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Assessing Aid—What Works, What Doesn't, and Why

This PRR was first published in November, 1998. 

Assessing Aid—What Works, What Doesn't, and Why summarizes the findings of a multi-year research program on aid effectiveness. Official Development Assistance has declined by one-third in real terms in the 1990s. There are a number of reasons for this, but one factor has been a sense that aid does not work very well.

Assessing Aid aims to understand when aid works and when it does not, so that the lessons can be used to make aid more effective. A key theme of the report is that aid is a combination of money and ideas. Money has a big impact, but only if countries have good economic institutions and policies. The ideas -- or knowledge creation -- side of aid is critical for helping countries reform and for helping communities effectively provide public services: education, health, water supply, and others. Transcript  of the Washington DC press conference.  A presentation in English, Français, Español

The recipient countries must be moving toward sound policies and institutions.  Development agencies must shift away from [focusing on] total disbursements and the narrow evaluation of the physical implementation of projects to create high impact aid.

Joseph Stiglitz, Former Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, The World Bank




Permanent URL for this page: http://go.worldbank.org/2TIEBZX9E0

 

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