In the late 1990s, the development bureaucracy in Brussels was the target of heavy criticism. The different branches of European foreign policy devoted more time to infighting than to finding solutions to the new challenges in the world. Things ar…

In Brussels, economist Françoise Moreau heads the DG Development’s unit on ‘forward looking studies and policy coherence’. She is playing a central role in the initiative for the ERD.

The Broker asked Ondrej Horký to reflect on the following three questions concerning Europe’s role in internatioanl development.

Belgian development aid was initially once driven by self-interest. Over the last fifteen years it has made a more resolute effort to genuinely contribute to development.

Editor in Chief Frans Bieckmann will update an editor’s blog reflecting on the thought processes behind production of The Broker and highlighting interesting, useful and unusual information that he comes across day to day

The decisions that are made over the next three months will shape Europe’s international role in the future. The script that drives global policy making is being rewritten, in response to the financial crisis, climate change and global security ch…

For many years Germany has focused on providing technical assistance and bringing peace and security to many developing and newly independent states. It now wishes to play a more significant role in European and multilateral institutions.

On 18 January 2025 the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) presented its report long-awaiting report that promotes substantial changes in the organisation of Dutch aid as well as more structural attention for global public goods.

On 18 January 2010, the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) presented its report ‘Less pretension, more ambition: development aid that makes a difference’ to the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr Bert Koenders

The energetic online debate about global development is a starting point for reformulating development policies. In response to the report written by the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), contributors to The Broker’s blog on the repo…

Our increasingly interdependent world requires development policies that acknowledge the global context and address a new reality where a variety of actors as well as the state play a role. 

What role can civil society and (international) NGOs play in the rapidly changing global context? 

A new institutional architecture for global development is sorely needed.

The foreign policy chapter in the Rutte-Verhagen coalition agreement (Dutch/English) stresses the importance of preserving Dutch interests internationally, while emphasizing the significance of international solidarity in underpinning development…

The Broker will publish interesting publications and current affairs in de field of global development.

In dit document staan links naar enkele adviezen die een belangrijke rol spelen bij de formulering van het nieuwe kennisbeleid.

Twintig jaar geleden gooide minister Jan Pronk de knuppel in het academische hoenderhok toen hij zei: “Ik ga het hele onderzoeksbeleid behoorlijk veranderen."

The key areas to prioritize in the UN’s Post-2015 development agenda will soon be determined in a worldwide consultation process coordinated by the UN. Feeding into this process, The Broker brings together international experts to pool their knowl…

The global land rush has not lifted small-scale farmers out of poverty, nor has it increased agricultural productivity and food security. Speculative land acquisitions often leave fertile land unused, and deprive local communities of vital resources.

How can we create a more inclusive economy and what obstacles lie in the way? This debate seeks answers.

The debate on development policy, between ‘traditional’ aid and ‘modern’ cooperation centred around trade and economic activity, is a false one. The latter is advocated in a new white paper by Dutch minister Lilianne Ploumen, but is in fact a…

The Broker, together with the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized the Dutch launch of the 2013 European Report on Development (ERD), Post-2015: Global Action for an Inclus…