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Loans or Grants?

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Cohen
  • Pierre Jacquet
  • Helmut Reisen

Abstract

We argue in this paper that cancelling the debt of the poorest countries was a good thing, but that it should not imply that the debt instrument should be foregone. Debt and debt cancellations are indeed two complementary instruments which, if properly managed, perform better than either loans or grants taken in isolation. The core of the intuition, which we develop in a simple two-period model, relates to the fact that the poorest countries are also the most volatile, so that contingent facilities, explicitly incorporating debt cancellation mechanisms, are a valuable instrument.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Cohen & Pierre Jacquet & Helmut Reisen, 2007. "Loans or Grants?," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2007-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:dp2007-06
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/dp2007-06.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dreher, Axel & Mölders, Florian & Nunnenkamp, Peter, 2007. "Are NGOs the better donors? A case study of aid allocation for Sweden," Kiel Working Papers 1383, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    2. Axel Dreher & Florian Mölders & Peter Nunnenkamp, 2010. "Aid Delivery through Non‐governmental Organisations: Does the Aid Channel Matter for the Targeting of Swedish Aid?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 147-176, February.
    3. Ugo PANIZZA, 2015. "Debt Sustainability in Low-Income Countries - The Grants versus Loans Debate in a World without Crystal Balls," Working Papers P120, FERDI.
    4. Daniel Cohen & Hélène Djoufelkit-Cottenet & Pierre Jacquet & Cécile Valadier, 2008. "Lending to the Poorest Countries: A New Counter-Cyclical Debt Instrument," OECD Development Centre Working Papers 269, OECD Publishing.
    5. Johansson, Pernilla, 2009. "Grants to needy countries? A study of aid composition between 1975 and 2005," Working Papers 2009:19, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    6. George Mavrotas & Peter Nunnenkamp, 2007. "Foreign Aid Heterogeneity: Issues and Agenda," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 143(4), pages 585-595, December.
    7. Le Van, Cuong & Pham, Ngoc-Sang & Pham, Thi Kim Cuong, 2021. "Development loans, poverty trap, and economic dynamics," MPRA Paper 110870, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. John‐Michael Davis & Liam Swiss, 2020. "Need, Merit, Self‐Interest or Convenience? Exploring Aid Allocation Motives of Grassroots International NGOs," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1324-1345, November.
    9. Marchesi, Silvia & Missale, Alessandro, 2013. "Did High Debts Distort Loan and Grant Allocation to IDA Countries?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 44-62.
    10. Shiiba, Nagisa & Maekawa, Miko & Vegh, Tibor & Virdin, John, 2022. "Tracking International Aid Projects for Ocean Conservation and Climate Action," ADBI Working Papers 1308, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    11. Simon Cornée & Marc Jegers & Ariane Szafarz, 2018. "A Theory of Social Finance," Economics Working Paper Archive (University of Rennes & University of Caen) 2018-02, Center for Research in Economics and Management (CREM), University of Rennes, University of Caen and CNRS.
    12. Almuth Scholl, 2018. "Debt Relief for Poor Countries: Conditionality and Effectiveness," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(339), pages 626-648, July.
    13. Tim Cholibois, 2020. "Electrifying the ‘eighth continent’: exploring the role of climate finance and its impact on energy justice and equality in Madagascar’s planned energy transition," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 345-364, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic assistance and foreign aid; International finance; Foreign loans;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations

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