Elections can be an important influencing opportunity for people living in poverty. Rodrigo Barahona and Isabel Crabtree-Condor share what Oxfam has learned from our work in four countries. Elections are a defining feature of democracies. They are a formal moment when the average person on the street can exercise power by voting for the public policies they want to see. Issues …
Should companies act when civic freedoms are under attack?
Mauricio Lazala and Ana Zbona, from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, discuss how companies can help support civic freedoms and human rights defenders in the countries where they operate. Civic freedoms are being eroded around the world. According to CIVICUS, nearly six in ten countries are seriously restricting people’s fundamental freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression. Civil …
Motivating people to take action: towards an Asian narrative on tax justice and financial transparency
Amy Croome, from Oxfam GB, interviews fellow researchers, and civil society actors, on approaches, challenges, and opportunities to tax justice in Asia. For two days academics, activists and civil society actors came together in Delhi to discuss tax justice, illicit financial flows and tax havens in Asia. A key theme was the important role of narratives in motivating people to …
Making change happen
Oxfam GB’s Head of Publishing, Emily Gillingham, explains why and how we developed a free, online course for changemakers, and what the early results show. “I’m hoping this course will help me focus my objectives a bit more and discover what small but important steps I can take towards promoting change, changing minds and minding our community.” This comment from …
Young feminists driving change
Imogen Davies, Oxfam GB’s Global Adviser on Youth, Gender & Active Citizenship, and co-editor of the latest issue of Gender & Development, describes the political approaches young feminist movements are taking to reshape the international development landscape. There are more young people alive today than there ever have been before. Almost one person in four is aged 10-24, with 90 per …
Working together to protect, expand and reshape civic space
Civic space is vital to defeating poverty. Inga Ferber introduces a new briefing on the importance of protecting and expanding spaces where people can raise their voices and be heard without fear. Poverty reduction – an increasingly dangerous endeavour Defeating poverty has never been easy. Nobody knows that better than our local partners and allies around the world who dedicate their …
Findings from a meta-review of influencing initiatives
Ruth Mayne shares learning from a recent meta-review of Oxfam and partners’ policy influencing, citizen’s voice and governance initiatives around the world. NB. This blog post deals with the findings of the influencing meta-review. In the next couple of weeks we will publish a separate post from the authors of the review explaining their methodology. Sign up for our Real …
Joining forces for better water services in Jordan
Alixandra Buck reports on an Oxfam project in Jordan where the local community is working with local authorities to improve water supplies. In Jordan, it is not common for government and citizens to talk face to face on issues of common concern. There is also scepticism on the role of civil society. We’re working to change that dynamic. Oxfam and …
Government budgets that work for women and girls
What could putting females, and other genders, at the heart of government budgets look like? Clare Coffey and Nguyen Thu Huong introduce a new tool to help. We all know that money matters and how governments collect and spend their budgets is a case in point. We need governments budgets because they fund schools and teachers, hospitals and staff. But …