GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
April 2009
In this edition:
The world economy
New Research from UN Research Institute for Social Development
New Papers from the International Poverty Centre
International CSO Steering Group (ISG) on Aid Effectiveness
The world economy
Isabel Ortiz, a key contributor to global social and economic policy, has reviewed
the fiscal stimulus packages announced in 43 countries. In March 2009, the total
amount announced for these stimulus plans is USD2.18 trillion, or 3.5% of world’sGDP, mostly in higher income economies. The majority of these recovery packages
contain measures to stimulate firms, consumers, and public investment ininfrastructure. The author argues that a country approach is inadequate; a global
crisis requires global responses. Developing countries will be hit hard; there is aneed for increased Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enable them to engage
in countercyclical stimulation. Stimulating global demand (and reducing poverty) will
require further redistributive measures. Responses have been slow. There is anurgent need for a coordinated expansionary global stimulus package.
“Given this is a crisis generated by the “barons” of the financial sector in the North astrong argument exists to compensate the South, particularly not to maketaxpayers in developing countries pay for the mismanagement of Northern banks.”
For the full article:
http://www.networkideas.org/news/mar2009/news18_Fiscal_Stimulus_Plans.htm
UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
Religion: Ally, Threat, or just Religion?
This paper is a feminist response to José Casanova’s thematic paper on “Public
Religions Revisited”. It argues that women should mutually recognise and respect
each other’s agency and freedom of conscience. Those women who are not religious
should not assume false consciousness or attribute victim status to those whochoose to live their lives by religious precepts; those women who are religious
should not assume that the others lack ethical conviction or are slaves to a material
culture. The paper, secondly, maintains that the relationship between religion,politics, and gender equality should not be conceived in quasi-corporatist terms as arelationship between democratic and religious authorities, but always viewed
through the lens of individual rights and needs. It furthermore discusses how
religion differs from culture and non-religious political belief, particularly considering
the complicated intersection of individual choices and bowing to external authority.
The paper, finally, warns against a demonization of religions as inherently at odds
with gender equality as well as against complacency that too readily accepts
compromise on matters of equality between women and men.
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Religion, Politics and Gender Equality: Public Religions Revisited
This is the draft of a thematic paper in the Religion, Politics and Gender Equality
Project. The paper revisits the argument first presented in the author’s book Public
Religions in the Modern World (1994).
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Noble Networks? Advocacy for Global Justice and the "Network Effect"
Civil society organisations in Western societies are widely reported to havesignificant political power. Policy makers increasingly emphasise the important roleof such organizations as “equal players” in the political process, while outside
institutional politics, civic advocacy recently regained attention through the rise ofglobal and transnational social movements. This paper makes a contribution to theemerging field of critical and normative inter-organisational relations, and identifies
some key areas for further work. It will aid understanding of how NGOs relate tosocial movements through their networks at a time when struggles for financial
justice are set to grow.
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The Gendered Impacts of Liberalization: Towards "Embedded Liberalism"?
In the last two decades public policies have reflected a drive for accelerated global
economic integration ("globalization), associated with greater economic
liberalization. The outcomes have been largely disappointing, even in the estimateof their designers. Rural livelihoods have become more insecure, and the expected
growth has rarely materialised. Insecurity is also etched into the growth of informal
economies across the world. Yet the economic policy agenda that has been so
adverse to many people around the world has also provided new opportunities tosome social groups, including some low-income women. In response to widespread
discontent with the liberalization agenda, more attention is now being given tosocial policies and governance issues, viewed as necessary if globalization is to be"tamed" and "embedded". The contributors to this volume address key issues andquestions such as whether states have the capacity to remedy the social distressunleashed by liberalization in the absence of any major revision of theirmacroeconomic policies and whether the proposed social reforms can redress
gender-based inequalities in access to resource and power.
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International Poverty Centre, IPEA or the United Nations Development
Programme. Research Programme on Inclusive Growth
Title: Is the Washington Consensus Dead?
Authors: Degol Hailu
Series: One Pager # 82
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager82.pdf
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The author argues that the Washington Consensus is far from dead. The policies aswell as the conditionalities imposed under the Consensus are alive and well.
Title: How Does the Financial Crisis Affect Developing Countries?
Authors: Diana Alarcón, Stephany Griffth-Jones, and José Antonio Ocampo
Series: One Pager # 81
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager81.pdf
Title: Confronting Crises: Learning From Labour Markets in the PastAuthor: Eduardo Zepeda
Series: One Pager # 80
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager80.pdf
Title: Eliminating Gender Inequalities Reduces Poverty. How?
Authors: Joana Costa and Elydia Silva
Series: One Pager # 73
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager73.pdf
Title: The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Developing Countries
Authors: Stephany Griffith-Jones and José Antonio Ocampo
Series: Working Paper # 53
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper53.pdf
The authors discuss the impact of the current financial crisis and economic downturnon developing countries. They recommend reforms to avoid a similar crisis
happening in the future.
Title: The Role of Gender Inequalities in Explaining Income Growth, Poverty andInequality: Evidences from Latin American Countries
Author: Joana Costa, Elydia Silva, and Fábio VazSeries: Working Paper # 52
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper52.pdf
The authors find that, among several gender related policies, promoting female
labour participation has the biggest impact on reducing poverty and inequality.
Click here to comment on this publication.
Title: Changes in Earnings in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico: Disentangling the Forces
behind Pro-Poor Changes in Labour Markets
Authors: Eduardo Zepeda, Diana Alarcón, Fábio Veras Soares, and Rafael Guerreiro
OsorioSeries: Working Paper # 51
Download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper51.pdf
These two papers discuss the link between labour markets, poverty and inequality.
The authors find that, during crisis, the income of the poor may not fall as much as
the non-poor. Yet, a small decline in their income can have devastating impacts.
International CSO Steering Group (ISG) on Aid Effectiveness
The International CSO Steering Group (ISG) met recently to renew its mandate andcomposition and finalise its work plan following its last meeting in Accra. The ISG’s
mandate is ‘To coordinate and facilitate international engagement by civil societyorganisations (CSOs) promoting reforms in international cooperation fordevelopment and aid effectiveness through the global CSO Better Aid Platform’.
The elements of the renewed International Steering Group responsibilities are:Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 3a) Monitoring and facilitating CSO recommendations on key issues arising from theimplementation of donor/government commitments in the AAA and the Paris
Declaration -- as well as CSO proposals to deepen aid reform at the 4th HLF in 2011.
b)
Facilitate communication with sectoral, country and regional CSO/multistakeholder consultations on the implementation of the AAA and the Paris
Declaration, including monitoring existing case study-based CSO research on donor
aid and development effectiveness and identifying gaps.
In an interview to the Development Gateway, Eckhardt Deutscher, Head of theOECD/DAC had said in Accra that the AAA had been the outcome of the broadest
consultation process in the history of development cooperation. He acknowledgedthat civil society is an important part of the development cooperation effort, both interms of policy advocacy and in terms of operations and delivery, and added that if
civil society is part of the problem of diversity, fragmentation, etc; but they also
have to be part of the solution. He finally stated that civil society is especially
important for broad-based ownership, and the dialogue has been extremely valuablein making it clear that we need this broad-based, inclusive ownership to make theaid effectiveness agenda work.
The ISG on aid effectiveness coordinated and facilitated the CSO engagement withthe OECD Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. Since 2007, the ISG has produced apolicy paper on the aid effectiveness agenda, created a web site(www.betteraid.org) to communicate CSO research and perspectives on aid anddevelopment effectiveness, organised independent CSO liaison with the Working
Party on the organisation and participation of CSOs in HLF3, held informal dialogue
with developing country governments involved in the Accra process, organised witha Ghana CSO Facilitating Committee a Parallel CSO Forum in Accra, and commentedand advocated for changes in various drafts of the Accra Agenda for Action (theofficial statement coming out of the Accra HLF). Eighty CSO delegates have been
accredited to HLF3 and have participated in all of its Marketplace and Roundtableprocesses, including making a direct contribution to the Ministerial segment of theHLF.
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided the sourceis acknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll – Executive Director.
ICSW C/- MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
PO Box 19129
3501 DC Utrecht
Netherlands
Website www.icsw.org Email: icsw@icsw.org
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