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222. Aid Coordination and Alignment: Myth or reality? The case of the ECOWAS regional agriculture policy
- Author:
- Jean-Denis Crola and Saya Saulière
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Agriculture, along with livestock farming and fishing, is one of the fundamental components of West African economies. Together they constitute over 35% of the Gross National Product and contribute over 15% of export revenues. They provide income to more than 60% of the working population, over half of whom are women working in production, processing or trade.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa
223. Reconstruction Zones in Afghanistan and Haiti
- Author:
- Graciana del Castillo
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- The longest war and one of the largest relief efforts in U.S. history- in Afghanistan and Haiti, respectively-are testing the cost-effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance in conflictravaged or disaster-torn countries. U.S.-led economic reconstruction in both countries is clearly off track and becoming increasingly costly and unpopular-both at home and in the respective countries. Reconstruction zones (RZs), consisting of two distinct but linked areas to ensure synergies between them-a local-production reconstruction zone (LRZ) producing for local consumption and an export-oriented reconstruction zone (ERZ) producing exclusively for export- could be used to replace the fragmented way aid is provided to these countries with an integrated strategy for economic reconstruction. With an appropriate legal and regulatory framework, ERZs-operating as free-trade zones- could create appropriate links to the national economy as well as positive externalities or spillovers. Such a framework would avoid the problems created by these zones operating as enclaves in Haiti in the past. By targeting aid to provide adequate infrastructure and services within the RZs at a manageable scale, countries could jump-start their productive sectors and create jobs and entrepreneurship in agriculture, light manufacturing, and services, both for domestic consumption and for exports. By creating dynamic and inclusive growth, RZs could help countries stand on their own feet, consolidate peace, and overcome the unsustainable aid dependency to which they have grown accustomed.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Humanitarian Aid, War, Natural Disasters, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, and Caribbean
224. The Impact of Global Crises, Trade Finance and Aid on Export Flows: A Developing Country Perspective
- Author:
- Jose Brambila-Macias, Isabella Massa, and Matthew J. Salois
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- In this paper, we use a mixed-effects trade gravity model on a sample of 83 developing countries over the period 1990-2007 to assess the impact of trade finance and foreign aid on bilateral export flows. In addition to traditional variables, we also include a banking crises variable and a global economic downturns variable among the regressors. Differences across developing regions are taken into account. Our results suggest that: (i) trade finance has a positive and significant impact on bilateral export flows in all developing regions except Latin America; (ii) foreign aid matters in all regions; (iii) global economic downturns exert a negative and significant impact on export flows in all developing countries, and especially in Latin American and Sub-Saharan African economies; (iv) banking crises appear to have no significant impact in most developing regions.
- Topic:
- Economics, Globalization, International Trade and Finance, Foreign Aid, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Latin America
225. Brave New World: A Literature Review of Emerging Donors and the Changing Nature of Foreign Assistance
- Author:
- Vijaya Ramachandran and Julie Walz
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- In this paper, we look at the scale and scope of emerging donors, many of which are developing economies themselves. On the basis of a survey of the literature, we find that estimates of annual aid flows from new donors (so-called non-DAC donors) vary greatly and are somewhere between $11 billion and $41.7 billion, or 8 and 31 percent of global gross ODA. We find that new donors are not a monolithic group but instead represent three distinct models of aid delivery, which we describe as the DAC Model, the Arab Model and the Southern Model.
- Topic:
- Development, Poverty, International Affairs, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Arabia
226. Dial "A" for Agriculture: A Review of Information and Communication Technologies for Agricultural Extension in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Jenny C. Aker
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Agriculture can serve as an important engine for economic growth in developing countries, yet yields in these countries have lagged far behind those in developed countries for decades. One potential mechanism for increasing yields is the use of improved agricultural technologies, such as fertilizers, seeds and cropping techniques. Public-sector programs have attempted to overcome information-related barriers to technological adoption by providing agricultural extension services. While such programs have been widely criticized for their limited scale, sustainability and impact, the rapid spread of mobile phone coverage in developing countries provides a unique opportunity to facilitate technological adoption via information and communication technology (ICT)-based extension programs. This article outlines the potential mechanisms through which ICT could facilitate agricultural adoption and the provision of extension services in developing countries. It then reviews existing programs using ICT for agriculture, categorized by the mechanism (voice, text, internet and mobile money transfers) and the type of services provided. Finally, we identify potential constraints to such programs in terms of design and implementation, and conclude with some recommendations for implementing field-based research on the impact of these programs on farmers' knowledge, technological adoption and welfare.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Poverty, Science and Technology, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
227. Measuring the Quality of Aid: QuODA Second Edition
- Author:
- Nancy Birdsall, Homi Kharas, and Rita Perakis
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- As demonstrated by the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action, the development community has reached a broad consensus on what constitutes good practice for the delivery of development assistance. But since these high-level agreements were made, there has been almost no independent quantitative analysis of whether donors are meeting the standards they have set for themselves.
- Topic:
- Development, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Treaties and Agreements, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Paris
228. Achieving an AIDS Transition: Preventing Infections to Sustain Treatment
- Author:
- Mead Over
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- An unprecedented surge in donor support for HIV/AIDS treatment over the last decade has lengthened and improved the lives of millions of people living with HIV/AIDS. But because the rate of new infections outpaces the rate of AIDS-related deaths, the number of people living with AIDS—and therefore the number of people needing treatment—is growing faster than the funding needed to treat them. In 2009, about 1.8 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses while about 2.6 million were newly infected with HIV, increasing the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS by more than three-quarters of a million.
- Topic:
- Development, Health, and Foreign Aid
229. Continental Shift: New Trends in Private U.S. Funding for Media Development
- Author:
- Anne Nelson
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- National Endowment for Democracy
- Abstract:
- The field of private sector funding of independent media abroad has continued to undergo a massive upheaval over the past two years. Two major factors have driven the change. The first is economic: The 2008 recession sharply reduced the portfolios of most traditional foundations and media philanthropies, many of them by 20-30 percent. They were still recovering when the aftershock of 2011 struck. These institutions, many of them based on the East Coast, had formerly led the way in funding international media development activities, with an emphasis on journalism training and support for freedom of expression. Now they are in a period of retrenchment, struggling to maintain existing commitments and with few resources to pursue new initiatives.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Communications, Mass Media, Foreign Aid, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- United States
230. Strategische Grundprobleme externer politischer und militärischer Intervention
- Author:
- Jochen Hippler
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- Western foreign policy is increasingly attempting to influence and reform the internal political situation and societies in target countries (for example to achieve democratization or economic reform), instead of restricting itself to inter-governmental exchange. The record of success in this regard is hardly encouraging. Does Western foreign policy have the necessary strategies and instruments to achieve these goals? This paper will analyze the mix of foreign policy interests involved, the development of strategy, and its instruments. It then focuses on the necessary preconditions for success in the target countries, both in society and the political system. In a next step the paper analyses the problems and limits of a policy of external reform by Western governments. Finally it offers a series of short policy recommendations.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Democratization, Development, Economics, Humanitarian Aid, International Security, and Foreign Aid