The success of building self-reliant states is directly tied to the effective management of complex development partnerships. ISE’s work on development and foreign aid focuses on how those partnerships can be maximized, taking into account lessons from past cases. ISE’s work draws on the experiences of practitioners in the field as well as policy experts to redefine development partnerships that build capacity, leverage existing assets, foster context-specific policies, and support country-led strategies. Additionally, our Development Practice Note series presents new and innovative practitioner-focused ideas across a variety of fields in development.
Over the past twenty years, the international community has agreed again and again that traditional aid effectiveness practices – which often drain local capacity, fragment projects, and spurn national strategies – are not working, but have made little progress at improvements. ISE’s Re-examining the Terms of Aid (RTOA) project is reviewing components to develop an operating model to more effectively implement these commitments. ISE is taking stock of its own experience and research, conducting interviews in Rwanda, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Somalia, along with engaging host governments, donor agencies, civil society, and the security sector to examine best practices, analyze incentive structures, and bridge the gap between country-level implementation and international frameworks. Read the full report here.
When a government adopts a team-based performance management approach, it sends the powerful message that the state values institutional culture as the primary determinant of performance. This Development Practice Note explains how a team-based approach…
Singapore has undergone a remarkable transition since gaining statehood. ISE examines the sequence of priorities and drivers fueling its economic growth from a post-colonial city into a center of industry and trade.
A statement in the Thematic Debate on peace and security chaired by John Ashe, President of the UN General Assembly. The nexus between stability and development is well-established, and the seriousness with which the UN…
Four years after a devastating earthquake, the reconstruction of Haiti remains far from completion. Although billions of dollars in aid have flowed into the country, Haitians feel the outcomes have not matched the promises made.…
This note considers the application of a multi-donor trust fund (MDTF) to a possible Syrian transition. Firstly, it considers how an MDTF could act as the primary funding mechanism for short-term emergency support. Secondly, it…