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Is Your Vote Losing Value? Digital Challenges to Electoral Democracy
No full textContemporary electoral democracy emerged and has been concentrated mainly in the global North. That may be changing. There have been significant recent shifts towards more authoritarian politics and governance within Northern democracies. There are a range of apparent causes, and no clear indications of the likely long-term trend. However, the adverse impacts on the politics of digitalisation, especially the explosion of social media use, justify some pessimism. Even at its best, electoral democracy has always been a very imperfect mechanism for ensuring government by the people. Large proportions of voters routinely vote expressively – i.e. according to their identity, beliefs, or values – rather than instrumentally, i.e. to maximise their chances of influencing the outcome. Digitalisation increases pressures to vote expressively and reduces the scope to vote instrumentally. There are signs of contemporary convergence between formally democratic and evidently authoritarian regimes. In both, governments rely increasingly on digital media to confuse their voters and citizens.</p
The Social and Economic Impacts of Carbon Markets on Local Communities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Realist Systematic Literature Review
No full textThis landmark publication presents a comprehensive realist systematic literature review examining carbon market participation on social and economic effects on local communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Carbon trading, particularly voluntary carbon markets, is gaining prominence in global climate mitigation efforts, raising concerns about its impact on local communities.The report, based on 52 empirical studies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, examines the impacts of carbon projects on community livelihoods, highlighting systemic challenges and potential risks. These include delayed payments, lack of inclusion in governance, land tenure inequalities, and increased workload for women, often without commensurate compensation.The findings reveal a stark reality: while carbon markets hold potential to generate co-benefits alongside emissions reduction, this promise is highly contingent on project design, governance structures, and enabling policy environments. For example, agricultural and clean energy projects demonstrate more substantial positive community impacts than many forest conservation efforts, which may restrict access to vital natural resources and exacerbate social tensions.The study explores factors enabling carbon markets to foster inclusive development, including transparent benefit-sharing models, high-integrity standards, premium pricing, and community engagement. It also highlights critical knowledge gaps, such as equity outcomes and the scalability of community benefits.This review provides a balanced perspective on the carbon market’s sustainability, emphasising the need for reimagining carbon projects, particularly in low-income countries, to promote equitable, locally owned development. It is valuable for stakeholders in the carbon market.</p
Supporting Mutual Aid in Sudan
No full textMutual aid, rooted in a Sudanese tradition of social solidarity, has been a lifeline for those affected by the war in Sudan. Community-led groups are providing essential services to people in need, often at great personal risk. However, they receive little external aid. This Policy Briefing sets out how donors and aid organisations can improve the quantity and quality of their support. Essentially, they need to substantially increase their support and embrace approaches that build on the informed, adaptive practice of these grass-roots initiatives. This is important not just for the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance in the short term, but also as a basis for rebuilding social protection provision over the longer term.</p
Priorities for Affordable Housing in Nigeria
No full textThis rapid evidence review examines the priorities for providing affordable housing in Nigeria. The review summarises the evolution of housing policies and the barriers to addressing the affordable housing gap. The review also reports on examples of priority interventions that should be undertaken and the key interventions that the Nigerian government has been implementing to overcome barriers to affordable housing. Government priorities range from reforms to administration processes to improve land ownership and land registration processes; skills training for those employed in the constructions sector; Public Private Partnerships to mass-build housing and address the critical shortage; upgrading urban informal settlement areas; measures to produce local low cost building materials.</p
Thinking Beyond Revenue: Estimating the Cost Effectiveness of Ghana’s Presumptive Tax Stamp
No full textAs governments in lower-income countries confront tight fiscal space, rising service demands, and large informal sectors, knowing the true costs and returns of commonly used simplified or presumptive taxes is essential to building equitable and effective revenue systems. This paper provides the first systematic estimate of the cost effectiveness of a presumptive tax in a lower-income country, using Ghana’s Tax Stamp as a case study. We combine an original survey of 51 Taxpayer Service Centres (TSCs), measuring staff time and non-staff inputs devoted to the Tax Stamp, with TSC-level revenue data. We find that revenues are small in absolute and relative terms. By contrast, reported collection costs are substantial and dominated by salaries, with non-staff costs led by transport and fuel. Aggregating across reporting offices, we estimate that in 2024 the cost of administering the Tax Stamp was roughly nine times the revenue it generated. Even benchmarking against the regime’s 2019 peak and adjusting for inflation suggest that even then costs likely exceeded, or at best approached, collections. We also document urban–rural differences, showing higher revenues and higher salary costs in urban TSCs and higher non-staff costs in rural TSCs. The findings imply that, for very small and dispersed taxpayers, presumptive, lump-sum designs can be intrinsically cost-inefficient, even under relatively capable administration. We argue that Ghana – and countries with similar regimes – should raise or introduce meaningful thresholds, sharply limit the scope of lump-sum presumptive taxes, or retire them entirely, and pursue the non-revenue aims often ascribed to these regimes (tax education, trust, and future compliance) through targeted, lower-cost interventions better aligned with equity and administrative capacity.</p
K4DD Health Evidence and Discourse Summary October 2025
No full textK4DD’s monthly Health Evidence and Discourse Summaries aim to signpost FCDO and others to the latest relevant evidence and discourse on global health. This summary is structured in the following way:Top ReadsLinks to articles under the headings Health System Strengthening, Health Promotion and Prevention, Health Equity and Rights and Multisectoral Working</p
Financing Across Education, Health and Social Protection Sectors in Tanzania
No full textThis Rapid Evidence Review explores financing mechanisms and trends in Tanzania across three key sectors: Social Protection & Welfare (SP&W), Education, and Healthcare. It examines fluctuations in government and donor contributions since 2016, the influence of national strategies and global commitments on funding, and the recent effects of U.S. foreign aid cuts on these sectors. By analysing Tanzania's experience, the review aims to offer practical insights for both the government and private stakeholders to strengthen these sectors through financing support, even amidst declining donor support.</p
Digital-ID in Africa: Assessing Progress and Challenges to Date
No full textThis chapter provides an overview to the Biometric Digital-ID in Africa: Progess and Challenges to Date - Ten Country Case Studies edited collection. The collection synthesises evidence from new studies in ten African countries assessing the current state of digital identification (digital-ID) programmes across the continent. In doing so, it provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date picture of digital-ID in Africa. The collection provides evidence that some African governments have put in place sophisticated legislative frameworks that provide protections for fundamental human rights that biometric digital-ID systems can put at risk. However, it also identifies gaps and failings that urgently need to be addressed.</p
Agency in the Transition to a Low‑Carbon Economy: The Role of Organised Labour
No full textThe role of organised labour is an essential, yet overlooked, driver for a just transition to a low-carbon economy. This article explores how worker agency – rooted in place, memory, and collective organisation – is central to climate and economic transformation. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples of worker-led industrial conversion in the UK, it illustrates how trade unions and allied community movements have organised for, and in some cases, successfully implemented socially useful alternative forms of production. Through historical case studies such as the Lucas Aerospace workers’ plan, and more recent experiences – Broughton Airbus’ conversion and Just Transition Wakefield – the article illuminates how organised workers can align climate action with job security and community resilience. We conclude that for decarbonisation to be equitable and effective, labour must reclaim power over wages and conditions, and over the direction of technological and industrial change, through expanded collective bargaining and broader place-based alliances.El papel de los trabajadores organizados es un motor esencial, aunque a menudo pasado por alto, para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono. Este artículo explora cómo la agencia de los trabajadores —enraizada en el territorio, la memoria y la organización colectiva— resulta central para la transformación climática y económica. A partir de ejemplos históricos y contemporáneos de reconversión industrial liderada por trabajadores en el Reino Unido, se ilustra cómo los sindicatos y los movimientos comunitarios aliados se han organizado para impulsar, y en algunos casos implementar con éxito, formas alternativas de producción socialmente útiles. Mediante estudios de caso históricos, como el plan de los trabajadores de Lucas Aerospace, y experiencias más recientes, como la reconversión en Broughton Airbus y Just Transition Wakefield, el artículo muestra cómo los trabajadores organizados pueden alinear los objetivos de la acción climática con la seguridad laboral y la resiliencia comunitaria. Se concluye que, para que la descarbonización sea equitativa y eficaz, el trabajo debe recuperar poder sobre los salarios y las condiciones, así como sobre la dirección del cambio tecnológico e industrial, mediante una negociación colectiva ampliada y alianzas territoriales más extensas.O trabalho organizado desempenha um papel essencial, mas muitas vezes esquecido, numa transição justa para uma economia de baixo carbono. Este artigo explora de que forma a agência dos trabalhadores – enraizada no território, na memória e na organização colectiva – é central para a transformação climática e económica. Com base em exemplos históricos e contemporâneos de conversão industrial liderada por trabalhadores no Reino Unido, ilustra como os sindicatos e os movimentos comunitários aliados se organizaram para, e nalguns casos, implementarem com êxito formas alternativas de produção socialmente úteis. Usando estudos de caso históricos, como o plano dos trabalhadores da Lucas Aerospace, e de experiências mais recentes – a conversão da Airbus em Broughton e a Just Transition Wakefield – o artigo evidencia como trabalhadores organizados podem alinhar a acção climática com a segurança no emprego e a resiliência comunitária. Conclui-se que, para que a descarbonização seja equitativa e eficaz, o trabalho deve recuperar o poder sobre os salários e as condições, bem como sobre a orientação da mudança tecnológica e industrial, através da expansão da negociação colectiva e de alianças territoriais mais amplas.</p
Organised Crime in Kenya
No full textThis rapid literature review surveys the main organised crime markets in Kenya, seeking to map the primary markets and actors. It draws on peer reviewed literature, together with evidence from think tanks and practitioner sources.</p