This study sets out to examine state-society relations in Iraq through the conceptual lens of the social contract and also provides a starting point for deriving potential areas of activity for external actors, such as German development cooperation (DC) and technical cooperation (TC). These...

The European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) is a core element of EU development cooperation and reflects the EU's strong commitment to deploying blended finance and guarantees as development financing tools. This discussion paper examines the EU's intentions concerning how the...

Over the last two decades, national development agencies have committed to results-based approaches and to putting evidence at the centre of their decision-making. For evidence 'optimists', this is a much-needed corrective to past practice; in contrast, 'pessimists' worry about ideology...

In the past, both researchers and policymakers have often underlined the important role cities have to play in reaching the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meanwhile, city networks have become increasingly active in approaching international...

This paper explores the effects of globalisation on social cohesion outcomes and the underlying mechanisms. A framework for reviewing the literature is offered, in which labour earnings, household expenditures and firm productivity are identified as the main channels through which economic...

The concept and mainstream approaches of development cooperation (DC) have been criticised since the early beginning of their existence. Post-development (PD) scholars have been criticising international DC since 1990 for both its Western perspective and the lack of reflection on asymmetrical...

The Global Tax Expenditures Database (https://GTED.net/) collects national reports on tax expenditures for 101 countries for the period from 1990 to the present. Based on these data, the development of tax expenditures in the 38 OECD countries between 1999 and today is examined. A look at the...

In recent years, global production of plastics has surged and is expected to increase further over the following years, with over a quarter being attributed to plastic packaging. Plastic packaging poses environmental risks due to the fossil fuels consumed in its production and the impact on...

Green hydrogen - produced with renewable energy - is indispensable for the decarbonisation of economies, especially concerning 'hard-to-abate' activities such as the production of steel, cement and fertilisers as well as maritime transport and aviation. The demand for green hydrogen is therefore...

Socio-ecological transitions need to address the pressing challenges of our time, namely climate change mitigation and social development - including poverty and inequality reduction - in a complementary manner. The importance of achieving resilient and sustainable societies has been made more...