One of the major outcomes of both the global development effectiveness discourse and the discussions on finance for development has been that private actors should be actively involved in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. These are to be a mixture of economic and social goals for the greater good, inclusive and sustainable. But how do […]

Exclusion and marginalisation are the human faces of political designs. Deep histories determine what exclusion means, who it effects, how and why. While political dispensations are not static, the responsibility for their change belongs to the citizens of a country, not to external agencies. Countering the consequences of a reduced aid budget calls for the […]

Earlier disabled persons were isolated and excluded from the mainstream sections of society. But now the time has arrived – where disabled persons are no longer treated the same way – Inclusive Development would lead to their inclusion into society. To transform a nation from exclusion of disabled and other marginalized sections of society, we […]

Small farmers are key actors in many of the themes crucial for inclusive development. Yet, they are often seen as beneficiaries rather than as equal partners. A plea for Good Polder Practice (GPP) in North-South PPPs. Dutch farmers would surely be surprised if Stichting Natuur en Milieu presented itself as their mouthpiece and lobby organisation. […]

Advancing local development through meso-credit, Farmer Private Ltds and economic chain development For the last 8 years, Fresh Food Technology B.V ran a pilot project that had farmers run a joint venture and enter into a partnership with (social) investors. On the basis of its success I recommend that donor governments support projects that: 1) […]

Promoting inclusiveness in Africa within the framework of Dutch policy on international development cooperation and trade could consider at least four or five areas of focus: supporting agriculture production and productivity, promoting agro-processing programmes through partnerships between Dutch private investors and African industrialists, supporting formalisation of the informal sector through application of information technology and […]

 What policies and interventions have proven to contribute most successfully to the translation of growth into benefits for the poor? Is there a best policy mix?   Public-Private Partnerships should aim explicitly for social impact and inclusion matching the Dutch diamond:  private and public sector, civil society and knowledge sector combine complementary skills and market […]

Evolving SSA is enjoying surprising high economic growth rates, further encouraging private and public sector. This growth is not all roses; it is accompanied by socioecological impoverishment. As a result, a new policy orientation is emerging, one that realises that the achievement of MDGs / SDGs, is largely depending on keeping the main denominators water […]

The fastest growing economies are in developing countries. People with a daily income of less than US$ 8 represent a market value of US$ 5 trillion. In these markets you will find consumers seeking value for money and entrepreneurs eager to do business. Yet it is challenging to enter these markets. Private businesses need to […]

Our contribution advocates the extension of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model into health service delivery, and our position is informed by evidence from our work in Bangladesh. Dutch foreign policy currently focuses on trade and investment using the Dutch Diamond Approach; a form of PPP that favours the interests of established businesses/corporations and the growth (ie […]

Risk-mitigation is a central concept in including the private sector into pro-poor strategies in developing countries. Policies on CSR-promotion should be divided into two tracks. The first is aimed at assisting companies to survive  and get a stable position in the market in the first stage, in order to get the C-component of CSR. The […]

Africa’s so called impressive growth, in the last fifteen years, has failed to address the challenges of inclusiveness, poverty, inequalities and structural transformation. In order to tackle these paradoxes, future Dutch policy has to focus more forcefully on development of agriculture and manufacturing sectors, including private sector development. In the last decade and a half, […]

In Africa a positive turn, economically, for an individual usually has a ripple effect on that person’s immediate and even extended family. Also, interventions by private companies to lift up the state of their employees in one way or another end up benefiting a larger circle that is usually even worse off. This is why […]

In this contribution I will make three points: –          Gender inclusiveness is essential to any effective policy to promote inclusiveness, –          Collective action by women’s organisations is still crucial to achieve transformative change in gender relations, –          Emerging new and innovative partnerships engaging the private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions provide interesting avenues for […]

‘Inclusive development/growth’ targets a wide variety of groups such as the poor, women, ethnic, minorities and/or inhabitants of rural and geographically remote areas.  It is difficult to prioritize which of the ‘exclusion’ categories should be addressed first. Because of the ambition to involve corporations in the policy agenda, the question then also becomes how to […]

Any development or investment policies without inclusiveness at their core will fail in terms of both process and outcome, leaving fragile populations ever more disadvantaged. The post-2015 discussion, by recognizing the specific challenges brought by fragility, makes it clear that inclusivity is not only an opportunity but an imperative – because the opposite of inclusiveness […]

For economic development and poverty reduction to take place in the least developed and developing countries, development of the economic infrastructure is critical since it is a perquisite for private sector to thrive. However, for meaningful and sustainable economic development to take place having economic infrastructure alone is not sufficient. It has to be supplemented […]

Through the development of vibrant private sector, the Netherlands policy for Foreign Trade and Development cooperation can contribute to local job opportunities, technology transfer, train and educate local employees, offer managerial and technical assistance, and serve as a bridge to foreign markets. It can also provide critical solutions to the problems of the poor in […]

For economic growth to be welfare enhancing it must be inclusive. Pro-poor policy interventions through targeted social protection, enabling business environment, infrastructural investments and performance-based approaches are critical. Integrated development and trade initiatives to support African LDCs are crucial. According to the World Bank, a number of sub-Saharan African countries with high proportion of the […]

There will be  much to gain when businesses are involved as partners for development. Businesses might be enticed to go ‘inclusive’ given the massive size of the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ with its considerable growth prospect. They can also find new, socially meaningful use for their competences, potentially creating sustainable business value in the process. […]

In the new agenda for aid, trade and investments[1] inclusive economic development is an important approach to promote inclusiveness. The policy for private sector development includes activities that encourage Dutch companies to do business in developing countries in a socially responsible way and strengthen local SME to do better and more business, for example through […]

In development, the private sector has been undervalued for too long; without a market pull, initiatives will not achieve the reach and scale needed for effective development. In global agricultural supply chains, sustainability depends on the commitment and engagement of market parties. When recognized and rewarded by the global supply chain, sustainable farming can scale […]

The current Dutch policy for trade and international cooperation can strengthen inclusiveness in its response to health by further stimulating the development of new technologies – medicines, vaccines and other – to combat diseases that particularly affect the most marginalized populations. To accelerate the research, we recommend that policies further incentivize industry engagement and support […]

A new aid paradigm is emerging. To ensure inclusion is central to this, this note argues, development policy should focus on poor people’s contributions to, and not just benefits of growth. It should develop complementarity between social and economic policies, and innovate in approaches to inclusive business. This also calls for renewing the measurement of […]

Conventional  development practice which  represents a  form of charity  is hazardous and no longer suited to the demands of inclusive development. Only through a paradigm shift from “international development as charity” to supporting growth through trade not aid to generate  employment,  productive safety nets and increase agricultural productivity and market access that the poor can […]

Recipient countries should own and finance their development ambitions, supported by new innovative financing instrument from donors and other financiers. The private sector should innovate for inclusive development and partner with NGOs to deliver impact at scale in communities that need it most.

Successful inclusive business models require a well-established and coordinated supportive ecosystem within which various stakeholders can play important roles in developing it. The Royal Netherlands Government can play a key role in helping to develop the capacities of local stakeholders including local communities, knowledge institutions, government institutions and civil society organizations. Support to government institutions […]

The primary means to include the poor in development is to provide employment opportunities that allow for gradual upgrading of personal capacities. The role of the Dutch government is to incentivise Dutch firms to strategically plan how technical and organizational knowledge can be transferred to (and adapted by) local employees and firms in accordance with […]

To make growth more inclusive, policies can be designed to improve the business environment and make it easier for SMEs to access growth capital in an investor friendly manner.  Blended finance can be an effective tool to encourage investments into targeted SMEs by transforming the risk-return profile for investors. There are reasons to focus additional […]