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Foreign aid is a controversial tool for helping developing countries achieve economic growth and welfare. Nevertheless, the early 2000s saw a rise in development assistance dedicated to the health sector. The concept of sustainable development highlights the importance of a healthy population to achieve overall development. Using a dataset containing Official Development Assistance channelled towards 100 countries between 2002 and 2020, this paper studies the effect of health aid on health outcomes. To test aid effectiveness, regression models are estimated using infant mortality and life expectancy as proxies for health outcomes. The analyses show that health aid has a positive effect on population health. Moreover, this study tests whether domestic government health expenditure can give further insights into the complex relationship between aid and health improvements. Results yield no significant effect of health aid on public health expenditure; hence no mediation effect can be found. Findings are robust to varying controls and an instrumental variable approach, where two-year lagged health aid is used as instrument. Results also suggest that socioeconomic factors like urbanisation have a positive effect on health outcomes, which implies that population health depends on many factors besides monetary resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite having higher average education levels, Nicaraguan women still earn much less than men. Furthermore, the country has one of the highest levels of occupational gender segregation in Latin America. This paper aims to explain the gender income gap in Nicaragua, taking into account individual characteristics, engagement in specific occupations and sectors, and geographical location. Using a multilevel framework, the study finds that while a considerable part of the income gap can be explained by women's employment in occupations and sectors with low remuneration, another substantial part of this gap is attributable to the prevalence of patriarchal gender norms – and thus cannot be explained by human capital factors. These results show that understanding labor market segregation is vital for comprehending the perseverance of the gender income gap, and they further imply that women's progress in breaching the gender stereotypes in Nicaragua is still limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2005, the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool has been widely used in developing countries and emerging economies to evaluate the performance of public financial management systems. In this article, we assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability instrument tool for evaluating public financial accountability. We examine the theoretical literature on public accountability in order to derive a suitable normative framework to assess the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool. However, given that this literature is based on experiences in developed countries, we must extend it to also take into account the political cultures and practices in developing countries. Using this extended framework, we assess the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability indicators related to, in particular, parliamentary committees for financial oversight and Supreme Audit Institutions. We conclude that the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool could devote more attention to the independence of Supreme Audit Institutions, the nature of accountability debates, democratic inclusion and horizontal accountability mechanisms Points for practitioners The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool has been applied in more than 116 countries and its reports offer valuable information for practitioners and researchers around the world. It is the only publicly available data set that measures the performance of financial committees of parliament and Supreme Audit Institutions. The strengths and weaknesses revealed in this article should be taken into account when using the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool for research or for evaluating the quality of financial accountability systems in particular countries. The international financial institutions and donor agencies governing the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Secretariat can use the recommendations of this article to further improve the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From around 2000 onwards, donors and recipient governments embarked upon a new aid paradigm. The most important elements include increased selectivity in the aid allocation, more ownership of recipient countries based on nationally elaborated Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and more donor alignment and harmonization via programme-based approaches such as budget support. The paper assesses the theoretical merits of this new paradigm, identifying some contradictions and limitations, and then examines its implementation over the past decade and its results. The empirical literature largely confirms the earlier identified weaknesses and limitations. The paper concludes with some suggestions for improving aid practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there are well-tested methods for evaluating projects, it is much more difficult to evaluate budget support with the same rigour. This article outlines the challenges of evaluating budget support. In addition to applying a rigorous counterfactual for assessing impact, we argue that there are three other challenges, mainly caused by the ambiguities in the theory and practice of budget support. We then present a typology of different approaches for evaluating budget support based on two dichotomies: ‘qualitative versus quantitative’ and ‘country case study versus cross-country research’. Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each, we show that an eclectic combination of the different methods can successfully solve the challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2003 Nigeria's economic growth has been consistently above 6% and has been driven by non-oil sectors. This article attempts to assess the contribution of the 2005 debt-relief agreement to this higher growth. The agreement eliminated Nigeria's US$30 billion debt to Paris Club creditors who cancelled US$18 bn, while Nigeria paid back US$12 bn. The article traces the three possible impact channels of debt relief, namely, the flow (reduced debt service), the stock (removal of debt overhang) and the conditionality channel, and comes to the conclusion that the debt-relief agreement played a key role in the country's improved economic performance, in particular through successful conditionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General Budget Support (GBS) is assumed to lead to more effective poverty reduction through non-earmarking of the money and through recipient country ownership. A second and more hidden objective of GBS, however, is to influence policies and governance of recipient countries. This article develops an evaluation framework that takes the tensions between these two objectives into account. It then assesses the results of GBS in Nicaragua under two administrations. It concludes that for most donors, the aim of improving governance was more important than poverty reduction, in both government periods, thus reducing the effect of GBS on poverty reduction. In addition, donor influence on governance was limited. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness stipulates that broadly owned and results-oriented national plans will be the basis for establishing national ownership and leadership of the aid process and for improving alignment and harmonization. In this sense, there is a close link between the Poverty Reduction Strategy approach and the Paris Agenda, both of which form part of the new aid paradigm that started around the year 2000. This article assesses the actual progress in the implementation of the new aid paradigm in three Latin American countries: Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua. The results are disappointing. Frequent government changes and the composition of the donor group in the countries are partially responsible for the disappointing results, but the main conclusion is that the new aid paradigm is based on unrealistic expectations about the role that national poverty reduction or development plans can play in promoting the principles of the Paris Agenda.La Déclaration de Paris sur l'efficacité de l'aide au développement compte sur l'élaboration de plans nationaux axés sur les résultats afin de renforcer l'appropriation et la maîtrise nationale de l'aide au développement, ainsi que favoriser l'alignement et l'harmonisation de l'aide. Dans ce sens, il existe un lien étroit entre les approches basées sur des Stratégies de Réduction de la Pauvreté et celle de la Déclaration de Paris, les deux étant des composantes du nouveau paradigme d'aide au développement qui a vu le jour vers l'an 2000. Cet article évalue les progrès réalisés dans la mise en œuvre de ce nouveau paradigme d'aide dans trois pays d'Amériques latine et centrale: la Bolivie, le Honduras et le Nicaragua. Les résultats sont décevants. Des changements fréquents de gouvernements et la composition des groupes de donateurs dans ces trois pays expliquent en partie ces résultats décevants, mais notre conclusion principale est que le nouveau paradigme d'aide est basé sur des attentes non réalistes concernant le rôle que les plans nationaux de développement ou de réduction de la pauvreté peuvent jouer dans la promotion des principes de la Déclaration de Paris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented which discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Geske Dijkstra and Kristin Komives on the new aid paradigm, one by Rob Vos on the macro-economic challenges of financing a long-term poverty reduction strategy (PRS), and one by Kristen Komives on the PRS process.

Cet article cherche à déterminer dans quelle mesure les programmes de l'initiative de la Stratégie de Réduction de la Pauvreté ont contribué à promouvoir l'égalité des sexes dans les politiques publiques en Bolivie, au Honduras et au Nicaragua. Les processus de SRP présentent, en théorie, des opportunités pour promouvoir l'égalité entre les sexes à travers la participation de la société civile dans l'élaboration des stratégies ainsi que leur gestion et suivi, et aussi par l'intermédiaire des stratégies elles mêmes et de leurs mises en place. Mais de nombreuses conditions doivent être réunies et ceci n'est pas sans risque. Les résultats sont mitigés. Ni les contenus des programmes nationaux de réduction de la pauvreté, ni les processus de participation au premier programme de SRP, n'ont fait avancer l'égalité des sexes. Toutefois, les processus plus récents de consultation et de suivi des SRP ont permis aux femmes d'être mieux entendues et ont aussi favorisé l'engagement des organisations de défense des droits des femmes avec les bureaucraties gouvernementales. Le processus de SRP a également stimulé le développement de programmes sur les thèmes des droits des femmes et de l'égalité entre les sexes, ce qui a contribué à une meilleure prise en compte de certains droits des femmes dans les politiques publiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1999, poor countries that want to qualify for concessionary IMF loans and debt relief must elaborate and implement Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Donors claim that the PRSP approach will increase aid effectiveness since PRSPs will enhance broad country ownership and lead to better 'partnership' with donors, implying more donor co-ordination under government leadership. By examining the experiences of Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua, this article finds that the results are disappointing. The article also shows that, by emphasising rational planning and ignoring politics, the PRSP approach has unintended and sometimes harmful consequences. This leads to recommendations for changes of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1999, poor countries that want to qualify for concessionary IMF loans and debt relief must elaborate and implement Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Donors claim that the PRSP approach will increase aid effectiveness since PRSPs will enhance broad country ownership and lead to better ‘partnership’ with donors, implying more donor co-ordination under government leadership. By examining the experiences of Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua, this article finds that the results are disappointing. The article also shows that, by emphasising rational planning and ignoring politics, the PRSP approach has unintended and sometimes harmful consequences. This leads to recommendations for changes of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a perspective on issues related to the poverty reduction strategy (PRS) approach. The author thinks that financiers are still positive on the possibility of a long-term vision on reducing poverty and social injustice. Donors have some influence in aid-dependent countries. Moreover, financiers are still on the positive note on the possibility and effectiveness of plans that are result-oriented.

This article aims to evaluate PAANEEAC (Projet d'appui au développement des associations nationales pour l'évaluation environnementale en Afrique Centrale), the program to support the development of national associations (NAs) for environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Central Africa. PAANEEAC's objective is to improve the governance of investment decisions through strengthening capacities for EIA. From the literature explaining the failure of donor-induced capacity development programs, the article deduces conditions for success. The empirical assessment of PAANEEAC is based on document review, extensive interviews, and observations. It concludes that PAANEEAC managed to create platforms in which stakeholders meet with the common objective of improving EIA systems, and that this led to measurable, albeit modest improvements in EIA systems. Furthermore, PAANEEAC met most of the success conditions, which was instrumental for its performance.