The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
LUCKNOW: The state government is all set to launch e-district scheme in all over the state to promote e-governance in every sphere of life and activity of the people. Promoted by the department of IT and Electronics, the scheme is at present operational in the districts of Sitapur, Sultanpur, Rae …
The decision by the union cabinet to raise reservation for women from one-third to 50% of seats at all three levels of panchayats is a welcome one. However, this decision was taken without addressing the problems caused by mandatory rotation of reserved seats, which women have been drawing attention to …
China's system of environmental governance is changing rapidly, resulting in new environmental institutions and practices. State authorities rule increasingly via laws and decentralise environmental policymaking and implementation. Non-state actors
The Decentralisation Community of Solution Exchange, an initiative of the United Nations in India, provides a platform for increasing our understanding of local governance both rural and urban-through knowledge sharing and collaboration. This article is a summary of one of the discussions held on the Decentralisation Community.
Forests are power bases, but often for the wrong people. As attention turns from making an international deal on REDD to making it work on the ground, the hunt will be on for practical ways of shifting power over forests towards those who enable and pursue sustainable forest-linked livelihoods. The …
This report comprises six chapters focusing on issues relating to coastal zone management across the broad themes of climate change, the environment and governance arrangements. However, it is acknowledged that there are important issues concerning coastal zone management that cut across these broad themes. This report seeks to avoid creating
In 2008, four countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Nepal) held significant elections. The paper highlights various pertinent issues in the political economy of these four countries and maps out the broad contours of the reforms they need to embark on. For one, and in the short …
Planning Sustainable Cities reviews recent urban planning practices and approaches, discusses constraints and conflicts existing, and identifies innovative approaches that are more responsive to current challenges of urbanization. It notes that traditional approaches to urban planning (particularly in developing countries) have largely failed to promote equitable, efficient and sustainable human …
Benefits to people from water ecosystems like rivers, swamps, floodplains and groundwater systems are central to human well-being. But ecosystems are in trouble and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have each shown that freshwater ecosystem services …
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the first international instrument to deal with issues of ethics and equity with regard to the sharing of benefits derived from genetic resources between those who have conserved them and those who exploit them. This study uses an analytical framework to take a …
Poor governance is a major impediment to achieving development outcomes of the forest sector. It results in losses of income, employment, government revenues, and local and global environmental services. However, at present, no comprehensive guide to reforming forest governance has been developed. Although usually it is relatively easy to recognize …
Democracy," Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi once said, "is the art and science of mobilising the entire physical, economic and spiritual resources of various sections of the people in the service of the common good of all." The ghost of spirituality went out with the Mahatma. What is in the domain of …
The proposal on creation of an autonomous National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. NEPA is envisaged to take over the job of giving environmental clearances from the ministry. The proposal on creation of an autonomous National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA) by the Ministry of …
Though Governments in India are elected for a five-year term, the first few months set the tone and provide early hints about the course it plans to take. While it would be unfair to judge a new regime on the basis of its first 100 days in office, there has …
E-governance projects are a waste unless the last mile can be tracked--- Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had famously said that hardly 15 paise out of every rupee spent by the government reached the poor. That does not appear to have changed much, although both central and state governments have …
This report focuses on the establishment of the Red River Basin Organization (RRBO) in Vietnam, but expands its analysis to the wider transformations of the water sector that impinge on the formation and effectiveness of this organization. A few reflections on the policy process are drawn from this analysis, albeit …
While developing countries face the most serious threats of any nations from the physical, economic and social impacts of climate change, there also exist enormous opportunities for these countries to adopt new technologies and sustainable development frameworks that will significantly reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The predominant view of …
The Himalayas are a unique natural asset and the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) forms the major share of this. This report presents a set of guidelines and best practices for the governance and sustainable management of the Himalayan ecosystem.
This paper reviews the institutional framework that governs the supply of water services, with a specific focus on developing countries. It first highlights the main mismatches that plague the water sector, namely those between the nature of resources, functions, jurisdiction and objectives of the different agents involved. It then goes …
