Research on development cooperation and the private sector

Ethics at Work has supported Oxfam Novib with research on the links between Official Development Assistance (ODA) and private sector development. The focus of this work has been on the (lack of) evidence for the idea that financial assistance to private companies leads to poverty reduction in developing countries. For Oxfam Novib, we have also done research on the way governments account for and report on climate change finance. On the basis of our research, Oxfam Novib has published:

• A report that called on the Dutch government to combine a high development budget for agriculture with a solid strategy for resolving hunger by 2030, to scale up climate finance for adaptations in the agricultural sector, and to supply improved data on the impact of agricultural investments for each target group and gender.
• A briefing paper on the use of development aid funds to provide financial assistance to companies in the Netherlands and in developing countries.
• A study on Dutch finance for climate change mitigation and adaptation.