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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.
| 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 |
| Violent conflicts: The key role of social capital is often underestimated No 47, 22 December 2016 | English |
| 50 years of International Covenants on Human Rights: Where do we stand? No 46, 15 December 2016 | English |
| Access to finance: quantum leap through digital payment systems No 45, 8 December 2016 | English |
| New development research methods: machine learning No 44, 1 December 2016 | English |
| Impact monitoring: ICT-based methods create new opportunities No 43, 24 November 2016 | English |
| Results-based approaches in international development cooperation No 42, 17 November 2016 | English |
| Empowering the poor while increasing administrative efficiency: the double benefit of electronic identity systems No 41, 10 November 2016 | English |
| Innovations in insurance: protecting poor households in developing countries No 40, 3 November 2016 | English |
| Unconditional basic income: an instrument for reducing inequality? No 39, 27 October 2016 | English |
| Employment-intensive measures: rapid results with a double dividend No 38, 20 October 2016 | English |
| Megatrend demography: challenges of a growing global population No 37, 13 October 2016 | English |
| International migration: win-win solutions for countries of origin and destination No 36, 6 October 2016 | English |
| Keeping a watch on emerging market corporate debt No 35, 5 October 2016 | English |
| Prepared for the Expected: Insurance in Disaster Risk Management No 34, 22 September 2016 | English |
| PBL: an efficient instrument for supporting developing countries at an advanced stage No 33, 15 September 2016 | English |
| Cities as key actors of the Agenda 2030: more than just a buzzword No 32, 1 September 2016 | English |
| Gender equality: Vocational training can serve as a central lever No 31, 18 August 2016 | English |
| The current controversy between the FAO and NGOs regarding ‘climate-smart agriculture’ No 30, 11 August 2016 | English |
| First lessons learnt from the High-Level Political Forum on implementing the SDGs No 29, 28 July 2016 | English |
| What does Brexit mean for developing countries? No 28, 21 July 2016 | English |
| What links poverty, vulnerability and resilience? No 27, 14 July 2016 | English |
| “Zero-rating”: a tool for improving access to the Internet for the poor No 26, 07 June 2016 | English |
| Open data: Free access to data has social benefits No 25, 30 June 2016 | English |
| Internet of Things – hype or hope for developing countries? No 24, 22 June 2016 | English |
| Cities: pest and cholera? The challenges of urban healthcare No 23, 16 June 2016 | English |
| Gender and women's rights in Islam No 22, 8 June 2016 | English |
| Ageing in developing East Asia requires broad policy responses No 21, 09 June 2016 | English |
| Transitional aid: link between humanitarian aid and long-term development cooperation No 20, 25 May 2016 | English |
| Strengthening health systems – creating social and economic returns No 19, 19 May 2016 | English |
| SDG 10: Reducing inequalities – Concepts and approaches for development cooperation No 18, 12 May 2016 | English |
| Resource wealth: from curse to blessing? No. 17, 4 May 2016 | English |
| Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2015 dominated by refugee crisis No. 16, 28 April 2016 | English |
| Bitcoins – means of payment for the poor? No. 15, 21 April 2016 | English |
| Religious organisations as actors in official development cooperation No. 14, 14 April 2016 | English |
| Democracy under pressure No. 13, 7 April 2016 | English |
| How to ensure an ambitious implementation and monitoring of the SDGs? No. 12, 30th March 2016 | English |
| Water not only quenches thirst, it also creates jobs No. 11, 22nd March 2016 | English |
| Causes of flight and migration: a combination of structural factors and actual drivers No. 10, 17th March 2016 | English |
| Gender equality in the world of work: still plenty to do, despite progress! No. 9, 8th March 2016 | English |
| Challenges in the education sector: improving access and quality No. 8, 3rd March 2016 | English |
| Eradication of global poverty requires systematic focus on ultra-poor No 7, 25th February 2016 | English |
| The Economic Costs of War No 6, 18th February 2016 | English |
| How has the dependency of LDCs on ODA developed in recent years? No 5, 11th February 2016 | English |
| Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM): A new measure of poverty No 4, 4th February 2016 | English |
| The digital revolution – its potential and risks for sustainable development No 3, 27th January 2016 | Englisch |
| More aid for the least developed countries:The 0.2 % target for LDCs No. 2, 14th January 2016 | English |
| Sustainable financing for urban development No. 1, 6th January 2016 | English |
| What is behind the increase in the international poverty line from USD 1.25 to USD 1.90? No. 47, 17th December 2015 | English |
| Fight against tax loopholes – the BEPS action plan of the OECD No. 42, 25th November 2015 | English |
| Marine litter – the pollution of our seas No. 41, 18th November 2015 | English |
| Broadband infrastructure - Digital lifeline for sustainable development No. 39, 4th November 2015 | English |
| Poverty in old age – fast-growing problem for many developing countries No. 35, 6th October 2015 | English |
| Government bonds from developing countries: Potentials and risks No. 33, 10th September 2015 | English |
| Transnational Organised Crime (TOC): A challenge for development cooperation No. 30, 20th August 2015 | English |
| Net capital flows from developing to industrialised countries: is the world upside down? No. 28, 06th August 2015 | English |
| Impact investment – New money for development? No. 26, 15th July 2015 | English |
| Getting to Zero: Is Eradicating Extreme Poverty Until 2030 Achievable? No. 25, 8th July 2015 | English |
| Development finance – what role do public finances of partner countries play? No. 24, 2nd July 2015 | English |
| Sustainable development finance: Mobilisation of private capital No. 23, 25th June 2015 | English |
| Sustainable Development Finance: What Will The Conference In Addis Achieve? No. 22, 18th June 2015 | English |
| Urban mobility in developing countries: Too little space for too much traffic? No. 21, 2nd June 2015 | English |
| What The "Psychology Of Poverty" Means For International Development Cooperation No. 6, 18th February 2015 | English |
| Blanket Vaccination: Highly Effective, But Not Quite As Easy To Implement In Practice No. 5, 12th February 2015 | English |
| "TOSD": A New Measure For Official Development Finance No. 3. 28th January 2015 | English |
| Digital Divide – How Widespread Is Inequality In The Digital World? No. 2, 20th January 2015 | English |
| How Effective Is Budget Support? Results From Recent Evaluations No. 32, 13th November 2014 | English |
| The Convergence of Two Megatrends...Urbanisation and Climate Change No. 31, 5th November 2014 | English |
| Comparing China´s Foreign Assistance to DAC Donors No. 29, 22th October 2014 | English |
| Donor Fragmentation in Democracy Support has its Benefits No. 25, 25th September 2014 | English |
| The Century of the City - Risks and Opportunities of Urbanisation No. 24, 4th September 2014 | English |
| 2015: A Pivotal Year for International Cooperation No. 19, 10th July 2014 | English |
| More Than 50 Million Refugees Worldwide No. 18, 2nd July 2014 | English |
| Does Climate Change Increase the Risk of Intrastate Armed Conflict? No. 10, 31st March 2014 | English |
| Regulations and Standards of Human Rights in International Development Cooperation No. 7, 7th March 2014 | English |
| The "Science of Delivery" Approach of the World Bank - What is Behind it? No. 21, 5th December 2013 | English |
| E-Governance Helps Overcome Development Bottlenecks No. 19, 30th October 2013 | English |
| What are the Implications of the Planned US-EU Free Trade Agreement for Developing Countries? No. 18, 15th November 2013 | English |
| Nothing Comes from Nothing? The Effectiveness of Cash Transfer Programs No. 14, 24th September 2013 | English |
| Poor Labour Standards in LDCs - Causes and Possible Solutions No. 13, 30th August 2013 | English |
| How are the "New" Donors Changing the Rules of Development Cooperation? No. 10, 8th August 2013 | English |
| "Fracking": A Solution to the Energy Problem for Emerging Countries? No. 6, 11th June 2013 | English |
| Do new Donor Countries Use Different Criteria When Allocating Aid? No. 5, 24th of April 2013 | English |
| Innovations in Developing and Emerging Countries No. 4, 19th of March 2013 | English |
| Are there Synergies between MDGs? No. 3, 11th of March 2013 | English |
| Triangular Cooperation: A Model for Success or a Flop? No. 2, 15th of February 2013 | English |
| Loans versus Grants in Development Cooperation? Mainly a Question of Efficiency No. 14, 20th of September 2011 | English |
Focus on Development
The series "Focus on Development" contains in-depth background analyses on development topics. The texts are limited to around three to four pages per topic. With this series, KfW Development Bank offers balanced information as a contribution to shaping opinion.
The publications can be downloaded as a PDF and are available in German and some in English.
| China’s rapid rise affects other developing and emerging countries at various levels No 5, 4 May 2017 | English |
| With good politics, sub-Saharan Africa can make up more lost ground No 4, 9 August 2016 | English |
| 2015: A Pivotal Year for International Cooperation No 3, 10 July 2014 | English |
| The Influence of Culture on Economic Development - New Research Findings No 2, 29 January 2014 | English |
| Ethnic Inequality as a Fundamental Obstacle to Development: Problems and Approaches No 8, 14 November 2013 | English |
| China's Development Finance to Africa – Risks and Opportunities for DAC Donors No 7, 16 September 2013 | English |
| Resource Efficiency in Developing and Emerging Countries No 5, 17 June 2013 | English |
| Youth in Developing Countries: A Generation Looking for Work No 4, 29 May 2013 | English |
| The ODA Concept - What Will Happen after 2015? No 3, 9 April 2013 | English |
| Development Cooperation - Between Rejectionist and Reform-oriented Criticism No 2, 8 March 2013 | English |
| The World is Making Progress! An Assessment of Development Successes No 1, 8 March 2013 | English |
| Official Development Assistance (ODA) - Is the Concept Still in Step With the Times? No 7, 29 October 2012 | English |
| An Overview of Innovative Financial Instruments Used to Raise Funds for International Development No 5, 14 August 2012 | English |
| Budget Aid - Does it Help to Improve Development Cooperation? Rwanda - a Case in Point November 2008 | English |
Studies and Proceedings
With its series "Studies and Proceedings", KfW Development Bank provides a place to access publications in different formats, be they individual scientific studies, collections of articles on an issue or conference proceedings.
The documents can be downloaded as a PDF mostly in English language.
| Employment effects of road construction and access-to-energy interventions – Evidence from a review of the literature October 2014 | English |
| Interventions for employment creation in micro, small and medium sized enterprises in low and middle income countries – A systematic review July 2014 | English |
| Social protection: an effective and sustainable investment in developing countries June 2014 | English |
| Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Upgrading in India - Learning from Success Cases October 2013 | English |
| Promotion of Employment through Financial Cooperation – Overview and Sectoral Approaches March 2013 | English |
| Employment and Development in the Developing World September 2012 | English |
| Employment and Development - What Do We Know and What Can We Do? August 2012 | English |
| New Developments in National and International Poverty Measurement: Promise, Limits, and Applicability for different Development Actors July 2012 | English |
| The Trade Implications of Aid Instruments and Tying Practices January 2010 | English |
Views on Development
With its "Views on Development" publication, KfW offers renowned development researchers a forum for personal opinions about current development policy issues. The quality and originality of the content of these articles enrich the development policy debate.
The series can be downloaded as a PDF and is available in German and (mostly) in English.
| Extreme inequality is an assault on democracy Prof Kaushik Basu No 3, 1 September 2016 | English |
| Rising inequality in developing countries: what can be done? Prof Stephan Klasen No 2, 4 August 2016 | English |
| Shaping the landscape of development finance institutions - World Bank reform as another component of a new world order? Dr Helmut Reisen and Dr Jürgen Zattler No 1, 21st January 2016 | English |
| SDG - A Disservice to the World's Poorest Prof Stephan Klasen No 3, 22nd September 2015 | English |
| The 2030 Agenda – An Opportunity For Strengthening International Cooperation Prof Dr Dirk Messner and Dr Imme Scholz No 2, 17th September 2015 | English |
| Multidimensional Poverty in the Post-2015 SDGs Prof Sabina Alkire and Prof John Hammock No. 1, 8th January 2015 | English |
| The Renaissance of Public Entrepreneurship: Governing Development Finance in a Transforming World Jiajun Xu and Richard Carey No. 1, 15th April 2014 | English |
| Is Africa Rising? Why Excessive Optimism is Misplaced Jiajun Xu and Richard Carey No 8, 2nd December 2013 | English |
| Africa on the Rise Prof Fulbert Amoussouga Géro und Dr Alastaire Alinsato No 7, 2nd December 2013 | English |
| Low Labour Standards as a Global Competitive Advantage of the South? Dr Alejandro Donado and Prof Dr. Klaus Wälde No 6, 28th October 2013 | English |
| How to Make the Most of Science and Technology Investments in Developing Countries Prof Julia Lane No 5, 26th September 2013 | English |
| Does Aid Discourage Domestic Revenue Mobilization? Prof Oliver Morrissey No 4, 22th July 2013 | English |
| Effects of the Euro Crisis on Developing Countries: Risks and Future Challenges Dr Kathrin Berensmann, Prof Helmut Reisen, Dr Ulrich Volz No 3, 9th of July 2013 | English |
| Decent Work in a Post-2015 Development Agenda J-Prof Jann Lay and Dr Sebastian Prediger No 2, 8th of May 2013 | English |
| We Need New Ways to Make Innovation Work for Development Prof Melissa Leach No 1, 22th of March 2013 | English |
| How to Move on From Rio? – Strengthening Investments in the Global Energy Turnaround Prof Dirk Messner No 9, 10th of October 2012 | English |
| Millennium Development Goals Post-2015: What to Do? Prof Stephan Klasen No 8, 14th of September 2012 | English |
| Why the Promise of "Green Growth" Would be Illusory Without a Climate Protection Agreement to Go With it Prof Ottmar Edenhofer and Michael Jakob No 6, 1st of June 2012 | English |
| Demystifying the Chinese Economy Prof Justin Yifu Lin No 5, 16th of May 2012 | English |
| Challenges for Multilateral Development Cooperation Prof Helmut Reisen No 4, 4th of May 2012 | English |
| Subjective and Objective Measures of Poverty: Utility and Pitfalls Prof Anirudh Krishna No 3, 28th of March 2012 | English |
| Results Based Financing: The ‘Health Impact Fund’ as an Example for Smart Pro-Poor Innovations Prof Thomas Pogge No 1, 16th of January 2012 | English |
| Migration and Development: More Opportunities than Risks Marcus Böhme, Dr Toman Omar Mahmoud and Prof Rainer Thiele No 8, 8th of December 2011 | English |
| It's Time to Scale up Success in Development Assistance Johannes F. Linn, Ph.D. No 7, 21st of October 2011 | English |
| The End of ODA - Death and Rebirth of a Global Public Policy Jean-Michel Severino and Olivier Ray No 5, 6th of October 2011 | English |
| Is Africa developing? The Need for a Paradigm Shift Prof Patrick Chabal No 4, 4th of August 2011 | English |
| The Fight Against HIV/AIDS Must be Brought into Balance Prof Michael Grimm and Deena M. Class No 3, 24th of June 2011 | English |
| Migration as a Tool for Development Policy: The Need for Caution! Prof Ronald Skeldon No 2, 20th of May 2011 | English |
| Growth is Not Enough: Alternative Paths to Human Development Prof Frances Stewart and Prof. Gustav Ranis No 1, 14th of February 2011 | English |
