Policy Papers

Today, more than 8.1 million Nepalis live in poverty. To build a more equal country that leaves nobody behind, Nepal must act now to put the right policies in place, and enable citizens and social movements to advocate for progressive change and hold decision makers to account.

Greece and its EU partners are failing pregnant women, unaccompanied children, victims of torture or sexual violence and other vulnerable people who seek protection in Europe. In EU 'hotspot' camps on the Greek islands, people are being put at risk by flawed processes, chronic understaffing and squalid, overcrowded conditions.

The report Captured Democracies: A Government for the Few presents 13 case studies documenting how political and economic elites manipulate the decision-making processes of governments to their own advantage and against the interests and rights of the majority in Latin America and the Caribbean, the world’s most unequal region.

This collated research report is based on formative research from 12 countries across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Pacific. The report identifies dominant and common patterns in the social norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls.

The ability of small-scale farmers to earn a living income is critical to ensure their viability and economic success. This paper argues that closing the living income gap for small-scale farmers requires tackling the underlying imbalance in risk and market power that many of them face when engaging in global food value chains.

The petroleum sector offers governments huge potential revenues that could be invested in poverty alleviation and inequality reduction, but those revenues must first be collected. Oxfam proposes recommendations to address these challenges and ensure that governments collect the taxes owed for the exploitation of their finite, nonrenewable petroleum resources.

Development finance institutions have not extended openness and transparency to high-risk projects financed through their financial intermediary clients. Oxfam has outlined a suggested framework, Open Books for High-Risk Financing, which proposes a set of principles to systematize and enhance disclosure in financial intermediary lending.

The situation facing working women, their changing patterns of work and the hardships and disadvantages they face have a profound potential to reshape the world we live in. This report seeks to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Europe’s working women, particularly those in precarious and low-paid work.

This research report explores the decision making processes of displaced people and returnees in Salah al-Din governorate, Iraq. It finds that against a backdrop of strong family and community support, displaced people and returnees – including women – have surprising levels of agency and self-direction.

This paper examines current and planned IFI energy sector support in Asian climate-vulnerable countries. It shows how this is not yet fit for purpose, and recommends how IFIs can intervene at this critical juncture to give governments the confidence to accelerate the transition to renewable energy for all.

This second edition of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index is based on a new database of indicators, now covering 157 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights – three areas found to be critical to reducing the inequality gap.

Three years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reliable information on how companies are working to contribute to the SDGs remains sparse. This paper uses five general themes (prioritization; integration; ambition; human rights and gender equality; and reporting) to review the SDG engagement of 76 of the world’s largest companies.

Oxfam estimates that just one of the richest men in Ghana earns from his wealth more in a month than one of the poorest women could earn in 1,000 years. In this report, we call on the government of Ghana to use public spending to reduce inequality and put women’s economic empowerment at the heart of policymaking.  

New Oxfam research shows that four pharmaceutical corporations – Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co (MSD), and Pfizer – systematically hide their profits in overseas tax havens. This activity could deprive developing countries of more than $100 million every year – money that is urgently needed to meet the health needs of people in these countries.

Beginning on 25 August 2017, over 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh seeking safety and lifesaving assistance. While safe from the violence they were subjected to in Myanmar, Rohingya women continue to face huge protection risks and challenges.

This discussion paper reviews the issues faced in the region, how business can be part of the solution through a spectrum of approaches, ways in which social enterprise models can be supported to thrive, and makes recommendations for the region’s businesses.

Earning an income is a struggle for the residents of Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, and women’s economic participation is extremely low. Oxfam initiated the Lel-Haya (For Life) project in Za’atari to build the capacities of Syrian refugee women, both in vocational training and soft skills.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in education are increasing in profile as countries grapple with serious challenges of educational access and quality. This study seeks to understand the impact of the PPP initiative in Punjab province, Pakistan, on key dimensions of equity, education quality, and democratic and social accountability.

Over half the population of Gaza lives under the poverty line, and one million Palestinians in Gaza don’t have enough food to feed their families.This joint agency briefing calls for an immediate end to the blockade and opening crossings into and out of Gaza.

This report analyzes the beliefs of young people aged 15 to 25 from eight Latin American and Caribbean countries, about violence and partner relationships. These beliefs lead young people to reproduce the inequalities they see in society and to view acts of male violence as “normal”.