top of page
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is Kooperation Global?

  • Kooperation Global is a non-profit, science-based think tank that advocates for a strong, evidence-based and impact-oriented development cooperation.
    In close cooperation with science, politics, civil society and practitioners, we develop practical solutions that enable the greatest possible effectiveness of German ODA.

  • Kooperation Global is politically independent and operates on a non-profit basis.

Who do you work with?

  • We work closely with German and international actors in international cooperation, including BMZ, the Federal Foreign Office, GIZ and KfW, as well as FCDO, Norad, GAC and other actors of development cooperation.

  • We are in close contact with scientific and civil society institutions, including: DEval, IDOS, CGD, J-PAL, BRAC, BMGF, VENRO.

What are the goals of Kooperation Global?

  • Impact: The greatest possible contribution to the effectiveness of German international cooperation. Achieve the greatest possible impact with available resources and prioritize interventions based on criteria such as the number of affected parties, effectiveness, solvability, and additionality.

  • Evidence-based policy-making: preparing findings from scientific research and evaluations for strategic decisions and incorporating them into current political debates and decisions.

  • Strengthen the strategic relevance and learning function of evaluations: Use evaluations specifically to improve future programs and policies, systematically integrate their findings into strategic planning, and promote an institutional learning culture.

How does Kooperation Global define effectiveness or impact?

  • The impact or effect that global cooperation projects aim to achieve are the actual intended and unintended positive and negative changes in the living conditions of the people directly and indirectly affected by the projects.

  • In order to achieve the most positive impact possible, it is crucial to make use of the globally available evidence on the costs and benefits of different project approaches and to design and iteratively develop them in practice in a context-sensitive manner.

  • We strongly recommend prioritizing approaches that demonstrate exceptional cost-effectiveness, also known as "Best Buys" or "Smart Buys". Such approaches are identified, for example, by the WHO-CHOICE group for the health sector and by GEEAP for the education sector.

How do you define evidence and evidence-based policymaking?

  • Evidence is a structured and comprehensive weighting of available facts and information, ideally through statistical means and causal inference, to test whether hypothesized effects and outcomes are indeed based on provided inputs. 

  • This includes core scientific methods and standards: transparency, replicability and consistency.


 

  • Evidence-based policymaking is the use of robust and possibly causal, evidence to improve programs, scale up what works, and redirect resources away from consistently ineffective programs.

  • A policy or project can be formally described as evidence-based if:

    • It is based on robust evidence on what works, including a cost-benefit analysis.

    • It uses an impact evaluation to measure effectiveness.

    • It encourages innovation and conducts the review of new approaches.

    • It integrates the best available evidence throughout its process (development, implementation, evaluation, improvement), takes appropriate account of contextual factors, and encourages continuous learning and innovation.

Does that mean you want to cut the development cooperation budget?

  • No, we are clearly in favour of a strong development cooperation budget and reject cuts.

  • The available resources should always be used as effectively as possible. This is in the interest of Germany and the world.

So are you purely doing lobbying/advocacy?

  • No, we work with academic institutions to develop concrete recommendations and connect them with civil society, policymakers and implementers. Our goal is to enrich public discourse and policymaking in development cooperation by providing reliable information.

How do you develop recommendations?

  • We are in regular contact with experts from science, politics and civil society, including the World Bank, WHO, IDOS, 3ie, Center for Global Development, DEval, J-PAL and numerous other actors.

  • We analyze scientific evidence on the costs and effects of various measures and translate these findings into the German context. This makes science-based findings and arguments accessible to the public and policymakers.

Who finances you and what is your budget?

  • We are financed exclusively through donations and do not offer any paid consulting services.

  • Donations to Kooperation Global are purely charitable and independent of industry and party interests. Donations have no influence on the content of our work.

  • Currently we are financially supported by Pour Demain and Gates Foundation.

If you have any further questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@kooperationglobal.de!

bottom of page