Bilateral Development Agencies Research Articles

Ceremonial implementation at overseas locations: a multi-case study of a bilateral development agency

PurposePrior institutional duality research asserts that ceremonial implementation of organisational practice protects multinational corporations’ subsidiaries. However, the temporal dynamics of the safeguarding function has been under researched. Public sector organisations have also been ignored. This research aims to explore how the safeguarding function is created, maintained and disrupted using the overseas offices (OOs) of a bilateral development agency (BDA) as a case.Design/methodology/approachA multi-case study, underpinned by neo-institutionalism, was conducted. Data obtained from in-depth remote interviews with 39 informants from the BDA OOs were analysed using the “asking small and large questions” technique, four analytical techniques, cross-case synthesis and theoretical propositions.FindingsA three-phase process was identified. The first phase is the appearance of discrepancies due to institutional duality. The second is the emergence of ceremonial implementation as a solution. In the third phase, “the creation, maintenance and disruption of a safeguarding function” begins. When ceremonial implementation successfully protects the OOs, the safeguarding function is created. The OOs are likely to repeat ceremonial implementation, thus sustaining the function. Meanwhile, when conditions such as management staff change, ceremonial implementation may not take place, and the safeguarding function disappears.Research limitations/implicationsThe BDA OOs may not face strong host country regulative pressures because they are donors to aid-recipient countries. Hence, the findings may not directly apply to other public sector organisations.Practical implicationsDevelopment cooperation practitioners should understand that ceremonial implementation is not exclusively harmful.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first institutional duality research that explores the temporal dynamics of safeguarding functions targeting public sector organisations.

The Principle of Accountability in Human Rights-Based Approaches to Development: Towards a New Understanding

Abstract Human rights-based approaches to development (HRBADs) have been pointed out as the most accomplished form of integration of human rights in development. Despite the growing talks among development practitioners on the need for human rights-based approaches to development policies and practices, it remains unclear what exactly the human right principle of accountability at the heart of these approaches consists of. This article seeks to unravel some of the difficulties. What does the principle of accountability mean? Who is accountable and to whom? What does it mean for current development practice? Reflecting on these questions, this article critically delves into policy, guidance, operational documents, evaluations, and other analyses by a selected number of bilateral development agencies. This desk-based research is in some cases backed by semi-structured interviews designed to provide a review of the current approaches to applying the principle of accountability. The article sheds light on how the principle of accountability is understood and applied by those agencies, and notes challenges and inconsistencies. It argues that the principle of accountability should be made fit for purpose so as not to become mere political rhetoric without practical meaning in development practice. It is thus contended that development agencies and state donors should move beyond understanding the principle of accountability as one that is grounded in internal accountability mechanisms and systems of evaluation and aim for holding all stakeholders, including themselves, accountable to the rights-holders of their development programmes and projects.

Colonial Roots of Modern Development Discourse

The paper is structured around a thesis that the historical and colonial roots of modern development shape contemporary development themes and discourses, and that these in turn influence the metrics and indicators used to measure development. The article looks into how colonial relations shape contemporary development themes; the historical evolution of the key themes and measurements of development; finally, how various important “developers,” particularly multilateral and bilateral development agencies, use their epistemic privilege to influence the metrics or indicators that we use to measure development, with particular emphasis on the measures of poverty and inequality. The paper uses a historically grounded narrative structure in demonstrating how colonial legacies have continued to influence development discourse and the related metrics and indicators used in development theory and practice. Finally, the author identifies future avenues of research, particularly how metrics or measures might correspondingly shape emerging development themes and discourses.

Towards Building a Functional Whole-of-Government M&E System for Zambia: The Supply Side

Monitoring and Evaluation Systems have been identified the world over as powerful tools for good governance, they provide relevant information about development projects, programmes and policies. For that reason, governments, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, including civil society organisations have adopted M&E systems to better their performance through accountability, feedback loops and continuous learning mechanisms. This study investigated the functional status of Zambia’s public sector M&E system. Using a designated diagnostic checklist and analytical framework, the country’s whole-of-government M&E system was found to be weak in several aspects. Specifically, the study argues that for any M&E system to function satisfactorily, it is required that both its ‘supply-side’ and ‘demand-side’ are well developed and sustained. The diagnostic findings have revealed that Zambia’s whole-of-government M&E system had both its supply-side and demand-side weak. However, the study has not focused on both sides, instead, the supply-side has been fully explored and clear suggestions for improvement are made herein. Consequently, the study has proposed a new model which when implemented would holistically strengthen the Government –wide system for M&E. It remains to the powers that be to adopt and implement the recommended model. Government will need to strengthen and sustain its M&E political championship, restructure all government functions towards a results-based management approach—statistics, information technology, skills, policies, laws, etc to support an M&E regime. Likewise, the issues covered in the proposed model could also be of use to other organisations seeking to strengthen their M&E systems. Particularly, the methodology used to undertake the needs analysis could be of utmost applicability by others before embarking on a fuller process of building and strengthening their systems for M&E. Another study was underway to support the demand-side of Zambia’s M&E system.

Representing ‘development’ on Instagram: questioning ‘what’, ‘who’, and ‘how’ of development in digital space

ABSTRACT Development institutions communicate about development through mediated communication strategies. The advent of image-intensive digital spaces such as Instagram has facilitated communication for these institutions, making ‘development’ more accessible to the public. However, the representation of development in these institutional digital spaces remains largely unexamined. By conceptualising Instagram as an emerging context for the ‘public face of development’, we conducted a content analysis of 300 Instagram posts by three major bilateral development agencies (USAID, DFID, and SIDA) in order to address critical questions concerning how they communicated about development agendas, subjects, and processes of development to the public. The study reveals that these representations of development in digital space largely adhere to feminised and infantilised visions of ‘ideal victimhood’ when projecting ‘what’ and ‘who’ should receive attention. These representations thus served to justify the Western-centred, neoliberal modes of development. Overall, these agencies’ communicative patterns regarding ‘how development can be achieved’ articulate perspectives on development to ‘look-good’ at home and ‘do-good’ abroad that make social change seem readily achievable.

Aid Management, Trust, and Development Policy Influence: New Evidence from a Survey of Public Sector Officials in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries

Bilateral and multilateral development agencies spend a great deal of time, money, and effort trying to shape the reform priorities and processes of their counterpart countries. However, the means by which development agencies can achieve these ends are poorly understood. This article draws upon the first-hand experiences and observations of more than 1000 public sector officials from 70 low- and middle-income countries to better understand which external sources of reform advice and assistance are most and least useful to public sector decision-makers—and why. We find that donors more effectively shape reform priorities when they choose to deliver their funding through the public financial management systems of counterpart countries, rather than using channels of aid delivery—in particular, technical assistance programs—that bypass host governments and signal a lack of trust in the motivations and capabilities of the local authorities. This finding holds true even after controlling for institutional quality, or the trustworthiness of public sector institutions, in aid-receiving countries. As such, our results call attention to the fact that development agencies can amplify their policy influence by entrusting their counterpart governments with aid management responsibilities.

Beyond the IFIs, beyond USAID in Chavista Venezuela

Many scholars assert that the U.S. state promotes free market economic policies abroad through the leverage it wields within international financial institutions (IFIs), such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Other scholars have focused on U.S. bilateral aid programs, such as those implemented by USAID, and their emphasis on free market economic policies. In many middle-income countries, though, IFIs and U.S. development agencies do not maintain economic development programs. If the U.S. state cannot promote free market policies through IFIs and its bilateral development agencies, how does it promote them at all in middle-income countries? In this paper, I provide a case study of U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela, a middle-income country, under the government of President Hugo Chávez (1999–2013). I draw on interviews with U.S. state elites, including several former ambassadors and State Department employees, and U.S. state documents to show how the U.S. encourages free market economic reforms through its support for civil society organizations that embrace these reforms. In particular, I focus on the work of the Center for International Private Enterprise, which has explicitly linked political freedom with economic freedom. Through this organization, the U.S. works with free market think tanks and promotes free market initiatives, all in the form of political rather than economic assistance.

Using agriculture for development: Supply- and demand-side approaches

Abstract For most poor countries of today, using agriculture for development is widely recognized as a promising strategy. Yet, in these countries, investment in agriculture has mostly been lagging relative to international norms and recommendations. Current wisdom on how to use agriculture for development is that it requires asset building for smallholder farmers, productivity growth in staple foods, an agricultural transformation (diversification of farming systems toward high value crops), and a rural transformation (value addition through rural non-farm activities linked to agriculture). This sequence has too often been hampered by extensive market and government failures. We outline a theory of change where the removal of market and government failures to use this Agriculture for Development strategy can be addressed through two contrasted and complementary approaches. One is from the “supply-side” where public and social agents (governments, international and bilateral development agencies, NGOs, donors) intervene to help farmers overcome the major constraints to adoption: liquidity, risk, information, and access to markets. The other is from the “demand-side” where private agents (entrepreneurs, producer organizations) create incentives for smallholder farmers to modernize through contracting and vertical coordination in value chains. We review the extensive literature that has explored ways of using Agriculture for Development through these two approaches. We conclude by noting that the supply-side approach has benefited from extensive research but met with limited success. The demand-side approach has promise, but received insufficient attention and is in need of additional rigorous research which we outline.

Harmonisation in Africa

Globalisation, regionalisation and increasing integration of trade are some major characteristics of the current world order. There is evidence to link enhanced economic growth to increased trade integration in advanced economies like the European Union. Africa has regionalised and is integrating its economies to take advantage of improved trade opportunities, both within and with the rest of the world. Just like the EU, this requires that Africa harmonises its standards and regulatory environments with international standards, not only to participate in international markets but also to direct trade into the continent. Several harmonisation efforts have therefore been initiated and carried out through the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa. These efforts require coordination to achieve scale and to surmount the challenges related to Africa’s regulatory ‘institutions’, its joint ‘interventions’ with other bilateral development agencies, and their collective ‘initiatives’. The challenges continue to stifle harmonisation efforts and need to be addressed. There is a need to strengthen regulatory institutions, develop infrastructure and technical capacity, and coordinate the several harmonisation initiatives, for uniformity and effectiveness. The prospects of harmonisation to bolster trade and improve food security, economic growth and development on the continent, are a much higher imperative to pursue, than to allow the historical challenges of the colonial era that stifle harmonisation to persist.

Bypassing Government: Aid Effectiveness and Malawi’s Local Development Fund

Many practical and action-oriented international roadmaps to improve the quality of aid and its delivery and impact on development—including the Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action, and Busan Partnership—emphasize a more active involvement of domestic institutions and procedures. Despite widespread agreement among both donor and recipient countries on this issue, we find that aid often tends to bypass national institutional structures. This practice is sometimes justified on grounds of high levels of political and administrative corruption and weak implementation capacity in recipient country bureaucracies. We examine how and to what extent multilateral and bilateral development agencies bypass national and local government institutions while channeling aid and the impact of such practices on aid effectiveness in Africa. Based on an empirical study of project aid and budget support provided to Malawi by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the German Economic Group, we argue that earmarked funding, specialized procurement arrangements, and the proliferation of Project Management Units are among the mechanisms used to circumvent the involvement of national institutions. We conclude that while such practices may achieve short-term gains by displaying successful and visible ‘donorship’, the long-term impact is more uncertain. The bypassing of local institutions results in fragmentation of aid, lack of coordination among aid industry actors, and a general weakening of policy space and domestic capacity to formulate and implement development policy.

The 1968 Tehran master plan and the politics of planning development in Iran (1945–1979)

ABSTRACTThis paper traces the relationship between state development policies and planning Tehran’s urban development from 1945 until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It shows how the geopolitical context of the Cold War, and the political agendas of multilateral and bilateral development agencies (i.e. the World Bank and the Ford Foundation), together with the specific circumstances of the national modernization of Iran, were decisive in shaping the Iranian planning administration and the emergence of a comprehensive master planning approach. Moreover, this study demonstrates the critical role of the Iranian technocratic elite and professional middle class in establishing planning institutions and advocating for a vision of progress and development. The focus here is on the formation of the ‘Plan Organization’ as the first modern planning institution in Iran, and the ways in which this institution played a key role in shaping Iranian expert culture and urban planning practices. By examining the links between national development policies and urban planning, this paper presents how comprehensive master planning emerged as the preferred model for the planning and development of Iranian cities. The focus here is on the design and implementation of Tehran’s 1968 Comprehensive Master Plan.

Changing Perceptions of PPP Risk and Return: The Case of Brownfield Concessions

In the early 1990s, brownfield concessions served briefly as the flagship of the global public–private partnership (PPP) movement. They were highly recommended by donors and multilateral development banks (MDBs) as ideal solutions to many of the problems facing infrastructure utilities in poor countries. In 1996 and 1997, brownfield concessions were the fastest growing form of PPP. But the Asian financial crisis in 1997 brought a sudden halt to this growth in popularity, and the contract form has never really recovered its early momentum. Why were brownfield concessions so popular in the early 1990s and why did that popularity diminish so quickly? Why did greenfield projects go on to dominate the PPP markets in all developing countries? This article attempts to answer these questions by clarifying the role of bilateral development agencies and MDBs in the rise of brownfield concessions, and explaining why the risk–reward perceptions of private investors subsequently changed so rapidly in the late 1990s.

Does This Road Go on Forever? Modelling Sustainability of Infrastructure in Developing Countries

There are not enough roads in developing countries but it is not for a lack of spending to address this shortfall. Multilateral and bilateral development agencies have invested billions of dollars to build up new transportation networks because the shortage of road supply constrains trade and economic growth. However, these new roads often do not last as long as initially anticipated so many of the same donors worry that governments will not provide sufficient maintenance of these investments. In turn, economists suggest that weak maintenance performance may be due to low institutional capacity in the recipient country or even a lack of budgetary funds—both easy fixes that warrant an optimal benefit stream according to their economic rate of return in HDM4 models (“ERR”). However, these maintenance reforms have had mixed results which we argue is the result of a deeply entrenched institutional concern that requires intricate analysis and project-tailored reform approaches to remedy. Even then, these reforms may not exhibit incremental benefits for an ERR. In sum, ERR models of roads should include a rigorous political economy analysis as a due diligence prerequisite in order to substantiate any included assumptions of maintenance reforms resulting from a donor project.

Collaborating to develop joint water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and neglected tropical disease (NTD) sector monitoring: an expert consultation.

Joint monitoring between the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and neglected tropical disease (NTD) sectors presents an opportunity for enhanced collaboration and progress towards shared objectives. Taking forward outputs from global WASH and NTD Roundtables, we engaged experts in a consultative process of identifying measurable priority indicators for joint monitoring. We used a Delphi method for conducting expert consultation and developing consensus. Experts were invited to participate through purposive and snowball sampling, and open solicitation at key sector meetings. Participating WASH and NTDs experts represented a diversity of interest groups, including NTD and WASH field staff and government stakeholders from endemic countries, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions. Four rounds of consultation were conducted via online surveys. Between 55 and 69 experts participated in each round of consultation. Seven core measurable indicators emerged as priorities for inclusion in joint monitoring for the NTD sector. Our findings provide insight on the development and implementation of joint monitoring frameworks that can be integrated into existing programme level monitoring.

Mapping the Jitney Network with Smartphones in Accra, Ghana: The AccraMobile Experiment

A data collection exercise is presented that was conducted by the Department of Transport of the Metropolitan Assembly of Accra, Ghana, to further its knowledge of transportation services placed under its jurisdiction. In order to map the city’s transportation network, a partnership was developed between local authorities and a Canadian university with the support of the French bilateral development agency. An innovative methodology based on the use of smartphones and digital technologies allowed the project team to collect and map 315 jitney routes in less than 2 months. Collectors equipped with GPS-enabled smartphones surveyed Accra’s formal jitney network in its entirety and transmitted data daily to a team overseas in charge of mapping and analysis. The first map of the city’s transportation network is presented here and preliminary conclusions are drawn from it. By mapping passengers’ boarding and alighting, this study also offers unique insights into the spatial distribution of the demand for transportation in Accra. This research opens both methodological and operational perspectives. It contributes to a growing body of literature on jitneys and transportation planning in developing countries. It also demonstrates that transportation data can be collected with limited time and resources through the use of mobile technologies. From a practical point of view, these data will assist the authorities in regulating, planning, and developing Accra’s transportation network.

The adventures of the French architect Michel Ecochard in post-independence Dakar: a transnational development expert drifting between commitment and expediency

After many countries gained independence from the 1960s onwards, both continuity and change characterised development planning in the former African colonies. While new bi-lateral and multi-lateral development organisations emerged on the scene, other bi-lateral development agencies maintained their colonial functioning. In either case, independence and the subsequent increase in development projects opened up new opportunities within the domain of architecture and urban planning for architects to expand geographically their professional practice towards Africa as development experts. Whilst most authors focus on the way the transnational practice and geo-political framework of development experts affected their architectural and urban designs in the Global South, by looking at the work of the French architect Michel Ecochard in Dakar (Senegal) from 1963 to 1967 within the framework of the French Fonds d'Aide et de Coopération (FAC), I will explore to what degree the individual agenda and ambitions of development experts determined the outcome as well as the process of development projects. Hence, this paper illustrates that just as the high-level development plans of many development agencies were balanced between altruism and economic, cultural and political interests, the work of development experts also fluctuated intensely between social commitment and personal expedience. In this paper architecture and urban planning will thus be used to gain a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms and logics of development planning, a topic which is still relevant today.

The use of indicators for monitoring and evaluation of adaptation: lessons from development cooperation agencies

In the context of scaled-up funding for climate change adaptation, it is more important than ever to guarantee value for money of adaptation interventions. Robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) ensures that the prospective benefits of interventions are being realized and it helps to improve the design of future projects and programmes. This paper is the first empirical assessment of M&E frameworks used by development cooperation agencies for projects and programmes with adaptation-specific or adaptation-related components. It analyses documents for 106 projects across 6 bilateral development agencies. The analysis finds that Result Based Management, the Logical Framework Approach and the accompanying logframe are the most common M&E approaches used for adaptation. In applying these approaches, the long-term perspective of most adaptation initiatives means that it is particularly important to clearly differentiate between outcomes, outputs and activities. In addition, M&E frameworks for adaptation should combine qualitative, quantitative and binary indicators. Baselines for these indicators should be specified to improve understanding of progress. Significant challenges remain in relation to dealing with shifting baselines, attribution and time lags between interventions and outcomes.

The inclusion of inclusive education in international development: Lessons from Papua New Guinea

A new ‘inclusive’ curriculum has been introduced in Papua New Guinea, with significant levels of support from a bilateral development agency. The curriculum is inclusive in the sense that it is designed to meet the diverse, complex, and ever-changing needs of students. Research indicates the curriculum has been shaped by various influences, most particularly Western educational ideology. Research in remote rural schools revealed that stakeholders were unable and unwilling to adopt many of the precepts of the new curriculum. Broader analysis indicates that this is likely to be the case elsewhere in PNG. In the light of these findings, it is proposed that international development agencies (IDAs), if they wish to effectively promote inclusive education, should become more ‘inclusive’ organisations – in the sense that they should adopt more responsive and participatory approaches in low income countries.

PROTOCOL: The Impact of Land Property Rights Interventions on Agricultural Productivity in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

PROTOCOL: The Impact of Land Property Rights Interventions on Agricultural Productivity in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Business Versus Bureaucracy in International Development

New forms of aid, including “philanthrocapitalism” such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are rapidly altering the international aid architecture for health. These organisations have financial power, actively shape agendas and influence policy. The rise of non-traditional donor organisations creates opportunities and has implications for Australia as it scales-up its aid program. AusAID could collaborate, complement, compete with, or copy these organisations. Arguably the biggest strategic implication is that they expand AusAID’s programming choices. This increased flexibility could be used to leverage and accelerate further reforms in the UN and elsewhere. But choice is a two way street. Developing countries may prefer large, grant financing from non-traditional aid organisations and choose to bypass traditional multilateral and bilateral development agencies.