En vedette FINANCE AND COMPETITIVENESS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FINANCIAL REFORM IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MONDIALISATION, CROISSANCE ET MARGINALISATION OPENING DOORS TO THE WORLD A New Trade Agenda for the Middle East

SEP programs are united by a focus on public policies that can reduce poverty and enhance social equity.  They aim to effect policy change in three ways: by strengthening long-term capacities to carry out, manage, and disseminate research; by supporting policy-relevant research and analysis on issues of immediate policy concern; and by assisting researchers and civil society organizations to facilitate public accountability by informing debates on key policy issues.  They are concerned not simply with the design of policies, but also with the intricacies of policy implementation - and hence with the realities of institutions, governance, and power at the local, national, and international levels.

SEP focuses on the following 4 broad sets of issues, each of which represents a key challenge in promoting equitable development:

Peace, Conflict, and Development (PCD): Conflict remains a critical brake on policies for social and economic development throughout much of the developing world, with negative impacts on growth, distribution, and government finances.  IDRC's PCD has established a reputation as a leader in supporting research in this field, particularly in Central America, the Middle East, and Southern Africa.  Explicit attention is given to conflict prevention as well as post-conflict and post-conflict contexts by supporting comoparative, cross-country analysis on issues such as political economy of peacebuilding, transitional and restorative justice as a means of building the foundations of lasting peace, and the gendered consequences of conflict and peacebuilding. More.

Globalization, Growth, and Poverty (GGP): Long-term reductions in poverty and inequality depend on the growth of jobs and incomes for the poor - and hence on the ability of developing-country producers to compete in a globalized world economy. Growth is clearly important, but on its own there is no guarantee that rising exports or gross domestic product will translate into meaningful improvements in the well-being of the poor.  Thus, IDRC focuses on understanding the interactions between the rules and institutions of international trade and investment on one hand, and domestic economic policies on the other hand. This includes attention to trade issues such as investment and competition policies in key fields such as agriculture and services.  It also means attention to safety nets and other social policy intitiatives, which are crucial to managing the dislocations associated with a volatile international economy.

Equitable Access to Health and Social Services: The ability of states to guarantee equitable access to key social services to their citizens is a fundamental challenge for development across the South. At the same time, informed public dialogue and engagement in debates around health and other social services represent an opportunity to strengthen democratic institutions and practices themselves.  In this regard, IDRC concentrates on health and health-care services as well as on strategies to ensure equity of access, and on critical governance challenges in the design and implementation of health-related policies.

Gender Issues: A concern for gender issues and gender analysis cuts across all programming within SEP. A new program on Gender Justice and Citizenship is underway. Work under this program will focus in particular on understanding the legal and institutional impediments to women and men's exercise of their rights as citizens.