring key challenges facing the microenterprise field. The PLP, a competitively run grants program, focuses on generating, communicating, and leveraging the results and lessons from its grants to benefit the industry as a whole.

The Challenges of Measuring Client Retention
http://www.microfinancegateway.com/content/article/detail/34248
This SEEP Network Practitioner Learning Program technical note by C. Waterfield evaluates the history of the microfinance industry's efforts to measure client retention and proposes options for improving how to measure it.

The institutional challenge of the ACP/EU Economic Partnership Agreements
http://www.hwwi.org/fileadmin/hwwi/Publikationen/Research/Paper/Handel_und_Entwicklung/HWWI_Research_Paper_2-3.pdf
Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) Research Paper 2-3 by Axel Borrmann and Matthias Busse of the HWWI Research Programme International Trade and Development

Trade or aid: an old fashioned question? European Union and the development of Africa
http://www.die-gdi.de/die_homepage.nsf/56a1abebb4eded3dc1256bd9003101ea/77915e2b842cdf3cc125713f002bd5af!OpenDocument
This German Development Institute paper by Jürgen Wiemann discusses potential strategies for future European engagement in Africa. The author discusses current European Union policy towards Africa with an emphasis on aid. He also focuses on Chinese engagement in Africa, with policies focused more on trade than aid. The author suggests that the European Union must respond to China's increasing influence on the African continent, particularly since China does not share in the US and EU values of promoting good governance and respect for human rights. The author suggests that the EU should take both trade and aid into account in shaping new policies to respond to the increasing visibility of China on the African continent.

2005 Annual Report by KfW Entwicklungsbank and DEG released
http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/EN_Home/KfW_Entwicklungsbank/News/Annual_Report.jsp
The Report, which is entitled ''Good governance means fair play'', shows what good governance means to people in development cooperation and how it is actually implemented.

Growth and the Investment Climate: Progress and Challenges For Asian Economies
http://www.asia2015conference.org/pdfs/Phillips.pdf
Many Asian countries have had high growth rates in the past two decades due in part to high investment levels by domestic and foreign firms. To maintain the strong performance and increase growth, it is necessary to strengthen the investment climate so that it is easy for firms to invest and reap the rewards of their investments. This paper talks about what affects the investment climate in Asian economies, provides information on their current practices, and suggests ways to improve the investment climate.

International Labour Organisation - SEED Working Paper: Small Enterprise Development - Women's Entrepreneurship Development
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/empent/details.reppubdetails?p_lang=EN&p_rep_pub_id=1398
Promoting Women's Entrepreneurship Development based on Good Practice Programmes: Some Experiences from the North to the South - SEED Working Paper No. 9. The author of this Working Paper, Paula Kantor, has identified relevant good practices from Small Enterprise Development programmes in the developed world that have some potential for replication in promoting and supporting women's entrepreneurship in the developing country context, and a valuable set of findings and recommendations is made available to a wider audience. The focus is on identifying good practices, and the programmes reviewed were selected based on a combination of performance criteria and their potential for replicability. The performance criteria used were: outreach/scale, effectiveness, cost efficiency, impact and sustainability.

A business guide to development actors
http://www.wbcsd.org/DocRoot/o8WwB2HBJZBiv2IxDqa7/sl-devactors.pdf
This resource tool aims to introduce the business managers to potential partners in the development community. It is a first port of call for managers interested in working with a development organization, but unsure of how to begin. The database contains profiles of not-for-profit organizations working in the field of sustainable development.

Product Diversification in Microfinance: Introducing Individual Lending
http://www.swwb.org/English/PDF/Individual%20Lending%20Sept05.pdf
The goal of this Women’s World Banking (WWB) document is to share WWB’s approach to integrating individual loan products into group lending institutions, describing the processes and tools WWB developed while it provided assistance to its network members around the world. The document aims to provide practical
assistance to the increasing number of group microlenders globally that are embarking on individual lending by providing an overview of issues involved. Author Hans Dellien, Jill Burnett, Anna Gincherman and Elizabeth Lynch

Business for Development - Business solutions in support of the Millennium Development Goals
http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MTY0MzU
This publication shows how each individual business initiative can contribute towards achieving a number of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. It provides fourteen examples of business models that deliver development benefits, companies describe the particular obstacles to growth they have encountered. In addition to that the report identifies more general issues relating to the contribution of businesses to achieving the MDGs. It also identifies a number of steps which governments should take to facilitate this process.

Outsourcing of Business Processes: The Indian Experience as an Offshore location
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/businessenvironment/rc/filedownload.do?itemId=1067352
Business process outsourcing (BPO) generally refers to the operation of letting out the task of performing certain functions of an enterprise to another enterprise, often a third party and, in some cases, a subsidiary of its own. Under the pressure of non-availability of manpower in the country of origin, many multi-national companies (MNCs) decided to out-source their business processes to far-off locations during the initial phase of globalization.

Combating Corruption: Private Sector Perspectives and Solutions
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/businessenvironment/rc/filedownload.do?itemId=1068108
Corruption in many countries is no longer silently accepted. Largely responsible for the change in attitudes were the increased awareness of costs associated with corruption and the rise in the number of countries that embrace democratic freedoms and market economies. But as the awareness of corruption becomes more widespread, the need for sustainable solutions is more urgent.

Microinsurance: Improving Risk Management for the Poor
http://www.microfinancegateway.com/content/article/detail/34440
CGAP Working Group on Microinsurance Newsletter focusing on insurance models for rural microfinance clients.

Is Youth Entrepreneurship a Necessity or an Opportunity? Surveys in Latin America
http://www.iadb.org/publications/search.cfm?language=English&topics=PS-PYM
Young people who start new enterprises are creating jobs for themselves and reaching their personal goals. However, lack of experience and resources mean that a high per-centage of these efforts fail during the first few months of operation. To reduce the failure rate of youth enterprises and address critical issues during the start-up process, the public and private sectors are increasing their efforts to support young people by providing training, technical assistance and small credits

CIA World Factbook 2006
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/xx.html
There have been some significant changes to the latest edition of The World Factbook .The successful secession referendum held in Montenegro in May of 2006 allowed it to legally leave its union with Serbia the following month. These two Balkan countries have now been formally recognized and are listed separately in the Factbook.A new Appendix G lists Weights and Measures . The appendix includes information on mathematical notation and metric interrelationships, as well as over 400 examples of standard conversion factors.

Local business, local peace: the peace building potential of the domestic private sector
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC18736
This International Alert publication highlights the domestic private sector's often overlooked peace building potential. Developed and researched with partner organisations and business people from conflict-affected countries around the world, it presents more than 20 case studies where private sector actors have taken proactive steps to address violent conflict in places as varied as Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Guatemala, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Somalia and the South Caucasus.

IFC Publications on Small and Medium Enterprises
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/sme.nsf/Content/Resources
This site provides access to the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) publications relating to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including a reform implementation toolkit for the Simplification of Business Regulations at the Sub-National Level.


 

11. Websites of the Month

Business Development Services (BDS) Forum
http://www.bds-forum.net
The BDS Forum is a database and discussion forum on different BDS strategies. We do not support ''the only one BDS approach'' - monopoly but complementary business development strategies proved in practice like the moderate BDS approach including commercial BDS providers as well as NGOs, local city administrations, public providers and self-help organisations. Your contributions are welcome!

Danida's Centre for Competence Development
http://www.danida-dccd.dk
This homepage has been created in order to provide information on our activities, to facilitate applications for competence development activities, and to assist you in your search for additional information concerning competence development activities. DCCD services cover: pre-departure programmes, course activities, professional networks, e-learning and short events like seminars and meetings. All activities have aspects of Danish and international development cooperation as focal points.

Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)
http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za
FTTSA is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes equitable and sustainable tourism development in South Africa . FTTSA carries out a range of awareness raising activities and facilitates a voluntary certification initiative that awards a special Trademark (label) to tourism establishments in South Africa that comply with Fair Trade principles and criteria. FTTSA was initiated by the South African Country Office of the IUCN-World Conservation Union. This entailed the facilitation of a pilot project during 1999-2001, known as the ''Fair Trade in Tourism Initiative” (FTTI), which tested the extent to which global Fair Trade in Tourism principles and concepts could be applied to the South African context.

Openplans.org: a free wiki-based community organizing and project management tool
http://openplans.org
OpenPlans, a site dedicated to helping communities organize virtually to effect real world change, is currently running a beta testing version of the software here at www.openplans.org. The site will continue to evolve as we roll out bug fixes, new features, and enhanced functionality. OpenPlans is wiki-based. This means that most pages are editable by members of the site. Membership is free and it takes just seconds to register. Once you log in, you may start your own project or contribute to an existing one.

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