Tip: Activate javascript to be able to use all functions of our website
Development Research
In its Development Research Publication series, KfW Development Bank makes interesting findings from new research publications and its own analyses on developmental topics and trends accessible to a broad public. These publications are unique because they give a concise and balanced overview of complex interdependencies for the information needs of development policy decision-makers and a broader audience interested in development policy.
Currently only the format "Development in Brief" is updated regularly by new publications. In the publication archive you find all past formats ("Focus on Development", "Studies and Proceedings" as well as "Views on Development") for download.
Subscribe to the "KfW Research: Development Topics" newsletter to stay informed about current publications in the Development Research series.
The "Development in Brief" publication series gives a one-page summary of information on important development policy issues. These are short descriptions of current trends, debates or concepts that help the reader to get a quick overview of key issues.
The series appears approx. once a month and can be downloaded as a PDF. The publications are available in German and English.
| Climate change - Major challenges ahead for healthcare systems No. 6, 30 August 2022 | English (PDF, 69 KB, accessible) |
| Harnessing the potential of an integrated approach to employment promotion No. 5, 06 July 2022 | English (PDF, 268 KB, accessible) |
| What connects the climate crisis with demographic trends? No. 4, 15 June 2022 | English (PDF, 170 KB, accessible) |
| What is the relationship between population growth and fragility? No. 3, 7 April 2022 | English (PDF, 143 KB, accessible) |
| The humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus: challenges in implementation No. 2, 24 March 2022 | English (PDF, 100 KB, non-accessible) |
| Dealing with growing uncertainty: Strategic foresight – Envisioning alternatives No. 1, 09. March 2022 | English (PDF, 76 KB, non-accessible) |
| Horizontal inequality as a driver of conflict – what does science say? No. 11, 11. November 2021 | English (PDF, 44 KB, non-accessible) |
| Global financial gap in the healthcare sector: should (soft) loans be part of the solution? No. 10, 24 September 2021 | English (PDF, 125 KB, non-accessible) |
| CCUS technologies: an important component in climate action? No. 9, 10 September 2021 | English (PDF, 107 KB, non-accessible) |
| Floating PVs – are floating solar installations the future of photovoltaics? No. 8, 30 July 2021 | English (PDF, 48 KB, non-accessible) |
| Total market approach – better provision of basic services through intelligent market segmentation between private and public sectors No. 7, 9 July 2021 | English (PDF, 75 KB, non-accessible) |
| Crisis prevention: where can international development cooperation achieve an impact? No. 6, 11 June 2021 | English (PDF, 85 KB, non-accessible) |
| Viewing biodiversity and climate change as related issues No. 5, 17 May 2021 | English (PDF, 142 KB, non-accessible) |
| How can we stop plastic waste from polluting the oceans? No. 4, 16 April 2021 | English (PDF, 205 KB, non-accessible) |
| For more gender equality – designing gender-sensitive social protection systems No. 3, 8 March 2021 | English (PDF, 80 KB, non-accessible) |
| Retaining the ability to act, achieving results and minimising risks in a context of fragility - including from a distance No 2, 1 March 2021 | English (PDF, 85 KB, non-accessible) |
| Pros and cons of Cash-for-Work measures in crises and forced displacement contexts No. 1, 19 February 2021 | English (PDF, 110 KB, non-accessible) |
| Negative emissions – a positive for climate change No 15, 14 December 2020 | English (PDF, 66 KB, non-accessible) |
| Sustainable construction – Foundation for climate-friendly urbanisation No 14, 30 October 2020 | English (PDF, 88 KB, non-accessible) |
| Are the successes in the global effort to alleviate poverty being systematically overestimated? No 13, 16 October 2020 | English (PDF, 124 KB, non-accessible) |
| REDD+: rewards for preventing deforestation – how successful is the concept? No 12, 2 October 2020 | English (PDF, 110 KB, non-accessible) |
| Green recovery –a historic opportunity and a necessary methodology No 11, 18 September 2020 | English (PDF, 139 KB, non-accessible) |
| Promoting peace through infrastructure? No 10, 07 September 2020 | English (PDF, 69 KB, non-accessible) |
| Poverty facilitates coronavirus and coronavirus fosters poverty: chains of effects and possible actions No 9, 31 July 2020 | English (PDF, 111 KB, non-accessible) |
| Additionality of mobilized private capital: Crowding-in or crowding-out? No 8, 16 July 2020 | English (PDF, 40 KB, non-accessible) |
| How can the private sector contribute in fragile contexts? No. 7, 15 June 2020 | English (PDF, 38 KB, non-accessible) |
| The rise of artificial intelligence: what does it mean for developing countries and emerging economies? No. 6, 29 May 2020 | English (PDF, 36 KB, non-accessible) |
| Has progress towards more gender equality got stuck halfway? No 5, 15 May 2020 | English (PDF, 56 KB, accessible) |
| Prevention instead of panic on “Day Zero” – Strengthening resilience against water crises No 4, 20 March 2020 | English (PDF, 55 KB, non-accessible) |
| Climate change is not gender neutral No 3, 6 March 2020 | English (PDF, 115 KB, non-accessible) |
| Social security – a vital source of stability in unsettled times No 1, 31 January 2020 | English (PDF, 107 KB, non-accessible) |
| Where do we stand on the road to eradicating polio once and for all? No 16, 20 December 2019 | English (PDF, 147 KB, accessible) |
| How does the development of social protection systems affect birth rates? No 15, 01 November 2019 | English (PDF, 127 KB, accessible) |
| E-governance: eliminating barriers between authorities and citizens No 14, 04 September 2019 | English (PDF, 162 KB, accessible) |
| Water reuse: suitable to combat water stress? No 13, 07 August 2019 | English (PDF, 162 KB, accessible) |
| Electrification: from pure access to productive use No 12, 30 July 2019 | English (PDF, 233 KB, accessible) |
| Pandemics: Improving preparedness and response effectiveness No 11, 11 July 2019 | English (PDF, 143 KB, accessible) |
| Is extreme poverty still on the decline? No 10, 17 June 2019 | English (PDF, 153 KB, accessible) |
| Water, crises and conflicts: how these interrelate and the need for action using the Middle East as an example No 9, 29 May 2019 | English (PDF, 132 KB, accessible) |
| Diabetes and heart disease – the next pandemic in developing countries? No 8, 23 May 2019 | English (PDF, 330 KB, accessible) |
| Resilience in development cooperation – what exactly does that mean? No 7, 16 May 2019 | English (PDF, 93 KB, accessible) |
| Blending 2.0: Could mobilising private capital work in poorer countries, too? No 6, 17 April 2019 | English (PDF, 70 KB, accessible) |
| Water for all: no universal supply without sustainable capacities No 5, 21 March 2019 | English (PDF, 133 KB, accessible) |
| Promoting gender equality is more expedient and effective than active population policy No 4, 7 March 2019 | English (PDF, 94 KB, accessible) |
| Adaptive social protection – getting social protection systems in shape for crisis response No 3, 25 February 2019 | English (PDF, 176 KB, accessible) |
| Are developing countries becoming more susceptible to global financial crises? No 2, 18 February 2019 | English (PDF, 160 KB, accessible) |
| From budget support to reform financing No 1, 11 February 2019 | English (PDF, 167 KB, accessible) |
| Human rights and infrastructure No 14, 10 December 2018 | English |
| Antimicrobial resistance jeopardises efficiency of healthcare systems No 13, 22. November 2018 | English |
| Vocational education and training in a fragile context No 12, 08 November 2018 | English |
| A better quality of life thanks to cleaner air in cities No 11, 02 October 2018 | English |
| Downturn in Greenfield investments in Asia – cyclical or structural? No xx, 28 September 2018 | English |
| Large-scale land acquisition in the Global South: opportunities and challenges No 10, 05 July 2018 | English |
| The importance of a good business environment for a thriving private sector No 9, 07 June 2018 | English |
| Blending: a useful extension of the scope of development finance instruments No 8, 03 May 2018 | English |
| Interest rate reversal – a threat to capital flows to developing and emerging economies? No 7, 19 April 2018 | English |
| Protecting scarce water resources with nature-based solutions No 6, 19 April 2018 | English |
| Gender equality and entrepreneurship – there is still a lot to do! No 5, 28 March 2018 | English |
| What do we know about the link between corruption and development or development assistance? No 4, 8 March 2018 | English |
| Global inequality: an overview of concepts and trends No 3, 15 February 2018 | English |
| Domestic Resource Mobilisation (DRM): an overview of the diverse types of potential No 2, 1 February 2018 | English |
| Battery storage systems: new options for energy transition in global North and South? No 1, 18 January 2018 | English |
| Local currency financing: an essential component of development financing No 25, 28 December 2017 | English |
| Smart combined approach sets new course for HIV/AIDS prevention No 24, 14 December 2017 | English |
| The security sector: a key factor in development and yet a challenge to development cooperation No 23, 30 November 2017 | English |
| Education in the context of conflict situations – How we can avoid a "lost generation" No 22, 16 November 2017 | English |
| Measuring inequality – Important statistics for describing income distribution No 21, 2 November 2017 | English |
| New Structural Economics (NSE): A groundbreaking new development strategy? No 20, 19 October 2017 | English |
| Urban Violence: Preventive Approaches No 19, 5 October 2017 | English |
| How will development assistance loans be recognized in the OECD's ODA statistics in future? No 18, 21 September 2017 | English |
| Blockchain technology: how it works and what potential it offers for development No 17, 7 September 2017 | English |
| What is state building and how do we promote it in fragile countries? No 16, 24 August 2017 | English |
| Promoting gender equality by closing the digital gender divide No 15, 10 August 2017 | English |
| Urban poverty: new challenges for growing cities No 14, 27 July 2017 | English |
| Educating girls: an opportunity to counteract rapid population growth No 13, 13 July 2017 | English |
| How does the 2030 Agenda relate to human rights? No 12, 29 June 2017 | English |
| Solutions to youth unemployment: rural areas are just as important as cities No 11, 14 June 2017 | English |
| World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law No 10, 1 June 2017 | English |
| Market for Green Bonds - huge potential or just "nice to have"? No 9, 18 May 2017 | English |
| Fragility: Dimensions and classifications No 8, 20 April 2017 | English |
| Megatrend digitalisation: a pivotal "game-changer" for developing countries No 7, 6 April 2017 | English |
| Transport Systems: Gender Matters! No 6, 23 March 2017 | English |
| The external debt levels of the poorest Sub-Saharan countries must be monitored closely No 5, 16 March 2017 | English |
| Mental Health: An emerging priority for development cooperation? No 4, 2 March 2017 | English |
| Megatrend globalisation: what is the role of developing countries? No 3, 9 February 2017 | English |
| What is behind China’s capital outflows? No 2, 9 February 2017 | English |
| The current weakness of many emerging markets evokes the concept of the middle income trap No 1, 26 January 2017 | English |
