Forum for the Future of Aid - Domestic Resource Mobilisation

Un Nuevo marco regional

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:21:54 +0100

By Alberto Croce, Fundación SES

A menudo escuchamos y hablamos acerca de que América Latina está viviendo una etapa nueva que permite esperar un proceso de integración auspicioso, esperado y soñado por muchos desde hace muchas décadas. Por otra parte, también es necesario advertir que esto está surcado por múltiples contradicciones. ¿Qué hay detrás de este proceso? ¿Cuánto se asemeja al sueño de integración de la “Patria Grande”? ¿Dónde es posible advertir mayores avances? ¿Cómo identificar mejor las contradicciones y cómo enfrentarlas? Son preguntas tan difíciles como necesarias de intentar responder.
El presente artículo hace una revisión los temas más acuciantes que atraviesan la región en materia de integración, como ser la producción de materias primas básicas, superávits y estrategias financieras regionales, la carga de la deuda, las nuevas tendencias políticas, el tema migratorio, los movimientos sociales, etc.

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Good intentions aren’t enough (disponible también en Español)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:14:38 +0100

By Javier Gomez Aguilar and Juan Luis Espada Vedia

Just over six years since this Monterrey Consensus (MC), only weak and limited results have been achieved, given that the Millennium Development Goals are far from being reached by 2010 and that the financial fragility and vulnerability of our countries has again been brought to light in the last few years. This is made even more notorious due to the economic disturbances generated by the bigger world economies. Within this framework, it is important to note that the MC actions are not based on principals or axes which differ from the current development model. Neither does the mobility of resources that the MC promotes prioritize the financial strengthening of our States for their autonomous management. Rather they aim to generate conditions so as these States are receptors of transnational capital and that the “goodness” of international trade only deepens economic and social concentration and differentiation.
This article explores the economic model in Latin America and the mechanism for the mobilization of internal resource and international financial resources. It also presents critics and recommendations around issues related with International Aid, Debt, International trade and the Reform of the international financial system.

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Para leer el documento en Español haga click aquí

The Urgent Need for Financial Reform to Mobilise Savings in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:04:55 +0100

By Sedat Aybar and Costas Lapavitsas

A highly unsatisfactory mobilisation of savings by the liberalised financial systems of Sub-Saharan Africa has severely constrained investment and growth in the region. To a large degree, Sub-Saharan savings are directed towards non-financial assets and the informal financial sector because:
• one can demonstrate status and wealth this way
• the financial environment is typically risky
• there are few formal options
• minimum deposit and balance requirements as well as the time and administrative effort needed to access the formal sector are too high
The paper highlights the need of improvements in access, adequacy and reliability of financial assets as well as more effective public mechanisms to mobilise savings.

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Assessing Resource Mobilization and Management Strategies for MDGs in SADC

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:20:56 +0100

Author: Charles Mutasa, SARPN, June 2007

In this paper the author stresses the fact that while the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) goals is extremely dependent on financing sources, the capacity to absorb donor funds and implement projects in South African Development Community (SADC) is very limited.
Lack of absorptive capacity has lead to reduced financial support and the use of other channels for assisting regional cooperation. This contributes to SADC’s lack of harmonization and represents a setback to attaining the MDGs and sustainable development in general and tends to weaken aid effectiveness.
The paper explores alternative and additional resources from both domestic and external sources and discusses the challenges to resource mobilization.

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Innovative sources of financing for development: The Currency Transaction Tax

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:11:10 +0000

Author: Rodney Schmidt, North-South Institute

The Currency Transaction Tax (CTT) is one of the new mechanisms being considered by many governments, international institutions, and others to raise large amounts of independent, global, and stable monies. The revenues are to be used to finance international development and other projects addressing global issues, such as public health. This article argues that of the possible new sources of finance for development, the CTT is the most immediately practical and effective. It is safe and easy to implement, and can immediately raise at least US$ 33 billion of global, independent, and stable revenue each year. The CTT therefore appears to be the most immediate and effective new source of financing sought by the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development in 2002, and, since then, by the UN and the “Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development”.

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