Search

Begin New Search Political Geography Global Focus Publishing Institution Center for Global Development (CGD)

11. Options for Green-Skilled Migration Partnerships: A Guide for Policymakers

Author:
Helen Dempster and Samuel Huckstep
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The green transition is widely expected to lead to high levels of net job creation, with roles distributed across the pay and skill spectrum. To fill these roles, many countries of destination will need to use migration alongside their domestic labour supply. Yet few countries of origin have enough skilled workers to meet their own green transition targets. As a result, any green-skilled migration facilitated by countries of destination should be linked with investments in the training, recruitment, and retention of workers into ‘green’ jobs within countries of origin. This paper explores three models that link training and migration in a partnership framework—fixed-term migration; Global Skill Partnerships; and migration with parallel investments—to maximise both economic development and carbon reduction benefits. For each model, the paper outlines key considerations that should be taken into account along with a worked example. It also includes a "guide," walking policymakers through the different models to understand which would best meet the needs of countries of origin, countries of destination, and employers.
Topic:
Economics, Migration, Economic Development, and Green Transition
Political Geography:
Global Focus

12. Starting from the Source: Methods and Priorities for Explaining Lead Exposure

Author:
Rachel Bonnifield
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, and lead poisoning remains one of the most serious and neglected public health challenges in the developing world, with major negative impacts on global health, education, and overall economic development. There is now growing international momentum to mitigate lead pollution, with the goal of dramatically reducing human lead exposure and consequent adverse effects. Yet before lead exposure can be effectively mitigated, it is essential to understand why humans are being exposed to lead in the first place and therefore how policymakers can intervene to stop further exposure. To date, such research into the major sources of lead exposure—broadly referred to as source assessment—in developing countries has been limited. Thus, there is limited information and no global scientific consensus about the most important causes of global lead exposure. Given growing global interest in addressing lead poisoning, there is an urgent need to better understand the major sources of lead exposure in different settings by increasing the volume and quality of related research. Tailored to a policy audience, this paper offers a state-of-the-science review of methods for doing so. First, it provides background for understanding lead exposure—that is, how and why lead enters the environment, how it behaves once there, and how environmental lead results in elevated blood lead levels for humans. Second, it outlines basic principles for source assessment, including a discussion of objectives and terminology. Third, it details the range of methods available for understanding the sources of lead exposure and describes how such methods can be used in combination to understand major sources of lead exposure in a given context. Finally, it considers major policy-relevant gaps in the literature base about sources of global exposure and offers suggestions for a research agenda in this space.
Topic:
Development, Public Health, Global Health, and Lead
Political Geography:
Global Focus

13. Financing the Pandemic Cycle: Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery and Reconstruction

Author:
Victoria Fan, Sun Kim, Diego Pineda, and Stefano Bertozzi
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in the global response to health crises, particularly in the financing of pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and reconstruction. This paper presents a comprehensive framework for pandemic financing that spans the entire pandemic cycle, emphasizing the need for timely, adequate, and effective financial resources. The framework is designed to support policymakers in both low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income nations, providing a guide to appropriate financing tools for each stage of a pandemic, from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery. Key economic concepts such as global public goods, time preference, and incentives are explored to underscore the complexities of pandemic financing. The paper also highlights the importance of timely, accessible, and sustainable financial instruments. The paper lists the pandemic financing instruments used for health during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying 23 different tools. We also used the IHME 2024 Financing Global Health database to estimate that US$91.6 billion was spent for COVID-19 health support, primarily for response financing, over 2020 to 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic wrought significant economic impacts on the order of trillions of dollars, even as investments in pandemic preparedness to mitigate future risks is relatively small, on the order of $10 billion annually. The paper concludes with policy recommendations, calling for the establishment of a rapid-response financing mechanism, tailored to the unique challenges of pandemics, and a redesign of global health governance to better address these threats.
Topic:
Finance, Crisis Management, Public Health, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Global Focus

14. A Win-Win: Migration Partnerships for an Aging EU Workforce

Author:
Helen Dempster, Pete Baker, and Samuel Huckstep
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
European Union (EU) member states have ambitious green transition targets and healthcare strategies in place, requiring the relevant sectors to expand. Yet these sectors are already suffering from large workforce shortages. Expanding skilled migration from third countries to the EU to meet these shortages risks stripping countries of origin of the talent they need for their own goals. Any skilled migration therefore needs to be pursued within partnerships which prioritise meaningful benefits to the country of origin to combat “brain drain”, a “win-win” policy solution. This can be done through the Global Skill Partnership model, wherein the country of destination pays for the training of workers within the country of origin, some of whom migrate. While migration is a member state competence, there is real opportunity for the incoming European Commission to make a global difference in three ways: (1) expand funding for pilot projects; (2) support the development of new partnerships; and (3) be a positive voice for the role of skilled migration.
Topic:
Migration, European Union, Skilled Labor, European Commission, and Green Transition
Political Geography:
Global Focus

15. Making Migration Work for Adaptation: Classifying Remittances as Climate Finance

Author:
Samuel Huckstep and Jonathan Beynon
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Labour migration programmes targeted towards climate-vulnerable populations can provide transformative finance, raising household incomes and allowing adaptation. Current flows of adaptation finance are highly insufficient. Mobilisation of private adaptation finance is very low, despite commitments to increase mobilisation. Targeted labour migration programmes can leverage private adaptation finance at a high level of efficiency. Incentivising the selection of migrant labour from communities most vulnerable to climate change by counting a portion of their remittance flows as mobilised private climate finance may therefore have significant benefits.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Migration, Adaptation, and Remittances
Political Geography:
Global Focus

16. Localization in Theory and Practice

Author:
Ranil Dissanayake
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The movement for localization in foreign aid presents philosophical and practical challenges for providers of foreign aid. In the past, some level of localization (to at least state actors) of both decision-making and spending could be achieved through general and sector budget support, a logistically simple (though politically difficult) approach. Current practices, with more aid disbursed in the form of discrete projects, make localization more difficult to achieve. For development agencies to make progress they must confront conceptual, practical and strategic challenges. This paper suggests practical definitions of different kinds of localization and what they seek to achieve, points out trade-offs between them and sets out how they challenge current conceptions of how and what foreign aid seeks to do, as well as suggest limits to the optimal extent and type of localization. It then considers practical difficulties in implementing these different conceptions of localization given existing donor practices and capacities, and the strategic challenges of realizing the desired outcomes—specifically principal-agent problems within the organization and with contractors. It concludes with key lessons and messages for donors and funding agencies.
Topic:
Development, Humanitarian Aid, Reform, USAID, and Localization
Political Geography:
Global Focus

17. Climate and Development KPIs

Author:
Ian Mitchell and Edward Wickstead
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
How committed are countries to tackling climate change at home and in developing countries? These tables provides nine key indicators on the world’s major economies spanning their climate contributions in three areas: emissions, policy, and international finance. Indicators are calculated to be comparable between countries with several expressed relative to population or economy size. Countries are ordered by the number of indicators on which they score in the best quartile, with indicators shaded for top quartile performance.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Climate Finance, and Economy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

18. Multilateral Development Banks in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations: Overview of Key Policy, Financial, and Operational Issues

Author:
Koldo Echebarria
Publication Date:
12-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
This paper presents an overview of significant policy, financial, and operational challenges encountered by multilateral development banks (MDBs) in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS). The data indicates that MDBs have increased their involvement in financing FCS compared to bilateral and other multilateral donors, with the World Bank playing the most significant role. This is explained by financial and operational comparative advantages inherent in the MDB business model, despite their implicit biases and constraints. The paper reviews the strategies and framework documents adopted by MDBs to address FCS as a distinct development challenge, highlighting the complexity of translating knowledge advancements and lessons learned into operational categories and clear priorities. It also examines how MDBs are placed regarding the recommendations of the "peace-humanitarian-development nexus," which is central to the international consensus for addressing FCS. The evolution of the financial capacities of MDBs and the criteria for resource allocation in response to the needs of FCS are analyzed. The paper concludes by posing a set of questions that MDBs and their shareholders should consider as they develop reforms to meet FCS-specific requirements and strengthen performance and outcomes.
Topic:
Development, World Bank, Banking, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and Sustainable Development
Political Geography:
Global Focus

19. Reforming the World Bank to Play a Critical Role in Addressing Climate Change

Author:
Pedro Albarran, Patricia Bliss-Guest, and Laura Tuck
Publication Date:
03-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The current World Bank model focuses on reducing poverty and promoting equitable growth, while considering environmental and social sustainability. Programming of resources is country-driven, and resources are allocated to programs and investments according to priorities of client government authorities. Despite the appeal of this approach and its many benefits, it has left numerous global public goods (GPGs), particularly those related to climate change, underfinanced, undermanaged, and unachieved. The resulting limited levels of investment and programs have significant global cost and, potentially, extreme ramifications. While there has been considerable reflection on the question of mandate, as well as on options for improving financial engineering of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) to increase resources to better address GPGs, there has been little attention given to reforms and changes in the internal business model that would be required at an MDB like the World Bank if it were to implement a new global mission on climate change. This paper examines the changes in the internal business model that would allow the World Bank (or other MDBs) to better address climate change—and, with some adjustments, potentially, other GPGs.
Topic:
World Bank, Climate Finance, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and Sustainable Development
Political Geography:
Global Focus

20. Climate Change and Migration: An Overview for Policymakers and Development Practitioners

Author:
Samuel Huckstep and Michael Clemens
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Climate change will have major ramifications for migration at every level: domestic, regional, and international. While most migration affected by climate change will be internal, the international system is unprepared and inadequate for the needs that will arise. This brief reviews issues faced in the governance of climate-affected migration at the internal, regional, and international levels and proposes policy actions in numerous spheres of action. Additional details are available in the related paper.
Topic:
Climate Change, Migration, Refugees, and Displacement
Political Geography:
Global Focus