TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR OXFAM POLICY AND RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

1 SUMMARY

Working title

• Rigged from Birth
  How inequality steals futures in Asia and the five public services that can Reverse It.

Commissioning manager

• Mustafa Talpur

Author(s)

• Consultant [TBC]

Do any of the authors consider themselves to be from the Global South?

• TBC

Project manager

See Note below on Project management

• Mustafa Talpur

Media lead

• (TBC)

Launch date

• October 09, 2026, during the global conference at Chulalongkorn university Bangkok, Thailand.

Type of product
See Note below on Oxfam papers and reports
Include any supporting products

• Policy brief

Oxfam campaign/branding

• Yes. Inequality Campaign. Oxfam International Asia is designing public campaign and may collaborate with partners including GCAP and South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication, FIA Asia and Asia feminist coalition.

Publisher/s
Include all co-publishing agencies

• Oxfam

Budget holder

• Mustafa Talpur

Purpose
Why is this being commissioned? Why now?

• This policy brief provides a strategic narrative to create strong public opinion for universal public services to address inequality in Asia. This will contribute to the overall inequality campaign and complement a global report with a similar theme aimed or the Annuals Meeting. It aims to pressure the IMF and World Bank to support countries in Asia in strengthening public services, particularly increasing public investment, and to push back against their privatization and austerity. This also aims to push national government to prioritize investing in essential services.

  The policy moment. Inequality in Asia has reached extreme levels despite decades of growth: the richest 10% capture 60–77% of national income across major Asian economies while the poorest 50% earn only 12–15%; Asia's wealth Gini stands at 0.72, among the highest globally; and Asian billionaire wealth surged over 120% in a decade to US$3.4–4 trillion. Meanwhile, 18.9% of developing Asia lives on under US$3.65/day, and over 2.1 billion people live in Asia-Pacific countries where interest payments on public debt exceed education or health spending. This is a policy failure, not a development irony.

  Asia has been one of the fastest-growing regions globally, but access to education, healthcare, water, sanitation, childcare, long-term care, digital services and social protection remains highly unequal, threatening social cohesion. At the same time, international evidence highlights that well-designed public services are critical public investments for national development. Furthermore, recent demographic transitions and social changes require new public service models; thus, traditional family-based care systems are becoming less sustainable. Climate change is also increasing the demand for resilient public services.

  Why Now? A strong, replicable evidence base exists (Thailand UCS, Kerala health model, Philippines free education, Pakistan Lady Health Workers, Indonesia PKH, India MNREGA, Korea BOAP). Digital public services are a new, high-stakes domain offering opportunities as well as risks.Governments have committed to SDGs 3, 4, 5 and 10, yet mounting austerity, debt burdens and regressive taxation are making these goals unattainable. This brief translates those commitments into specific, realistic policy actions across five domains.

  This report comes at a pivotal moment for public services in Asia. As governments begin to shape their post-2030 agendas, they face growing pressure to respond to inequality, climate impacts and demographic change. The choices made now will determine whether public services become more universal and equitable, or increasingly fragmented and commercialised. By bringing together evidence from across the region, this report aims to inform those choices and make the case for universal public services as the cornerstone of a more equal and just future.

Audience
List primary and other audiences
Who are we trying to influence? What will be the style and tone?

• Primary: national policymakers and WB/IMF policy audiences (Executive Directors' offices, country teams, finance ministries).

• Secondary: civil society (regional and national coalitions, unions of frontline workers, women's and youth movements).

  Style and tone: accessible, evidence-led and campaignable written for a general reader while remaining credible to policy audiences

For detailed Terms of Reference (TOR), please see this Link: https://oxfam.box.com/s/h61lz1ag9rr9t8s9mucyrnfn892jjcu2

How to apply

To apply, please submit your technical and financial proposals (quoted in USD, inclusive of taxes) to consultancy_oxfam@oxfam.org.uk by 27 July 2026.

Please note that we will only consider consultants that meet the requirements.

QUERIES

Please contact,Head of Regional Advocacy and Campaigns, Mustafa Talpur, Mustafa.Talpur@oxfam.org for any query related to the TOR.