CMI Briefs

Policies aimed at boosting the interaction and cooperation of economic actors in industrial clusters might represent a crucial strategy for industrial upgrading and development in poor countries. This policy brief...

At the time of independence, India used protective law to address fears that its tribal majority regions would be marginalized vis-a-vis the larger, more developed states of the new nation. The ‘Sixth...

In President Xi Jinping’s first public speech on African soil after taking office in Tanzania 25 March 2013, his reference to a popular Chinese soap opera drew large applause and laughter: “The...

This is the first of a series of policy briefs relating to a research project, “The Ethnography of a Divided City: Socio-politics, Poverty and Gender in Maputo, Mozambique” (2012–2015), funded by the Norwegian...

Este é o primeiro de uma série de sínteses sobre políticas relacionadas com um projecto de investigação, “A Etnografia de uma Cidade Dividida: Socio-política, Pobreza e Género em Maputo, Moçambique” (2012–2015), financiado...

Millennium Development Goal number 5 (MDG 5) aims to reduce maternal mortality. In this brief we argue that, in the current global context more rigorous research focusing on the legal...

Six years of impressive economic growth and classical poverty reduction policies in Mozambique have demonstrated the limited extent to which this has ‘trickled down’ to the local level – with the country...

Despite severe structural political and economic constraints, people in the District of Buzi in central Mozambique have seen small but important improvements in their socio-economic conditions between 2008 and 2011. In addition...

Christian Palestinians constitute one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, and their presence in Palestine dates back to the Roman Era. In modern times, they have been instrumental in shaping a...

The Norwegian development research community is growing and thriving, but some of the old tensions with policy making remain.

Microbusiness can be an effective way out of poverty. Returns to capital for microbusinesses in poor rural areas can be so high that people with microbusinesses can double and even...

This brief assesses the impact of transitional justice mechanisms on peace and democracy. Based on four case studies from Africa and Latin America, it argues that the expected positive effects...

There is a healthcare crisis in India. Health indicators are dismal. 25% of the world’s maternal deaths every year, occur in India. 47% of all children in India are underweight....

The people of the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin in Argentina live in one of the most polluted places on earth. They suffer from severe health problems, and claim it is because...

The monumental building of the Parliament of Bangladesh is retracted in a park in the heart of Dhaka, and gives the impression of a powerful institution. In constitutional terms, it...

In the forty years since independence Bangladesh has rotated between electoral democracy and military rule, and between parliamentary and presidential system of government. The frequent systemic changes have hindered the...

During the last decade many Latin American countries have resorted to mano dura (iron fist) politics and militarisation to combat crime, drugs and subversion. The high number of killed, injured...

Guatemala suffers from high levels of undernourishment and malnutrition despite a strong political commitment to the right to food. Yet, there is an absence of food rights litigation. This brief...

Tanzania has one of the lowest health worker ratios in the world. It is the rural areas that suffer the most. The geographical imbalance represents a serious problem for the delivery of...

A study of diagnostic effort documents low worker effort in both churchbased and government health facilities. Despite a strong perception among patients about good medical quality in church-based health clinics, health workers in...