A Framework for Understanding Aid Effectiveness Determinants, Strategies and Tradeoffs

Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS), Forthcoming

15 Pages Posted: 23 Dec 2013 Last revised: 8 Oct 2014

See all articles by Stephen Howes

Stephen Howes

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre; Australian National University (ANU) - Crawford School of Public Policy

Date Written: December 1, 2013

Abstract

Prominent reform agendas for aid abound. How do they relate to each other? This article tries to organise the aid reform literature by proposing a general framework for thinking about the determinants of aid effectiveness and strategies for improving the same. It presents three schools of thought on aid effectiveness: the recipient, donor and transaction costs schools. It argues that none of the reform agendas proposed by these schools dominates. Although actual aid reform agendas will combine elements of all three schools, there are in fact important tradeoffs between the recipient and the donor school reform agendas, and between the transaction costs and the donor school reform agendas. Contrary to the clarion calls of prominent aid reform advocates, aid reform in practice is a messy and difficult business.

Keywords: aid effectiveness, principal-agent framework, Collier, Easterly, Sachs

Suggested Citation

Howes, Stephen, A Framework for Understanding Aid Effectiveness Determinants, Strategies and Tradeoffs (December 1, 2013). Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS), Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2371167 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2371167

Stephen Howes (Contact Author)

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre ( email )

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Canberra, 0200
Australia

Australian National University (ANU) - Crawford School of Public Policy

ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
J.G. Crawford Building, #132, Lennox Crossing
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

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