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Practical and concrete approaches to regional food trade could advance a common political agenda and, thereby, positively impact on the Sahelian security situation

Is the current recovery policy for the financial and economic crises in the Eurozone a genuine answer for the complexity and diversity of the problems that all member states face? Not really. The responses are too one-sided and mainly export and a...

The structural causes of the euro crisis – high unemployment, low growth rates and debt-ridden states in the eurozone – are not the fault of lazy Greeks, Portuguese and Spaniards. The euro itself cannot be blamed either. The problem is that the Eu...

As one of the emerging BRICS economies, India’s high economic growth is related to its foreign activity, including in Africa. Yet, despite its high domestic poverty and being a recipient of development aid itself, India also provides aid to Bhutan...

The idea that the euro would bring more stability, trade and employment to Europe was economically overemphasized for political and commercial reasons.

Economist Dani Rodrik painted a gloomy picture during his lecture at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in London last week. He is ‘pessimistic’ (in his own words) because all the evidence he has gathered so far shows that growth in developi...

The Broker, together with knowledge platform Include, has completed a successful consultation asking more than a hundred experts how economic growth can be stimulated in sub-Saharan Africa

While the roles of trade unions and informal workers’ organizations are little understood, these networks can play a significant role in stimulating SME growth on a micro, meso and macro level.

International trade can contribute to the creation of more and better jobs but not always, not for everyone, and not everywhere. Thirty years after the beginning of a global push for liberalization we are finally starting to understand the real co...

While the long-term benefits of freer trade for the domestic labour market seem indisputable, it is politically contestable over the short- and medium-run.

Negotiations on the goals that are to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after 2015 are entering a critical phase. On 24 September 2024 the proposals of the Open Working Group (OWG) for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be pre...

The TTIP will lead to at least a million job losses and threaten labour standards in US and EU.

The impact of the TTIP on employment in Europe and the US would be minimal, or even negative.

US citizens have found themselves on the short end of the stick too many times to believe that the TTIP will create more jobs.

The bilateral setting of the TTIP makes its outcome subject to two specific opposing forces.

The implications of TTIP for employment are uncertain for the EU and US, but also for developing countries.

EPAs can be a good launchpad to foster more productive employment in Africa, but should not be an end in itself.

International trade is a force of structural change and productive transformation and can therefore promote employment.

Although Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly attractive to investors, structural transformation and formal job growth remain slow. Industrial surveys in many countries show that some highly productive firms co-exist with many low-productivity busin...

In the opening lecture of the 14th General Conference of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), Professor of International Development at the UK’s Open University Raphael Kaplinsky addressed the challenges...

The adverse effects of increased economic integration on job quality can be mitigated by flexicurity policies.

The activities of labouring classes show that establishing a system that puts their interests before corporate profits is possible.

The belief that economic growth– together with low inflation rates, technological innovations and good education–is enough to create all the jobs a country needs, is in decline. The reality now is that technology is improving so fast that better e...

Who benefits or loses from globalization is no longer based on the sector in which one works or the skill group one belongs to. Ongoing technological innovations have enabled greater global competition for a number of jobs. The key challenge for i...

Developing countries should go for regional trading agreements until they raise the overall skill levels of their populations.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a new free trade agreement, could have adverse effects for public health and development in developing countries.

 Minerals play an important role in the Congolese conflict. But it is certainly not only about greed.

In spite of the ongoing euro crisis, which does not leave much space for an ambitious global agenda, the EU remains a major global development actor.

The rise of BRICS is changing Africa and has helped its rapid growth, but does not challenge the structure of political economy with political authoritarianism.

A new global partnership can provide the impetus for tackling the development challenges that Africa is facing. It must therefore be mutually beneficial, promote the autonomy of its states and address its developmental priorities.

A new global partnership can provide the impetus for tackling the development challenges that Africa is facing. It must therefore be mutually beneficial, promote the autonomy of its states and address its developmental priorities.

Complementary currencies can increase local economic inclusion. Is this the way forward?

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...

To achieve inclusive development the European Union (EU) needs to reframe its economic policy and reconsider politically sensitive issues.

Trade unions are crucial in transforming the economy since they fight for the democratic inclusion of all participants.

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

To achieve maximum impact on food and nutrition security, knowledge and research policy should focus on local agriculture and food sectors. This means including small-scale farmers in regional food chains as well as making investments in the food...

Assuming a joint approach would unleash agricultural potential and strengthen the market, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have dominated global food security strategies. The debate highlights several strategies, for example, focusing on the loc...

Improving market access, linking farmers to markets, developing inclusive value chains; these are popular but challenging activities among development practitioners. The challenges results from the limited capabilities of (small) farmers to produc...

Corridors and their use of PPPs do seem to offer a range of opportunities – the challenge is to put in place policies that ensure the benefits are spread more widely.

The role of small scale capture fisheries in rural livelihood, trade and food security remains critically unrecognized in development and poverty reduction approaches.

The Broker started several online debates on the Agri-Hub Forums in Rwanda and Uganda and on different LinkedIn Groups. Read here the update of what happens on these online platforms.

In the four weeks since the food security debate started, international researchers, politicians, practitioners and entrepreneurs have fed the debate from many angles. They have shed light on what should be key strategies, and what should not be o...

‘Informal’ food trade is a key area in addressing food security: the best markets are those that already exist. Traditional or informal food trade persists and flourishes.

While Busan is hosting a high level discussion on aid effectiveness, doubts are mounting on the very concept of development aid itself.

Can you think of a group of almost half of the countries in the world that delivers crucial commodities and does not have a real say in global governance? Well, it exists. And the group now wants to be heard.

If the ACP, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, is to have a stronger voice in international institutions, then it needs to strengthen itself as a political and economic bloc.

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is exploring new relationships in order to claim its rightful position in global institutions and act as a spokesperson for the world’s poor and less powerful nations.

The ACP has emerged out of a unique relationship with the European Union (EU). However, while the EU needs the ACP's backing to get support in international governance, and needs its raw materials and markets, the EU is indecisive about continuing...

Editor Evert-jan Quak comments and reflects on new research, publications, blog posts, conferences and current affairs in the field of inclusive and sustainable economy.

Editor Evert-jan Quak comments and reflects on new research, publications, blog posts, conferences and current affairs in the field of food security. 

Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest (11th May 2011) reveals new details from a leaked report urging G-20 to tackle food price volatility by reforming biofuel policies, curbing the use of agricultural export restrictions, and rebuilding emergency food...

The blog ‘Current Global Affairs’ provides a window for reflection on news events, topical issues and developments. The blog focuses on the wider implications of current affairs, beyond the immediate impact of events as-they-unfold. Would you like...

One of my PhD students works for the Millennium Villages project – the much publicized programme aimed at assisting communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Coordinated by Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University...

The Millennium Development Goals have provided a forum for discussion on poverty and development at the international level. They have contributed to bringing the devastation of poverty and inequality to the forefront of the international arena. Y...

Although trade has evolved in the last two decades, shifting from complete goods to intermediary inputs, our understanding of its dynamics has failed to keep pace. As a result, the policy options conferred to developing countries to industrialize...

Is Africa sick? Some Africans may suffer from diseases, but to refer an entire continent to the sickbay makes no sense. There are problems, to be sure. Corruption, a bad business climate and the disadvantages of being landlocked can all be easily...