Discussion Paper

Discussion Paper are short research papers which are directed at different research target groups. These papers deal in general with concrete and stringently collected topics. They often discuss interim findings on research projects, theses, evaluation and political reports. Discussion Paper can be downloaded for free on the website of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) or ordered at a price of € 6.00. Please contact our publication department by mail or e-mail.

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483 results Displaying results 1 to 20 of 483.

Social protection and coloniality: learning from the past and present: framework paper

Roelen, Keetie / Roosa Lambin / Arsène Brice Bado / Thaís de Carvalho / Julia Chukwuma / Kevin Deane / Winnie C. Muangi (2025)
Discussion Paper 21/2025

Across low and middle-income countries, social protection continues to be shaped by the effects of colonialism. This paper analyses how social protection across Africa is characterised by colonial legacy and postcolonial influence and how this intersects with countries’ own interests and priorities.

Social protection and coloniality: learning from the past and present: Tanzania case study

Lambin, Roosa / Winnie C. Muangi (2025)
Discussion Paper 20/2025

Mainland Tanzania grapples with colonial legacies, donor influence, and structural exclusions in its social protection arrangements. This Discussion Paper reveals how external influences and domestic factors intersect to shape an evolving social protection landscape.

Social protection and coloniality: learning from the past and present: Côte d’Ivoire case study

Lambin, Roosa / Arsène Brice Bado (2025)
Discussion Paper 19/2025

How do colonial legacies, external policy agendas, and domestic ambition shape social protection in Francophone West Africa? This new case study on Côte d’Ivoire explores how external and domestic forces have contributed to social protection formation both historically and today.

Corporate Social Responsibility imperatives in the Moroccan textile-clothing sector: the ways of implementation and impact on local value chains

Benabdeljlil, Nadia / Lamia Kerzazi (2025)
Discussion Paper 18/2025

Do CSR standards spread to downstream local manufacturers? The authors of this Discussion Paper conduct surveys with the different stakeholders in the Moroccan textile value chain to answer this question.

From mines to markets: gravity model insights on critical raw material trade

Stender, Frederik / Tim Vogel (2025)
Discussion Paper 17/2025

This paper applies the gravity model of trade to examine how OECD countries leverage Aid for Trade (AfT), Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) to influence CRM imports from developing countries.

Public expenditure efficiency and foreign direct investment in developing countries

Bambe, Bao-We-Wal / Adama Ouedraogo (2025)
Discussion Paper 16/2025

Using a panel of 100 developing countries from 1990 to 2017, we find robust evidence that improvements in public expenditure efficiency significantly increase FDI inflows. This effect is complementary to institutional quality, per capita income, and binding fiscal frameworks such as fiscal rules.

Social cohesion in the context of environmental/climate-related internal displacement in Ghana

Susan S. Ekoh / Charles Martin-Shields / Carolin Kitzmann / Nina Küssau / Mario Pfeffer / Merle Platen / Theresa Reinel / Mary Boatemaa Setrana / Johnson Wilson Appiah Kubi / Stella Effah (2025)
Discussion Paper 15/2025

The impacts of climate change are leading to forced displacement of populations to cities. This Discussion Paper explores how climate and environmental related displacements affect social cohesion in the city of Accra, Ghana, and offers recommendations for how to respond to these challenges.

Social cohesion in the context of the Venezuelan displacement to Colombia

López Villamil, Stephanie (2025)
Discussion Paper 14/2025

The Colombian government’s response to the Venezuelan crisis has largely been lauded for its efforts to support displaced people through granting legal residency. This Discussion Paper provides context-specific findings that deepen understanding of social cohesion in displacement contexts.

Overcoming silos for One Health: key determinants of One Health governance platforms in low- and lower middle-income countries

Strupat, Christoph / Sandul Yasobant / Srinivasa Srigiri / Saravanan Subramanian (2025)
Discussion Paper 13/2025

This Discussion Paper addresses a critical gap in One Health governance literature by providing a comprehensive review of cross-sectoral One Health governance platforms in low and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) across Asia and Africa.

Financing for development: from Monterrey to Seville

Klingebiel, Stephan / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann (eds.) (2025)
Discussion Paper 12/2025

The UN Financing for Development (FfD) process, including the Fourth FfD Conference (FfD4) in Seville in 2025, is key to fostering global cooperation in the context of current geopolitical tensions and multiple crises. This paper provides meaningful input for FfD4 by exploring innovative approaches.

How to deal with the current debt crisis of developing countries?

Zattler, Jürgen (2025)
Discussion Paper 11/2025

This paper presents a practical and coherent approach to address the current debt crisis which focuses as far as possible on incentives for debtor countries and private creditors.

Carbon leakage through supply chain adjustments

Wang, Hanyi (2025)
Discussion Paper 10/2025

The study examines the relocation of carbon-intensive industries to less regulated countries, particularly countries in the Global South, as part of global value chains.

Local feminist perspectives as transformation levers for greater gender equality: synthesis study

Götze, Jacqueline / Stephan Klingebiel / Maryam Khalid (2025)
Discussion Paper 9/2025

Local feminist perspectives have the potential to act as transformation levers for greater gender equality by producing context-specific alternative approaches to development processes that address prevailing gender norms and practices.

Local feminist perspectives as transformative levers: women’s health and climate action in India

Sengupta, Sreerupa / Divya Singhal / Ananya Chakraborty (2025)
Discussion Paper 8/2025

Local feminist perspectives from India offer a transformative lens for addressing systemic inequalities in health and climate action, centering on the need for intersectional, community-led and collaborative approaches.

Local feminist perspectives as transformation levers for sustainable development in Ukraine in the context of ongoing defence

Strelnyk, Olena / Liudmyla Yuzva / Tamara Zlobina (2025)
Discussion Paper 7/2025

Local feminist perspectives from Ukraine underscore the persistence of gender-transformative policies during the defensive war, revealing the impact of feminist action on social change, along with its successes, challenges, and limitations in shaping sustainable feminist policies.

Feminists’ perspectives as transformative levers in Ghana

Ohemeng, Fidelia N. A. / Deda Ogum / Deborah Tayo Akakpo / Dorcas Coker-Appiah (2025)
Discussion Paper 6/2025

Local feminist perspectives from Ghana highlight significant strides toward gender equality, showcasing advocacy, coalition-building, and collaboration as key strategies to drive gender-transformative policies and sustainable development.

Intersecting constraints: exploring labour market barriers for urban women in Sub-Sahara Africa

Stöcker, Alexander (2025)
Discussion Paper 5/2025

What’s holding women back in urban labor markets in Benin, Senegal, Uganda & Zambia? This study reveals how education, norms, motherhood & local job markets shape female employment. Tailored policies can unlock progress—see how context matters! #WomenInWorkforce #GenderEquality #SSAResearch

Trump’s assault on foreign aid: implications for international development cooperation

Haug, Sebastian / Anna Novoselova / Stephan Klingebiel (2025)
Discussion Paper 4/2025

The USA have long been a leading force in development cooperation. However, the first weeks of the second Trump administration have called the role of the US into question. The paper outlines the extant role of the US as a donor and reviews the changes announced and implemented by the US government.

Macroprudential policies and private domestic investment in developing countries: an instrumental variables approach

Bambe, Bao-We-Wal (2025)
Discussion Paper 3/2025

Using a panel of 87 developing countries from 2000 to 2017 and applying the instrumental variables strategy, we find that the tightening of macroprudential policies significantly reduces private domestic investment, via a reduction in credit supply and financial inclusion.

From polarisation to autocratisation: the role of information pollution in Brazil's democratic erosion

Breuer, Anita (2025)
Discussion Paper 2/2025

Exploring the complex links between disinformation, polarisation, and autocratisation in Brazil, this paper offers holistic insights into root causes across media, political, institutional, and social contexts, with actionable policy recommendations to safeguard democracy.