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Improving learning and accountability in foreign aid

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  • Clements, Paul

Abstract

Learning and accountability in foreign aid require project comparisons, but the dominant framework for aid evaluation institutionalizes inconsistency. Today, most aid evaluations are organized in terms of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Usually the evaluators determine how to apply each criterion. Also, with donor agencies organizing their own evaluation systems, project monitoring tends to be weak and many evaluations are superficial, positively biased, and/or poorly timed. Logically, the most effective way to improve learning and accountability would be to implement independent and consistent evaluation for cost effectiveness. We substantiate and illustrate this argument by explaining why evaluation should be oriented to cost effectiveness and how this could be accomplished by an evaluation association, and by discussing six evaluations of health projects and several documents that summarize many evaluations.

Suggested Citation

  • Clements, Paul, 2020. "Improving learning and accountability in foreign aid," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:125:y:2020:i:c:s0305750x19303183
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104670
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ku McMahan & Saad Usmani, 2022. "The Economic Benefits of Supporting Private Social Enterprise at the Nexus of Water and Agriculture: A Social Rate of Return Analysis of the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge for Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Sébastien Galanti & Ҫiğdem Yilmaz Ӧzsoy, 2022. "Digital finance, development, and climate change," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Statistics for Sustainable Finance, volume 56, Bank for International Settlements.
    4. Katsutoshi Fushimi, 2024. "Institutional Environment Pressures Perceived by Bilateral Development Cooperation Agency's Constituents," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 217-235, March.

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