The use of challenge funds to promote economic and social development continues to grow, but has been the subject of relatively little research. This paper develops a definition of what challenge funds are and how they differ from other development funding mechanisms, taking into account their...

The role of 'first movers' in fragile states is critical: they grow and diversify markets in ways that no other firms do, generating disproportionate impact in terms of development and stability. But pioneer firms are rare in fragile states. This study documents their profile, their challenges,...

This report aims to advance the dialogue on creative, forward-looking solutions for developing countries by presenting recent innovations on disaster risk financing and insurance developed by the private markets as well as the international donor community, from the macro (government) level down...

While finance is a critical input to the innovative process, it is often difficult to obtain, particularly in developing economies with less well-developed financial markets. As innovation is a central driver of growth, it is therefore important for policymakers to understand how different...

The positive changes in the rates of innovation performance for the EU-27, according to the Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS), show that the annual average growth rates of the leading countries - Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Germany - have significantly decreased during the post-crisis period...

In the run-up to the 'follow-up international conference on financing for development' to be held in Doha from November 28 to December 2, 2008, it seems particularly timely to collect in one book writings on the various market-based innovative methods of raising development finance. Although...