Inequality in Human Development: An Empirical Assessment of 32 Countries

One of the most frequent critiques of the HDI is that is does not take into account inequality within countries in its three dimensions. In this paper, we apply a simply approach to compute the three components and the overall HDI for quintiles of the income distribution. This allows a comparison of the level in human development of the poor with the level of the non-poor within countries, but also across countries. This is an application of the method presented in Grimm et al. (World Development 36(12):2527–2546, 2008) to a sample of 21 low and middle income countries and 11 industrialized countries. In particular the inclusion of the industrialized countries, which were not included in the previous work, implies to deal with a number of additional challenges, which we outline in this paper. Our results show that inequality in human development within countries is high, both in developed and industrialized countries. In fact, the HDI of the lowest quintiles in industrialized countries is often below the HDI of the richest quintile in many middle income countries. We also find, however, a strong overall negative correlation between the level of human development and inequality in human development.

Demographers do not see a ‘clash of civilizations’

The article is a review of Le Rendez-vous des civilisations by Youssef Courbage and Emmanuel Todd (2007) and has been published in issue 12 of The Broker, the bimonthly magazine of the Foundation for International Development Publications (IDP) in Leiden, the Netherlands. This article is published within the framework of the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, which aims to disseminate and integrate knowledge on roles and responsibilities for democratization through Civil Society Actors (CSAs) in Iran and Syria. Demographic data suggest that the world is not facing a ‘clash of civilizations’ between the Muslim and western world, according to Youssef Courbage and Emmanuel Todd. In their book, Courbage and Todd compare trends in Islamic nations with those of other countries. Parts of the Muslim world show a certain lag in the increase of literacy, a decline in the number of children born per couple, changing gender roles and shifting political ideologies. The overall pattern, however, is not much different from other parts of the world. The demographic development of Tunisia and Iran, for example, does no longer differ from that of France.

Strengthening citizen agency through ICT: an extrapolation for Eastern Africa

Since the late 1990s, the prospect of using ICT (Information Communication Technologies) to improve accountability, transparency, access to information, and monitoring authorities has attracted general optimism. However, early hopes that e-initiatives would be the panacea of all the problems have given way to more modest claims. An aspect that has not received much attention so far is the use of ICT in support to citizen agency; to involve and inform communities and interact with and influence authorities. There are quite a few examples of successful smaller projects in this realm, also in developing countries. But new emerging technologies (e.g. mobile phones) create new momentum for strengthening citizen agency at larger scale. This paper focuses on the how ICT is already being used for this, and where the possibilities for the future lie.

Beyond an Enemy Perception: Unpacking and Engaging the Private Sector

This article gives three reasons why development scholars concerned with civil society should move beyond an enemy perception of the private sector. First, private entrepreneurs are important social actors in development, possessing a variety of motivations and behaviours which defy monolithic perceptions. Second, entrepreneurs — active and retired — are moving away from passive charity and become active participants in civil society and in international development co-operation. Third, private sector discourses about development need to be unpacked and critically confronted. Here we examine the case for Corporate Social Responsibility: we conclude that established enemy perceptions block learning about and from the private sector. The private sector should be both welcomed and critically engaged, and that requires established civil society thinkers to re-examine the accuracy of their perceptions about the behaviour of private sector actors.

The nuances of development: A review of David Mosse’s Cultivating Development

Hivos Annual Report 2007

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation whose work is based on humanist values. Together with local civil society organisations in developing countries Hivos wants to contribute to the creation of a free, fair and sustainable world: a world in which citizens – women and men – have equal access to resources and opportunities for development. In which they are able to take an active and equal part in the decisionmaking processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

The Contemporary Paradox of Long-term Planning for Social-Ecological Change and its Effects on the Discourse-Practice Divide: Evidence from Southern Africa

The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Project between South Africa and Lesotho aims to bring about positive social-ecological change in and around the Maloti-Drakensberg mountain ecosystem in Southern Africa. To this effect, the project has developed a long-term 20-year planning strategy that has to coordinate all involved actors – and their actions - until 2028. Although it cannot predict the success of this planning strategy for the future, the paper describes and analyses the run-up to the strategy, which itself has lasted well over two decades. By combining critical ‘outside’ research on with practical ‘inside’ experience in the project, the paper argues that governing contemporary social-ecological change is severely challenged by two main fundamental paradoxes: first, the fuelling of short-term dynamics by neoliberal pressures on conservation/development interventions; and second, the increasing gap between discourse and practice. This is then taken as a starting point to empirically illustrate the mutual influence discourse and practice have on each other and how professionals within a large intervention deal with this in the framework of long-term conservation and development planning.

Food, Feed and Fuels; Consequences of land use change patterns for the livelihoods of marginalised people in the South

Many recent trends threaten to reframe global policies on agriculture. These trends include climate change, rapid urbanization, economic growth, increasing meat in the global diet, and decreasing purchasing power of the poor. Recently, rising oil prices, harvest failures, animal diseases and low levels of stock have colluded with the longer-term trends to push food and feed prices upward, bringing the topic of agricultural policies to the fore. From mid-2007 to early 2008 Hivos partnered with Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to assess the state of knowledge on competing food, feed and fuels pressures on land use. The goal was to delineate knowledge needs in the field of sustainable economic development with a special focus on the economic position of marginalized groups. This publication showcases the results of this knowledge survey.

Local Development, Global Value Chains and Latecomer Development

Conclusion

Divided into three thematic parts to guide the reader, this important volume documents the development and implementation of refugee policy in South Africa over a 10-year period from 1996 until 2006. In doing so, it addresses issues of detention, gender, children and health as well as welfare policies for refugees. The contributions, all written by academics and practitioners of refugee protection, vividly illustrate the tangible shifts and concerns of a process that is not only aimed at establishing policies and legislation but also practices concerning refugees.

Realising Rights: The Development Of Health And Welfare Policies For Asylum-Seekers And Refugees In South Africa

There is currently no coherent government policy dealing with health and welfare service provision for refugees and asylum-seekers. In addition, there is no central point of contact where asylum-seekers and refugees can turn for information or for service provision. This chapter reports the findings of a UNHCR-commissioned study that begins to provide some background to address these policy and service provision gaps. This chapter and the underlying study specifically focus on the provision of health and welfare services for refugees and asylum-seekers.

Refugee Status Determination Procedures In South African Law

This chapter critically investigates the South African procedures for determining refugee status that were in force from 1994 until the 1 April 2000 implementation of refugee legislation, as well as the intended changes to these procedures introduced by the Refugees Act 130 of 1998. After a brief historical overview of its development, Part I sets out an understanding of how the administrative system of refugee status determination operated during the period from 1994 to 2000.1 Part II then closely examines this system – which we term the centralised bureaucratic model – and develops an argument for an alternative, decentralised model of refugee determination based on individualised refugee determination hearings. From 1996, the refugee rights community offered a version of this decentralised hearing-based model in advocating for the refugee status determination system that was eventually adopted in the Refugees Act 130 of 1998. Part III then examines the provisions of the Refugees Act relating to refugee status determination procedures, as well as the subsequent implementing regulations. It argues that, properly interpreted in terms of a decentralised hearings-based model, the Act represents an important step forward in South African refugee protection.

Talking A New Talk: A Legislative History Of The Refugees Act 130 Of 1998

This chapter does not write the legislative history of the Refugees Act 130 of 1998 but rather a legislative history. The scope of this chapter extends only to relatively formal developments, such as the drafting of legislation and official policy documents, although we have supplemented these with other background materials as available. We argue that the legislative history of the Refugees Act demonstrates that non-state actors made a major contribution in establishing both the form and the content of legislation on refugee protection separate from migration policy in South Africa. Through this process as well as its result (the first South African Parliamentary statute), a new subject was inserted into the South African policy arena: refugee protection.

Development between nuance and neo-liberalism

Development despite Modest Growth in the Middle East

The Middle Eastern region is a major supplier of the world#039;s energy. It is also characterised by conflict, and is the focus of global geo-political interest both because of oil and the volatile nature of disputes in the region, which are perceived to have far reaching global security implications. Would we expect such a region to prosper? On the one hand, the answer should be affirmative on account of natural resource wealth, but on the other hand it could be negative due to the presence of conflict and the potential resource rent mismanagement. The actual record is somewhere in the middle. I argue that the region has made substantial progress in human development in spite of modest growth rates, which is related to the region#039;s cultural heritage with a low tolerance for poverty and inequality. Its outcome based institutional development is not unimpressive, which bodes well for long-term growth prospects. Additionally, recent oil rents have not been mismanaged. More, however, needs to be done to foster economic diversification and diminish dependence on natural resources.

Buzzing too far? The ideological echo of global governance concepts on the local level: the case of the Mafungautsi Forest in Zimbabwe

This article critically examines the effects of global development buzzwords on the local level. Familiar examples are: empowerment, participation, capacity building, good governance and sustainable development. The article presents the findings of a highly exceptional but therefore very suitable case: a community-based forestry project in the Mafungautsi State Forest in Zimbabwe. This project used the same buzzwords throughout its two phases from 1994 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2003, but with remarkably different outcomes per phase. Only when the first donor left in 1999, owing to Zimbabwe becoming an international pariah, was there space for another donor to reconceptualise the same buzzwords on different premises, leading to more positive outcomes. The article concludes that, although rare in today#039;s donor driven target culture, locally appropriate and critical operationalisation of buzzwords is possible even if, or perhaps when, it takes place under unthinkable circumstances.

Hivos Annual Report 2006

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Linking Neoprotectionism and Environmental Governance: On the Rapidly Increasing Tensions between Actors in the Environment-Development Nexus

There are rapidly increasing tensions between actors engaged in the governance of environment and natural resources in Africa. This becomes clear when reviewing current trends in the conservation-development debate and combining these insights with trends in environmental governance, most especially the commodification of ‘nature’ under pressures of neoliberalism. Our argument starts by showing how the conservation-development debate has become polarised due to increasing criticism of community-based approaches to nature conservation and how these unfold in terms of value and scale. We argue that the strong sense of urgency involved in this neoprotectionist turn amongst conservation practitioners has been reciprocated by an equally strong reply from community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) advocates, thereby further straining the choices that must be made with respect to conservation practice. Through a discussion of the current neoliberal turn in environmental governance, we suggest that the potential of actors to promote divergent and ambiguous values in policy and practice across scale has increased over the past decade and will continue to do so. This, in turn, may lead to environmental governance that favours the ‘sustained’ polarisation of actors’ priorities in research and policy concerning

Whims of the Winds of Time? Emerging Trends in Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Area Management

This article reviews narratives and trends in biodiversity conservation and protected area (PA) management and examines contestations within and among them in the light of developments within the global political economy. Its argument starts with the assumption that trends in biodiversity conservation and PA management are, in large part, determined by global political and economic developments. The global political economy determines how both policy issues inherent to the conservation and development debate need to continuously be re-operationalised in order to remain politically acceptable. This argument is used to identify three recent trends in conservation, which we have termed ‘neoliberal conservation’, ‘bioregional conservation’ and ‘hijacked conservation’. By illustrating these trends with empirical data from eastern and southern Africa, we aim to enhance the understanding and appreciation of macrosocial, economic and political dynamics— both constraints and opportunities—that impinge on conservation and development. In turn, this understanding could contribute to a better ‘manoeuvrability’ for the management and success of more technical initiatives that aim to improve conservation of biodiversity and PA management.

Women Unlimited: Hivos policy document Gender women amp; development

Women Unlimited is Hivos third GWamp;D policy document. It responds to the current challenges and new momentum in a changed and changing world, and notably, in the context of international co-operation. It reflects new priorities, strategies and focus. It is based on lessons learned in the course of implementing the previous GWamp;D policies. Hivos’ vision on the root causes of poverty and gender inequality has not fundamentally changed. Unequal access to and control over material and non-material resources result in unequal participation of women in decision-making processes that shape their lives and opportunities.

Hivos Annual Report 2005

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Social Capital for Industrial Development: Operationalizing the concept

Land and resources in a transfrontier setting: The case of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project

Amongst the many initiatives in legislative and policy change affecting land and common property resource management in southern Africa today, transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) seem particularly prominent because of their massive scale, huge political and donor support and the many (rural) livelihoods they are likely to affect. In general, TFCAs are large conservation and development areas across international borders that involve different land-use options such as biodiversity and cultural heritage conservation, range management and community-based natural resource management areas. These different land-use options also make for different legal and practical ownership arrangements in one TFCA, such as private, state-owned or common property management. This policy brief examines issues of legislative and policy change affecting land management and common property resource management brought forth by one specific TFCA: the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area between Lesotho and South Africa.

Making Civil Voices Heard: Media, Information and Communication for Development Programme 2005 - 2008

The Media, Information and Communication for Development (MIC) programme will empower citizens in developing countries – especially the poor and marginalized and their organisations – to express their voices and make them heard. The programme will enable access to information and communication resources that can help improve livelihoods and stimulate other development opportunities. The programme will also open up and broaden opportunities for a free flow of information, for networking and sharing knowledge and for public and democratic spaces for political debate and participation. Making Civil Voices Heard is divided in 5 main components and respective purposes: Strategic use of ICTs among Hivos partners Knowledge sharing opportunities among Hivos partners, New Media (civil media amp; communication platforms, Lobby for inclusive and human rights based ICT amp; Media policies, Research and innovation.

Hivos Annual Report 2004

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Peace parks in Southern Africa: bringers of an African Renaissance?

The pursuit of an African Renaissance has become an important aspect of regional cooperation between South Africa and its neighbours. Transfrontier conservation areas, or ‘Peace Parks’ as they are popularly called, have been identified as key instruments to promote the African Renaissance dream, and are increasingly advocated and justified on this basis. By fostering joint conservation (and tourism) development in Southern Africa#039;s marginalised border regions, Peace Parks are claimed to further international peace, regional cooperation and poverty reduction, and thus serve basic ideals of the African Renaissance. This article critically explores this assumption. Using the joint South African-Mozambican-Zimbabwean Great Limpopo Park as a case study, it argues that in reality the creation of Peace Parks hardly stimulates and possibly even undermines the realisation of the African Renaissance ideals of regional cooperation, emancipation, cultural reaffirmation, sustainable economic development and democratisation. So far, their achievement has been severely hindered by domination of national interests, insufficient community consultation, and sensitive border issues such as the illegal flows of goods and migrants between South Africa and neighbouring countries. Furthermore, exacerbation of inter-state differences induced by power imbalances in the region, and harmonisation of land use and legal systems across boundaries, are increasingly becoming sources of conflict and controversy. Some of these problems are so severe, we conclude, that they might eventually even undermine support for African Renaissance as a whole. Utmost care is thus required to optimally use the chances that Peace Parks do offer in furthering an African Renaissance.

Conjunctions of Governance: The State and the Conservation-development Nexus in Southern Africa

From the fortress conservation paradigm in the 1960s and 1970s to the community based conservation paradigm of the 1980s and 1990s, the ideological linkage of people and conservation of natural resources in Africa seemed to have progressed towards local ownership and local management. At present, however, it looks as though the limits of community ownership over natural resources have been reached. According to powerful actors on the conservation scene, local people in Africa have not been able to effectively conserve their wildlife and biodiversity and thus – in their view - a more enforcing style of conservation, separated from local people, is needed again. Although this trend is still in its infancy, it is promoted with rigour and backed by substantial financial means. In this paper, we use the changing discourse in the environment-development nexus as a starting point to examine issues of governance and power over the conjunction of natural resources management and development in Southern Africa, with a special focus on the role of the state. By drawing on a case study whereby different states jointly try to manage the conservation-development nexus, here the case of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, we are able to better situate the role of the Southern African state within this nexus. We conclude that the way states are trying to govern transfrontier parks is not in par with the way processes of governance unfold themselves nowadays under the influence of the forces of globalisation and localisation. If Southern African states are to retain any control over the direction that the conservation-development nexus in Southern Africa will take in practice, they need to adapt to the current international governance climate, and they need to adapt fast. With Southern Africa’s history of enormous social disadvantages in relation to conservation, states just cannot afford to be bypassed by a resurgence of that same history.

Economic Dimensions of Autonomy and the Right to Development in Tibet

Mali: Rewriting the Mining Code or Redefining the Role of the State?

Hivos Policy Document on Sustainable Economic Development

In its attempts to address the cycle of access, representation and decision making, Hivos has become specialised in two main policy domains: Civil Society Building (CSB) and Economy and Sustainable Development (ESD). Civil society building focuses on the reinforcement of and conditions for inclusive and democratic decision-making. This policy domain is based on the idea that inclusive decision-making is a human right, as laid down in international treaties and national legislation. The policy domain of civil society building uses what is called a rights-based approach. The present policy paper focuses on the second main policy domain at Hivos: Economy and Sustainable Development. This domain focuses on the economic aspects of development within the perspective of social and ecological sustainability. Activities implemented within this policy have one main target group: poor and marginalised groups in developing countries. Given that this group is integrated in the market to a considerable extent, this policy domain and the present policy paper use a market-based approach. Many issues in the policy area “Economy and Sustainable Development” have an important civil society building or empowerment component. This paper discusses issues from a market perspective.

Hivos Annual Report 2003

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Hivos Annual Report 2002

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Policy Document Arts amp; Culture - Towards cultural diversity and pluralism

In 1995, Hivos launched the Hivos Culture Fund (HCF) to support cultural and artistic expression in the South.2 The arts and culture play a vital role in society, as they open the way for critical reflection and provide a space for members of society to enjoy beauty, and express their thoughts and feelings. Culture and the arts also have the potential to build bridges between communities. These needs are as basic as life#039;s material necessities, and may contribute to a society#039;s shape and direction. This policy document is a revision of the first policy document entitled quot;Culture and Development,quot; published in 1995. This revision stems from the need to address recent developments in the wider global context, as well as in the sphere of culture and development. The practical lessons from the past seven years, as well as a recent external evaluation provide us with sufficient material for a new policy document.

Poverty by Design: The Economics of Discrimination in Tibet

The issue of Tibet is an intensely debated topic with much of the polemic revolving around political autonomy and the abuse of civil, political, and cultural rights. Despite evident violations in these areas, the Chinese government counters that on the economic level it has been playing an important developmental and welfare role in Tibet. It argues that it has been facilitating the long-term transition of a backward region into the modern global economy and empowering Tibetans to participate on an equal footing with other Chinese citizens. The Chinese government thereby expects the international community to tolerate human rights abuses as an expedient element of their beneficial economic strategies. This assumes, however, that the economic role of the Chinese state in Tibet has been positive for Tibetans. Poverty by Design: The Economics of Discrimination in Tibet illustrates that, despite China#039;s commitment to the United Nation#039;s “Declaration on the Right to Development”, government statistics reveal a clear trend towards the marginalization of ethnic Tibetans within both the national economy and within the local economy of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Hivos Human Rights Policy

Hivos’ ultimate goal is to contribute to a democratic, pluriform world society where all people – women and men – have equal rights and opportunities to participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, and where justice and sustainable development are ensured. Justice and sustainable development cannot be achieved without gender equality, and have different dimensions – social, political, economic, ecological, and cultural – that need to be addressed coherently.

Civil Voices on a Global Stage

In this policy paper, Hivos indicates how it positions itself in this changed - and changing - perspective and what this means for the direction of its activities. The paper reflects a shift in focus of Hivos’ policy from an emphasis mainly on activities in the South, to a more balanced range of interrelated activities in the South amp; East and the North, both internationally and in The Netherlands. This shift is not due to an abrupt or recent change of policy, but is the result of the process of programme development of the past years. As such, the paper stands for both continuity and innovation, two aspects of ‘quality’ Hivos feels comfortable with. As innovation also implies room for the unforeseen, Hivos prefers to keep some space and rather indicate the main direction and contours of its strategy than going into a high level of detail. Other documents will fulfil the need of operationalisation and specification.

Hivos Annual Report 2001

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Policy Document on Aids and Development Co-operation

This policy paper serves to update Hivos’ policy on support for AIDS programmes in the South, as it has been applied since the early 1990s. The first reason for this update is the growing impact of AIDS on socio-economic conditions in large parts of the countries in the South, where AIDS has been disastrous for the development process. Moreover, the context and field in which players operate in AIDS prevention in the South has clearly changed over the years, although governments continue to take insufficient responsibility in providing prevention and care facilities. The third reason for this update is the obvious need to co-ordinate AIDS policy with the sector policy that Hivos introduced in the mid-1990s.

Hivos Annual Report 2000

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation inspired by humanist values. Together with local organisations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development. And where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Migration, Refugees, and Racism in South Africa

The paper looks at South Africa’s complex history and policies of racism, social separation and control and the impact that this has had on the nature of migration and refugee policy. The paper argues that this legacy has resulted in policy and implementation that is highly racialized, coupled with a society expressing growing levels of xenophobia. Some causes and manifestations of xenophobia in South Africa are explored. It further examines how actions of police and civil servants can mirror the sentiments of the general public, further disadvantaging refugees and migrants. The outcomes of the WCAR are discussed with acknowledgment of the positive gains made for refugees and asylum seekers. The implications for implementation are debated in light of the attacks on the USA. In conclusion, a number of recommendations are made including the need for ongoing public awareness strategies, the value of the WCAR Declarations as lobbying tools, a pragmatic and democratic policy process and the need to highlight development concerns in approaches to address these issues.

No Easy Walk: Advancing Refugee Protection in South Africa

South Africa only began accepting individual applications for political asylum in 1994. A policy designed to recognize former Mozambican refugees for the purposes of a repatriation program became the (awkward) basis of the asylum procedure up until April 2000. Criticized by some, a lively discussion raising often-contradictory views began in 1996, leading to a policy reform process culminating in the Refugees Act in December 1998. The Act only came into force at the beginning of April 2000. This article analyzes the process of policy development in South Africa, focusing on practical and theoretical challenges facing the government in the implementation of the new Act. Special attention is given to temporary protection, the proposed containment of applicants in reception centers, the arbitrary manner in which asylum is currently determined, and inconsistencies between the interfacing of the Refugees Act and the proposed immigration legislation. The paper concludes by asserting that the new legislation can be effective, but only if the government builds capacity, and if the procedure allows a fair opportunity for asylum applicants to be granted a credible hearing.

Greater Equality of Opportunity on the Markets

development of the poor. This support from Hivos is aimed at improving access to credit and supporting services, stimulating organisational development and encouraging forms of production that are environmentally sound and respecting human dignity. The aim of this paper is to define the economic objective and develop it within the framework of Hivos#039; overall policy. This paper also provides information on Hivos#039; basic points of departure in taking decisions concerning economic activities.