We focus on an issue that appears particularly relevant for fragile states and which has received little attention: social institutions related to gender inequality, defined as societal practices and legal norms that frame gender roles and the distribution of power between men and women in the...

The year 2005 marks an important juncture for development as the international community takes stock of implementation of the Millennium Declaration-signed by 189 countries in 2000-and discusses how progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be accelerated. The MDGs set clear...

In this chapter, the authors examine the impact of foreign aid on eight development targets capturing poverty, education, extreme hunger, gender equality, child mortality, maternal mortality, prevalence of HIV and access to portable water. Findings show that an increase in net Official...

In this chapter, the authors advance discussions on the relevance of social protection as discussed in the literature and proceed to examine if social protection has played a role in achieving the progress made towards the MDGs. They argue that despite anecdotal evidence promoting social...