Current thinking and trends of Donors in PSD

Private Sector Development is attracting great interest, but not yet total consensus around what constitutes ‘best practice’. Some place high priority on reforming the business environment – and indeed the regulatory burden for business in some of the poorest countries is very high. Others argue that this is not sufficient, and that a more active industrial policy is justified by the achievements of some Asian economies in particular; Value chain development and Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) are also popular banners for a more active stance. But what about public-private partnerships, local economic development, or social entrepreneurship – surely these are all also PSD? This participatory session will discuss why we have different approaches, how they might fit together, and what the future holds – for example around results measurement, emerging donors, and the Paris Declaration.