Ideas For Action: Financing For Sustainable Development

Competition Guidelines 2015-2016 Ideas for Action is an ideas competition on financing for sustainable development for youth sponsored by the World Bank Group and the Zicklin Center, Wharton School Submissions are due February 29, 2016

Concept
Todays youth will be responsible for implementing the newly adopted 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved by the UN in September. The SDGs are an ambitious and transformative set of goals, covering a broad range of interconnected issues, from sustainable economic growth, to social issues, to global public goods. To realize this vision, a just-as-ambitious plan for financing and implementation is needed. In July, UN member states endorsed a financing for development action agenda to support the SDGs, which outlines many action areas and commitments for the international community. Youth engagement and innovation will be critical for success.

The Ideas for Action (I4A) competition engages young people around the world to encourage them to develop and share their ideas for financing solutions to deliver the post-2015 development agenda.

The competition is intended to help catalyze a global conversation about these important issues from young people all around the world. Conversations happen virtually, over social media networks, and in person, and we hope you will engage with others who also have great ideas to

share on how it is to be financed and implemented.
Registration and Submission
Eligibility: Youth between the ages 18 and 35 from around the world can participate.

Team Composition: This is a team competition. Teams must be 2 to 6 people and may consist of multiple nationalities and individuals from different schools, institutions, companies, etc.

Registration: Please register your teams at this link before submitting your proposal to the I4A competition. To receive updates and information on the competition and post-2015 agenda you

may also want to register all team members on the wider distribution list.

Submission: Proposals should be submitted to the I4A

email account ([email protected]) no later than 11:59 PM EST on February 29, 2016.

Timeline:
Workshop: February 5, 2016 (final time location TBD) at the World Bank Headquarters.

The session can also be accessed online. Details will be sent out via email.

Deadline for submissions: February 29, 2016
Announcement of submissions selected for final round: March 21, 2016*

Deadline for final submissions (incl. comments received, if applicable): April 17, 2016

Announcement of winner(s): May 3, 2016
* Finalists may be asked to expand upon their original submissions before final review.

Details will be given to selected teams.
Submission Requirements
Submissions that do not meet the format requirements listed below will be disqualified.

Format:
" Proposals should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words, with proper citations and

references. The word count does not include the appendix, footnotes/citations, or any

charts/graphs. Teams should use the template at the end of this document and include a 200-word abstract summarizing the key points of the proposal.

" The submission must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt font.

" All appropriate information must be cited.
" The submission should be sent in PDF or Microsoft Word format in English.

Solution Areas:
The expectation for teams is to focus on one of the issues below and develop a creative yet realistic and implementable solution that will increase the financing available and/or improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing funds. Another possibility is to select more than one issue, and develop a solution that is based on blended sources of finance.

(1) Domestic Resource Mobilization: improving the ability of countries to collect and

direct public resources generated from taxes and/or improve efficiency of public

spending. Areas of particular relevance are
a. tax policy and collection;
b. harnessing sustainable streams of revenue from natural resources;

c. subsidy reform;
d. improving public sector procurement practices.
Example submission topics: Restructuring mineral extraction contracts in Sub-Saharan

Africa more sustainable social benefit and financial return; Subsidizing crops of the

future: how a change in agricultural subsidies in one South American country can be a

lesson to others
(2) Better and Smarter Aid: improving how aid is structured and disbursed in light of a

rapidly changing donor environment. Areas of particular relevance are

a. improving aid disbursement models;
b. improving aid transparency and accountability;
c. integrating private philanthropy;
d. global funds into the greater aid agenda.
Example submission topics: A new model for recipient-centric accountability

mechanisms in ODA loan programs; Using different results metrics to improve aid

project outcomes
(3) International Private Finance: improving business environments to attract investment.

Areas of particular are
a. creating policies that encourage investment, particularly in long time

infrastructure;
b. mainstreaming the use of guarantees and risk insurance.

Example submission topics: Co-financing arrangements as a means to increased

roadway investment in Sub-Saharan Africa; Taxes, construction regulation, and urban

sewage reform in Southeast Asia; improving project cycle and investment environment

to attract institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds; Implementing

policies and mechanisms to direct remittances towards development.

(4) Domestic Private Sector: mobilizing domestic private capital. Areas of particular

relevance are
a. creating an enabling environment for business creation and growth;

b. increasing access to finance, greater financial inclusion for households and SMEs;

c. developing domestic capital markets
Example submission topics: A new type of aid: improving small and medium-sized

enterprise access to financing via novel national-scale loan instruments.

(5) Business and Development Innovations: improving business environments in

developing economies via innovative private/public partnership models. Areas of

particular relevance are
a. grafting and implementing business-led collective action initiatives;

b. innovative models of delivering aid using private sector capabilities and public

sector resources.
Example submission topics: A novel model for new-country investment: using public

funds to limit fixed costs of electronic equipment manufacturing; Limiting privatepublic

corruption with new public awareness tools in Central Asia

For more information about the first 4 options, see the massive open online course on financing for development, the World Bank Paper on Finance for Development Post-2015, and the World Bank Paper on Multilateral Development Finance. For more information about the fifth option, see the Wharton Zicklin Center Business Development & Innovation website.

Evaluation criteria:
The first round of submissions will be evaluated according to how well teams demonstrate the following four attributes:

" Significance:teams should be specific enough that they can go into some level of

depth, but significant enough that it impacts a large number of people and/or

businesses and nations.
" Originality and creativity: teams should present a solution that is original and

creative; submissions should present ideas that are either undeveloped or severely

underdeveloped in international development research and literature.

" Feasibility:teams should include a brief roadmap to adoption that argues for the

feasibility of the solution, and addresses any obvious roadblocks; all submissions

should be actionable and measurable; based in practicality rather than just theory.

Teams are encouraged to tie their submissions to a particular country or region of the

world.
" Clarity:teams should present their idea in a clear and concise manner.

Additional References:
" World Bank Group Book: Financing Sustainable Development  Ideas for Action

" World Bank Group paper on going From Billions to Trillions: Transforming

Development Finance
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVCOMMINT/Documentation/23659446/DC20

15-0002(E)FinancingforDevelopment.pdf
" Coursera massive open online course on Financing for Development

https://www.coursera.org/course/fin4devmooc
" Addis Ababa Action Agenda: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/wpcontent/

uploads/2015/08/AAAA_Outcome.pdf
" https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/22542/K8401.pdf?seq

uence=3
" World Bank Group Web Site on the Post-2015 Agenda:

www.worldbank.org/post2015/
" World Bank Group Paper: Finance for Development Post 2015

" Report of the UN Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable

Development Financing
" Synthesis Report of the Secretary-General on the Post-2015 Agenda

For questions, please email [email protected]

Awards
The finalists and winners will be selected by a panel of academics and experienced development professionals from public and private sector institutions. Winners of the competition get the opportunity to:

" Present their ideas at an event during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank

Group,
" Receive support from a project incubator at the Wharton School, and

" Benefit from unique networking opportunities with experts from international development,

academia, and the private sector.
Suggested Template
Ideas for Action Competition
Your proposal should include (but not be limited to) the following:

1. Title of proposal
2. Team Name
3. Short Abstract (200 words)
4. Explanation of problem and context: (200-400 words)

5. Explanation of Solution: (700-1,400 words)
o Why is it relevant?
o What is new about it?
o By who, what, how and when would it be implemented?

o What is the expected impact?
6. Are there similar examples that can be provided? If so, where and how? Please elaborate.

(150-300 words)
7. What are challenges you might confront and how might they be addressed? (200-400 words)

8. Additional relevant information.
Total length must be between 1,500-3,000 words to be considered