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Papers by gabriele koehler

$Research paper thumbnail of Creative coalitions in a fractured world: An opportunity for transformative change?$

Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes int... more Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes interdisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.

2015 marks the target year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were adopted by the UN... more 2015 marks the target year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000 along with the Millennium Declaration. Academic and political consultations are underway to review the current MDGs and to elaborate a developmental agenda beyond 2015. This includes MDG performance assessments, progress reviews and conceptual reflections (e.g. Fukuda-Parr 2012). In many countries progress towards the MDG targets, agreed in 2002, is not „on track‟, although this formulation may under-emphasise the progress made, especially in poorer countries which have had further to go to be on track (UN 2011; Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) 2011; Melamed 2012: 10–16).1 Within the current agenda this necessitates examination of the reasons for the areas of disappointing performance – most recently ascribed to the food and fuel crises and the financial crises and recession which have struck since 2008. It also requires intensified efforts to acc...

IDS Bulletin, 1995

The purpose of this article is to sketch the evolution of development thinking as it unfolded ove... more The purpose of this article is to sketch the evolution of development thinking as it unfolded over time in the UN system and in the general development discourse. In essence, it is an attempt to trace, query, and interpret development interventionism which shaped and was shaped by a parade of paradigms. These paradigms, or common theses, at times emerged within the UN system and subsequently influenced international policy debates; at other times they were generated by controversies and debates in political movements, or more generally in the civil society, and then absorbed by the UN system; in principle, however, it was the discourse in the major developed countries that defines the predominant development-related paradigms. The ability of the UN system to formulate and push particular paradigms, or more generally programmes, is in turn a function of shifting constellations in the bargaining process between the North and the South.

Handbook of Development Policy, 2021

Global Social Policy, 2016

PLoS ONE, 2013

Chromosomal translocations between the EWS gene and members of the ETS gene family are characteri... more Chromosomal translocations between the EWS gene and members of the ETS gene family are characteristic molecular features of the Ewing sarcoma. The most common translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) fuses the EWS gene to FLI1, and is present in 85-90% of Ewing sarcomas. In the present study, a specifically designed multiplex long-range PCR assay was applied to amplify genomic EWS-FLI1 fusion sites from as little as 100 ng template DNA. Characterization of the EWS-FLI1 fusion sites of 42 pediatric and young adult Ewing sarcoma patients and seven cell lines revealed a clustering in the 59 region of the EWSbreakpoint cluster region (BCR), in contrast to random distribution of breakpoints in the FLI1-BCR. No association of breakpoints with various recombination-inducing sequence motifs was identified. The occurrence of small deletions and duplications at the genomic junction is characteristic of involvement of the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair system, similar to findings at chromosomal breakpoints in pediatric leukemia and lymphoma.

Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 2013

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) respond to humanity’s challenge to l... more The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) respond to humanity’s challenge to live humanely, justly, sustainably and in peace on our interconnected globe. Pursuit of the Agenda is inevitably subject to forces that ‘shake and stir’ it. Correspondingly, our analytical frameworks need to be shaken and stirred too, to be more perceptive and responsive to emergent objective threats, subjective fears, and their impacts. A human security perspective offers an essential complement to the thinking and action underway for the SDGs, because insecurities arise in diverse and fluctuating forms in the daily lives of most people, produced by local, national, international and global forces. The worldwide ‘shake and stir’ triggered by COVID-19 is a reminder of how serious and all-encompassing such disruption can be. A human security perspective should be added in and/or to SDGs planning and implementation, at country level and in multilateral arenas. The perspective can draw toget...

Poverty And The Millennium Development Goals: A Critical Look Forward, 2016

In recent years, poverty alleviation, poverty reduction and the eradication of poverty have moved... more In recent years, poverty alleviation, poverty reduction and the eradication of poverty have moved up the international agenda, with poverty eradication now defined as the greatest global challenge facing the world today. In cooperation with its sponsors, the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the University of Bergen (UiB), CROP works in collaboration with knowledge networks, institutions and scholars to establish independent, alternative and critical poverty research in order to help shape policies for long-term poverty prevention and eradication. The CROP network comprises scholars engaged in poverty-related research across a variety of academic disciplines. Researchers from more than a hundred different countries are represented in the network, which is coordinated by the CROP Secretariat at the University of Bergen, Norway. The CROP series on International Studies in Poverty Research presents expert research and essential analyses of different aspects of poverty worldwide. By promoting a fuller understanding of the nature, extent, depth, distribution, trends, causes and effects of poverty, this series will contribute to knowledge concerning the reduction and eradication of poverty at global, regional, national and local levels.

International Social Security Review, 2017

A key normative principle of transformative social policy is that it is rights-based. This implie... more A key normative principle of transformative social policy is that it is rights-based. This implies that it be universal, as a right extended categorically to all persons in a defined situation, or to all citizens, or, in its most radical form, as applicable to all residents regardless of citizenship status. To be transformative, social policy also needs to tackle the root causes of inequalities and social injustices. In the recent past, approaches emerged in a number of countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia that pointed in the direction of universal, rights-based social policy. These suggest that a "social turn" took placea shift to ideas and policies that prioritize social issues. In the cases under review (India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand), the trends towards a universal, rights-based approach to social services and social transfers were in each case politically driven and a result of changes in governmentthe social turns were the outcome of contestation. At present, these countries are experiencing political backlashes, with democratic processes and civil society under severe attack. This article seeks to make two points. First, a rights-based, transformative policy approach and a social turn do not come automatically: it is always the result of contestation, be it from the electorate and their interests groups, or from competition between political parties. Second, acquired rights and moves towards transformation can be dismantled. In the current global political rollback, there is a

Handbook on Social Protection Systems, 2021

Chapter 2. Overcoming social exclusion in education: reflections on policy challenges (Enrique De... more Chapter 2. Overcoming social exclusion in education: reflections on policy challenges (Enrique Delamonica

Global Social Policy: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Public Policy and Social Development

In 2016, the government of Myanmar began the implementation of the National Social Protection Str... more In 2016, the government of Myanmar began the implementation of the National Social Protection Strategy Plan (NSPSP). This is a significant step since it addresses social assistance for the majority of the population outside the formal sector for the first time in a systematic manner, moving beyond the few fragmented social transfers in place earlier. The adoption of the strategic plan was propelled by a combination of political factors. Technically, it builds on the life cycle approach of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI). It follows a universal, basic income security approach. This article offers cost calculations based on three different social protection transfer options: a social pension, an education grant and a combined mother and child benefit. The calculations conclude that such transfers can easily be covered from the government's fiscal budget, and the fiscal and gross domestic product (GDP) shares would actually decrease over time, given population growth dynamics. This reinforces the political and social case for universal social protection in Myanmar.

Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 2016

The UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development impresses with its ambition of transformation, and ... more The UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development impresses with its ambition of transformation, and because it has succeeded in marrying economic, social and environmental goals. This article looks at two interrelated questions. It asks whether and to what extent the Agenda's goals are transformative, but finds numerous omissions and clashes. It also seeks to examine whether the Agenda refers to eco-social policy. Two schools of thought are examined. Both critical theory and sufficiency economics propose shifts in norms, policies and practice – and argue for a “hierarchy reversal”, whereby social and climate justice goals override the economic rationale. The article concludes with a case for instrumentalising the commitments of the 2030 Agenda, but complemented by a subversive approach – injecting radical thinking and action for economic, environmental and social justice. Whether this could succeed in light of political constellations is open, and requires an idealistic faith in th...

Gender & Development, 2016

IDS Working Papers, 2011

Myanmar is a country with a very low per capita income and distressing failures in nutrition, hea... more Myanmar is a country with a very low per capita income and distressing failures in nutrition, health, education, and others areas of social development. Currently, there appears to be some political softening, and in the realm of policymaking, a series of adaptations have been gradually introduced over the past three years. This paper examines vulnerability and poverty dynamics in the country and its evolving social protection framework. Building on pertinent regional examples, the paper makes the case for holistic social protection policy responses in the domains of social transfers for livelihood support and access to finance, education and health access, child protection, protection from exclusion, and as an emergency response. The outlook argues that comprehensive inclusive and ultimately transformative social protection needs to be introduced and could be within reach, as an integral part of deeper systemic reform in Myanmar.