Identification and Monitoring of Potentially Under-aided Countries (.pdf, 1.87 MB)

Aid allocations vary significantly from one country to another. The fact that some countries are “under-aided” is in part a consequence of the complexity of the current global development co-operation system, where aid allocation practices are to a large extent un-coordinated. This paper proposes a methodology based on four already-established aid allocation models to identify a list of potentially under-aided countries. As a next step, this list of countries could be further explored through more qualitative and political country-specific assessments.

This report was a background document for the DAC High Level Meeting in December 2012, where senior officials endorsed the systematic monitoring of potentially under-aided countries.

Aid Orphans: Whose Reponsibility? Development Brief (.pdf)

The pattern of aid distribution across countries is insufficiently co-ordinated. Individual donors (public and private) decide separately which country programmes to assist and to what extent, based on their unique set of values, goals and criteria, shaped by specific contexts and historical relationships. The absence of timely information on other donors’ forward intentions impedes everyone’s ability to adjust their own plans accordingly. Furthermore, accountability to taxpayers or boards is seldom focused on correcting the actions of others, predictable or not: each donor has its own priorities and incentive framework.