ODI [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

Press Releases
Governments are blind to their poorest citizens – a data revolution will make them see
Embargoed until Monday 20th April 00:01 GMT
Governments are blind to their poorest citizens – a data revolution will make them see
Global estimates of how many people living in extreme poverty could be out by more than a quarter, because of a dearth of reliable data.
In a new report from the Overseas Development Institute, researchers say that oft-quoted hard ‘facts’ about global progress are often little more than educated guess-work.
‘The data revolution: Finding the missing millions’ chronicles how little is actually known about the lives of the poorest. It says more investment, combined with the application of big data analytics to explore data gathered by a variety of technologies, including satellite, mobile phones and drones, is needed if governments are to make informed decisions to help the poor.
Amongst the gaps highlighted:
:: 2 billion people ‘officially’ live in extreme poverty, but surveyors often don’t reach the very poor, so there could actually be 350 million missing from the global total
:: Twice the number of women could be dying in childbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa than the published number
:: 600 nationally representative household surveys containing uniquely detailed data on income poverty and inequality languish in a World Bank private database…

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Research, Publications
Can fracking green China’s growth?
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Ilmi Granoff; Sam Pickard; Julian Doczi; Roger Calow; Zhenbo Hou; Vanessa D’Alançon
This paper analyses whether shale gas, and by implication other unconventional sources, can materially improve the quality and sustainability of China’s economic growth.

Financial Inclusion Policy Guide
Briefing papers | April 2015 | William Smith, Lucy Scott, Andrew Shepherd
The objective of this policy guide is to provide policymakers and programme designers with an up-todate view of what needs to be done to include the poorest people in financial services, and by doing so make a dent in their poverty.

Building resilience and managing risk in fragile and conflict-affected states
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Bill Gray, Courtenay Cabot Venton, Lewis Sida and Simon Levine
This inception report is for a four-year thematic evaluation of DFID’s use of multi-year humanitarian funding (MYHF) to support resilience. It proposes an approach to evaluation based upon establishing and then testing implicit ‘logic models’ behind the claims that…

Financing the future: How international public finance should fund a global social compact to eradicate poverty
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Romilly Greenhill, Chris Hoy, Paddy Carter, Marcus Manuel
The proposed Sustainable Development Goals are achievable, but adopting a business-as-usual approach will leave us far short of the target. This report sets out the case for a strengthened commitment for international public finance to support a new social compact…

Guide to INDCs
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Emelia Holdaway, Chris Dodwell, Kiran Sura and Helen Picot
A new publication from CDKN and Ricardo-AEA – Guide to INDCs – provides practical guidance to Least Developed Countries on how to prepare their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions for the UNFCCC. INDCs are contributions by the Parties to the UNFCCC towards…

Using workshops to develop an evidence strategy: lessons from the UK Food Standards Agency
Working and discussion papers | April 2015 | Louise Shaxson
This case study looks at the UK Food Standard Agency’s nine-month evidence investment strategy. It contains lessons for other organisations working with small government departments or policy teams, with limited resources, to think strategically about the sourcing,…

State of evidence on humanitarian cash transfers
Briefing papers | April 2015 | Sarah Bailey and Paul Harvey
This background note provides a brief summary of the evidence base on humanitarian cash transfer programming. It outlines the types of evidence on cash transfers, findings on key issues and gaps.

Cash transfer programming and the humanitarian system
Briefing papers | April 2015 | Paul Harvey and Sarah Bailey
This background note aims to sketch out some of the key features of current humanitarian action and the role that cash transfers (giving people money) plays as one of the responses to supporting people in the face of disasters and conflict.

Beyond the volcanic crisis: co-governance of risk in Montserrat
Journal articles or issues | April 2015 | Emily Wilkinson
This paper focuses on one aspect of the governance transition in Montserrat: the relationship between the local Montserratian government and the UK government after the volcanic eruption in 1995.

Events
Cartagena Data Festival
There is a central global inequality which hampers progress towards development. At the moment, we know the least about the people who have the least. But these are the people who need the world’s attention the most. Turning global or national aspirations to end poverty into real changes in people’s lives will involve knowing more about how the poorest people live, and improving their ability to access and use data.

The Cartagena Data Festival, a three day festival in Colombia, is being organised by ODI, Africa Gathering, CEPEI, Data-Pop Alliance, PARIS21, UNDP and UNFPA. The event will focus on solving critical gaps in coverage, access and analysis of data, thereby contributing to the global effort to drive progress in the post-2015 agenda.

Conference objectives
:: Drive the changes that are needed to advance a data revolution by bringing together the people and organisations whose innovations, resources, expertise and influence can make them happen
:: Develop concrete solutions and practical tools to produce long term and sustainable progress through a data revolution
:: Build the ideas, innovations and partnerships needed to monitor the sustainable development goals

The Cartagena Data Festival will bring together 300 participants from across the world – including government representatives, civil society organisations, technical innovators, academics and data activists – to join the global conversation and ensure the data revolution is informed by perspectives at every level…