Official Development Assistance Projects Research Articles

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE IN COLOMBIA: CHANGES AND CONTINUITIES OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT. CASE STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (2012-2021)

The objective of this research article is to conduct the identification of the possible changes and continuities presented in the dynamics and the Official Development Assistance (ODA) received by Colombia from the United States of America and the European Union, after the signing of the Peace Agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP). A qualitative case study methodology is used by consulting databases and information from official sources on ODA projects granted to Colombia. The period 2012-2021 was set at four years prior to the signing of the agreement and five years after it. The results show significant changes in the amounts and number of projects financed by the United States and the European Union since the signing of the Agreement.

Utilizing Topic Modelling and AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) for Setting Policy Priorities to Strengthen Official Development Assistance at Local Government Level

In Korea, aid projects to developing countries at central government level are increasing in number significantly every year, yet at local government level their scale is extremely small. Recognizing this problem, this study aims to set policy priorities to strengthen official development assistance (ODA) at local government level in Korea. Accordingly, we analysed the important issues relating to ODA projects at local government level by performing topic modelling analysis method. On the basis of these analysis results, policy priorities were derived using the AHP method. The analysis suggests that in Korea, in order to revitalize ODA projects at local government level, a dedicated department that can professionally handle these projects must be established within each local authority. Furthermore, it is important to recruit and deploy professional administrators who can utilize these dedicated departments to discover new ODA projects.

Successful emergency medical service training with virtual field trips using video during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Official Development Assistance Project in Uzbekistan

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic saw many restrictions on the provision of emergency medical service (EMS) training through actual field trips (AFTs), requiring a search for alternatives. This study aimed to assess trainees’ reactions to virtual field trips (VFTs) and determine the characteristics of instructional design for successful VFTs using edited videos and expert interviews.Methods: This study evaluated Uzbekistan trainees’ reactions to the VFT of EMS training using questionnaires in three categories: satisfaction, relevance, and engagement. Factors of satisfaction and dissatisfaction were identified through open-ended questions.Results: A total of 286 trainees responded to the survey during 15 educational sessions conducted from 2020 to 2022. The trainees’ responses to the VFT were positive. Overall mean scores were 4.65±0.49, 4.63±0.50, and 4.63±0.50 out of 5 points for satisfaction, relevance, and engagement, respectively. The trainees reported that the most interesting and helpful videos concerned the introduction of an EMS training curriculum and the observation of training facilities, such as the simulation centers of educational institutes. The leading causes of satisfaction were (1) authenticity of the VFTs, (2) easy-to-understand content, and (3) relevance to the job. The trainees suggested that Uzbek or Russian voice-overs would be better than subtitles in the video clip for focusing on VFT.Conclusion: In situations where AFTs are not available, VFTs using edited videos and expert interviews are a good alternative to EMS education. Based on these results, it is possible that AFTs could be replaced by VFTs using qualified videos with designed instructions as a distance learning method under specific conditions.

교육 ODA 경험에 대한 한국 교사들의 내러티브

Objectives This paper analyzes the meaning of Korean teachers who led online training for Azerbaijani teachers as an educational official development assistance (ODA) project of KOICA to strengthen learner-centered education competency. In other words, by examining how Korean teachers' experiences of participating in educational ODA projects are interpreted and meaningful to them, it was intended to suggest implications for educational ODA in Korean society, which is ultimately expanding its role as a donor country.
 Methods To this end, a total of three group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview method with 12 Korean teachers who took the roles of instructors, coaches, and supervisors, and led the Azerbaijani teacher training program. The interview results were analyzed by topic according to the qualitative research paradigm.
 Results The results of the Korean teachers' experiences of teacher training for Azerbaijan teachers can be summarized as follows: 1) Education ODA as a ‘contact zone’ 2) Confirmation and improvement of self-efficacy 3) Education ODA as an opportunity of ‘lifelong learning’ as a teacher 4) Creation of aspirations for international teacher professional learning community. In particular, Korean teachers showed the development of cooperative interaction between donor and recipient countries and a sense of community solidarity while understanding the situation, educational environment and culture of Azerbaijani teachers and accepting their trials and errors.
 Conclusions Based on the results of the study, the implications and future tasks for Korean society, which is expanding and deepening its role as a donor country in educational ODA quantitatively and qualitatively, were discussed in relation to teacher competency reinforcement. In particular, through the experience of Korean teachers who took on multifaceted roles such as training planning to strengthen learner-centered educational capabilities of Azerbaijani teachers, as instructors, coaches, and supervisors, implications related to the perception, attitude, and practice of teachers in donor countries in educational ODA were analyzed. discussed.

Enhancing access to clean water in Bu Dop district – Binh Phuoc province

Safely access to clean water is the goal 6 of the millennium development goals (MDGs). Nowadays, 25% of the world's population does not have safe access to clean water. This situation is more serious in low-income countries. Being lack of the access to clean water affects not only the livelihoods but also the basic demands of the human being. Because of the high demand on researching about this topic, the article focuses on the status of using cleaning water in Bu Dop, a poor district of Binh Phuoc province during the period 2017 – 2021. The data were collected by surveying a sample of 160 households of four communes in the area that did not use clean water. Based on the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and logit regression model, the results of the analysis indicate that there are five variables impact people's intention to use fresh water are ethnicity; income; the awareness of the usefulness of clean water; the satisfaction with the price, and the availabilities of other water resources. Accordingly, the research proposes some solutions to enhance the possibilities to access the clean water in the Bu Dop district. These approaches are promulgating some policies to support and encourage local people in this area to use clean water and the specific policies for ethnic minorities; providing more information for improving the people's awareness and responsibility in using clean water; enhancing the management and operation of centralized water treatment system; attracting the ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects providing clean water for poor communes and encouraging the private sectors to participate in this issue.

타지키스탄 대상 산림부문 공적개발원조 사업 타당성 평가

Central Asian countries have demanded forest sector development to cope with depletion of the Aral Sea and desertification. As one of the development measures, the forest official development assistance (ODA) project between the Republic of Korea and Tajikistan has been discussed. This study evaluated the feasibility of the project by reviewing the literature materials, and the implications for establishing strategies were drawn. The feasibility study was conducted in accordance with three evaluation criteria (relevance, readiness, and sustainability), which were modified from the ones of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC). Even though the project was evaluated as feasible, the result of the evaluation revealed that the overall capacity of forest sector in Tajikistan should be advanced to guarantee sustainability of the project's outcome. This study will serve as a referable case study for developing reasonable evaluation system for the forest ODA projects and promoting the forest cooperation projects in Central Asia.

K-Style Drug Integrated Management Platform Model for Healthcare Official Development Assistance Projects

K-Style Drug Integrated Management Platform Model for Healthcare Official Development Assistance Projects

The political participation of local citizen in the elections of local leaders in Vietnam

PurposeThis study aims to identify the level of political participation of local citizen in 208 districts representing for 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam and consider the effects of candidate's attributes, local political contextual factors and other local citizen’s demographic characteristics on the elections of local leaders in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachBy using Probit model and data about provincial governance and public administration performance index and self-survey about local leaders in the districts, this paper shows the different effects of candidates’ attributes, local political context and other local citizen’s characteristics on the first and second elections of local leaders in Vietnam.FindingsThe result indicates the probability of candidates being elected in the first term depends on their characteristics, local political context and local citizen. However, the reelection of local leaders for a second term depends much on their characteristics and local political context not on demographic characteristics of local citizen. The satisfaction rate of local citizen and being an incumbent for the first term are driving forces for the local citizen to elect their leader for the second term. Meanwhile, local political context such as local transparency, local official development assistance project and citizen satisfaction will increase the likelihood of local leaders being elected for the first and second terms.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this study is the data of the self-survey because it only provides basic but not complete characteristics of candidates and local contexts in some typical districts in 63 provinces and cities across the country.Practical implicationsThis paper includes policy implications for candidates who want to be elected for both terms and local governance in Vietnam. The government needs to focus on building human resources for local administration to meet the requirements of building a clean, strong, modern and anticorruption administrative system.Originality/valueThis paper extends the analysis on examining the characteristics of candidates and local citizen as well as local political context influencing the elections of local leaders, getting involved in the Vietnam context, still underresearched, especially with reference to political participation of local citizen.

Experience of emergency medical services provider training using online training of trainers during COVID-19: official development assistance project in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

ObjectiveSince onsite education is difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic, official development assistance (ODA) projects have implemented online training of trainers (ToT) for emergency medical experts and staff. This study aims to share and discuss the ToT experience and its results in Uzbekistan.MethodsWe trained emergency medical advanced course instructors through online ToT among emergency medical service experts in Uzbekistan as a part of an ODA project. After the ToT, instructors were selected based on written tests, video monitoring of practice, and simulation performance. They operated the emergency medical course including lectures, practices, and simulations for 5 days. We tested the trainees through written tests before and after the course. They were surveyed regarding the course contents, its relevance, and their satisfaction with the course.ResultsSix instructors were selected after the online ToT program. They educated 68 emergency medical workers through the three training courses. The total score of the pretest was 129.2±34.8, and the posttest score was 170.8±31.2, which was significantly higher (P<0.05). The satisfaction calculated by adding the values of survey items for this curriculum was 28.0 (interquartile range, 26.0–30.0), and there was no statistical difference regarding trainee satisfaction between the three courses (P=0.148).ConclusionInstructors trained by online ToT programs could provide an in-person emergency medical advanced course.

Increasing yield and farm income of upland farmers: The case of Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project in the Philippines

The 17th Sustainable Development Goal aims to enhance the international cooperation between developed and least-developed countries, and the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program is the largest source of external support in the attainment of this goal. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project (PIU-SRDP), an ODA project supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Local Government Units of project municipalities in the Philippines. We focused on Phase II of the PIU-SRDP, which implemented randomly various agriculture-based income-generating projects, aimed at improving the sustainable productivity of low-income farming households. Based on a spatial and intertemporal variations of the project, we exploit a difference-in-difference approach using household-level data. The results suggest that the project significantly increased the rice yield and farm income of beneficiaries. With the opposing views about the true impacts of ODA programs, our study shows evidence of the positive effects of an ODA project on farmer-beneficiaries. This study provides insights for future engagement and implementation of related community-based ODA, agriculture, and rural development projects.

Impact of official development assistance projects for renewable energy on electrification in sub-Saharan Africa

While the African continent has one of the largest renewable energy potentials in the world, it remains the most deprived region for access to electricity. Official development agencies can provide the funds and experience necessary for the sustainable development of this sector to those countries that suffer from limited domestic resources. We estimate the impact of renewable energy aid projects implemented in 19 sub-Saharan African countries on access to electricity for communities in the region. By combining georeferenced data from aid projects in renewable energy from AidData and survey data from the Afrobarometer, we find, using different propensity score matching methods, a positive and significant impact of these projects on electrification of communities. A comparison with the same sample on non-renewable energy projects shows a better efficiency of eco-friendly projects. However, the effectiveness of these projects is heterogeneous and depends greatly on the type of donor, the location, and the initial level of development. Our results contribute to the scholarly debate on aid effectiveness and provide important political implications. Indeed, they suggest that international donors should favour sending funds for renewable energy projects in countries and regions lacking electrification as these funds contribute to better access to electricity while promoting environmentally friendly technologies.

A Longitudinal Study of the Local Community Perspective on Ecotourism Development in Lombok, Indonesia

This study examined stakeholders’ perception related to the Korea–Indonesia international ecotourism official development assistance project in Tunak, Lombok, Indonesia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 local community members, government officers, and project executors in 2014 and 2020. Six themes arose from the respondents’ perceptions: nature appreciation, enhancement of sociocultural development, prospect of stakeholder involvement, boosting environmental conditions, present economic contributions for conservation, and project deficiencies. The results showed that the project was carried out in line with the initial plan and emphasized local community involvement. However, the community’s dependence on external help could lead to unsustainable ecotourism practices in the future. Through various project programs, the local village’s economy and infrastructure started to develop. Education and direct local community involvement positively affected the local community conditions, both in sociocultural and economic terms.

International cooperation in peacebuilding: stakeholder interaction in Colombia

The international community is a key actor in fostering, establishing and maintaining peace in conflict-affected regions through multiple forms of cooperation. Official development assistance (ODA), for example, is one of them. It encompasses peacebuilding initiatives and includes diverse actors and partnerships. This paper provides a better understanding of such stakeholders’ relationships by analysing 85 successful peacebuilding ODA projects that donors have implemented in Colombia. Together with international donors, we examined the projects’ databases to classify the modality of cooperation, based on whether it focussed on development assistance, humanitarian aid or transition and on the way in which the key actors’ involvement varied, depending on the projects and modalities. We bridge multidisciplinary findings from peacebuilding and international cooperation literature in light of the Colombian case. Using empirical and theoretical evidence, we found that non-governmental organisations and civil society are key actors in most of the projects; and that, with Colombia holding a middle-income country (MIC) status, donors do not avoid cooperating with the government, as they do with low-income countries (LIC), which lack governmental capacities. The private sector was not recognised as a key actor by the donors, who question its role in international peacebuilding-oriented assistance.

A Case Study for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Professional Development Training in Untact Era: Focusing on Official Development Assistance Project in Botswana

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the TVET professional development training, which was planned to be carried out in a face-to-face manner. This study aims to examine TVET professional development training based on the ADDIE model and provide implications for ODA and TVET professional development training in the post-COVID era. In this case study, a TVET training program for Botswana was developed based on the ADDIE model in an untact environment. Accordingly, the performance activities for each phase of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation were analyzed, and based on this, implications for ODA and TVET were provided. This study identified the applicability of non-face-to-face education in the ODA project. Also, this study explored how to develop systematic and dimensional programs based on the ADDIE model in a non-face-to-face manner. In addition, sustainability could be secured through cooperative partnerships between donor and beneficiary countries from the perspective of SDGs Goal.

Transformational leadership and success of international development projects (ID projects): moderating role of the project team size

PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate to what extent the project team size influence the relation between transformational leadership and success of international development projects (IDPs). The paper draws on leader-member-exchange (LMX) theory and contextualizes transformational leadership style to temporary project environment particularly that of an official development assistance project in an African context.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on the processing of a primary database collected by questionnaire from 111 coordinators of IDPs in Benin. The structural equation method based on the PLS approach was used to test our hypotheses.FindingsFirst, the preliminary results reveal that, in the context of IDP, projects managers are much more sensitive to the “management” and “visibility” dimensions than to the “impact” dimension of project success. Then, following the hypothesis test, the results show that transformational leadership has a direct positive influence on the success of IDP. Project team size does not play a moderating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and project success. Also, considering the effect of the specific dimensions of transformational leadership on IDP success, only the “idealized influence” dimension influences directly and positively on the latter.Originality/valueResearch calls for examining the role of team size vis-à-vis transformational leadership style and project success and calls in general for studying project manager's leadership styles. This study contributes to literature by answering such calls. In addition, the originality of this study lies in the evaluation of the influence of the specific dimensions because the exclusive use of leadership forms provides an imperfect and oversimplified picture of reality.

Climate cooperation from Kyoto to Paris: What can be learnt from the CDM experience?

The mitigation of greenhouse gas concentration has become a first-order issue for decision making in environmental sustainability. Countries can meet their mitigation commitments and environmental objectives through multiple instruments. A key role is played by cooperative mechanisms, such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), under the Kyoto Protocol, and a similar mechanism established by the Paris Agreement (Art. 6), whose implementation rules are still under negotiation. However, another form of cooperation was already established under the different framework of the Official Development Assistance (ODA), potentially sharing abatement purposes. This paper aims to compare the mitigation actions implemented either as CDM or ODA projects. We conduct a multi-criteria econometric analysis, based on an originally created, harmonised dataset that merges renewable energy CDM projects and comparable ODA projects to investigate the role of the institutional framework in influencing the effectiveness of reducing emissions worldwide. Results show that the Kyoto Protocol had a positive impact in terms of cost-effectiveness for renewable energy projects and that it stimulated policy actions for environmental sustainability. Accordingly, in view of the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, it is extremely important both to look to the past to draw lessons from Kyoto's successes and failures and to apply multi-criteria decision-making approaches for the design of environmental policies.

Analisis Dampak Ekologis Proyek ODA Jepang di Indonesia dalam Mendukung Pembangunan Dunia Berkelanjutan (2012-2018)

Japan is the biggest donor for Indonesia. Under bilateral cooperation, Japan has actively sent foreign aids to Indonesia within the framework of Official Development Assistance (ODA) since 1960s. By receiving assistance worth 45% of the total foreign aid received by Indonesia, Japan is also considered important in various Indonesian national development programs. Along with the commitment to support Sustainable Development Goals, Japan also contributes in funding various projects which aim to increase the environmental quality and sustainability of Indonesia. Although not all Japanese assistance to Indonesia is specifically aimed at addressing environmental issues, it cannot be denied that every Japanese ODA project has its own ecological impact on Indonesia.Departing from the case, the author will analyze the extent to which Japanese foreign aid to Indonesia has an impact on environmental conditions in Indonesia. The author groups Japanese ODA projects in five categories, namely: (1) environmental strictly defined (ESD); (2) environmental broadly defined (ESD); (3) neutral (N); (4) dirty broadly defined (DBD); and (5) dirty strictly defined (DSD). Based on the data collected, the authors found that the Japanese ODA project had varied ecological impacts for Indonesia. Therefore, the authors argue that Japanese ODA projects in Indonesia not only have positive implications, but also negative implications for the environment. 

Development Aid, Drought, and Coping Capacity

Climate change is a major threat to sustained economic growth and wellbeing in the Global South. To what extent does official development assistance (ODA) strengthen recipient communities’ capacity to cope with climatic extremes? Here, we investigate whether inflow of development aid mitigates adverse health impacts of subsequent drought among children under 5 years of age, drawing on survey data of nearly 140,000 respondents across 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in combination with georeferenced data on World Bank-sponsored ODA projects and historical weather statistics. A coarsened exact matching analysis reveals little benefit of development aid on child nutritional status under normal meteorological conditions. However, among children exposed to drought, prior aid allocation is associated with significantly reduced weight loss. While the merit of ODA in facilitating long-term growth remains debated, this study finds consistent indication that multilateral development aid improves recipient communities’ capacity to cope with future drought.

자원유형이 공적개발원조(ODA) 사업관리의 효과성에 미치는 영향에 관한 탐색적 연구 : 인력전문성의 조절효과를 중심으로

본 연구는 다양한 자원 유형이 공적개발원조 사업관리 효율성에 미치는 영향을 사업유형별(무상사업, 유상사업)로 살펴보고, 이들의 관계에서 인력전문성의 조절효과를 탐색적으로 분석하고자 한다. 분석결과, 법규의 구체성은 유상사업의 관리효과성에, 법규의 적합성은 무상사업의 관리효과성에 정(+)의 영향을 미쳤다. 예산배분 적절성은 무상사업의 관리효과성에, 사업 선정과정의 차이와 분리 관리체계 적절성은 유상사업의 관리효과성에 정(+)의 영향을 주었다. 사업 집행체계 분절화는 무상사업의 관리효과성에, 부처간 협업 및 조정은 유상사업의 관리효과성에 정(+)의 영향을 주었다. 예산과정 효율성과 인력전문성이 함께 높아지면 유상사업의 관리효과성에 정(+)의 영향을 주었다. 사업 집행체계 분절화와 인력전문성이 커지면 두 사업관리 효과성에 모두 정(+)의 영향을 미쳤다. 정책적 함의로는 첫째, 유상사업을 효과적으로 수행하기 위해 법규의 구체성, 사업 선정과정의 차이와 분리 관리체계 적절성, 부처간 협업 및 조정 등이 필요하다. 둘째, 무상사업을 효과적으로 수행하기 위해 법규의 적합성, 예산배분 적절성, 사업 집행체계 분절화 등이 필요하다. 셋째, ODA 사업담당 인력전문성을 강화하기 위하여 관련 교육과정을 활성화해야 한다.

A Study on the Global Start-ups/Employment Support Model Using ODA Projects

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore the model that supports the recipient country by using the ODA (Official Development Assistance) project and at the same time fits the global start-up/employment support of donor country with CSV business model. Specifically, we wanted to examine the feasibility of the project based on the existing ODA projects. Research design, data, and methodology - As the methodology, case studies and interview were conducted as well as literature studies. The case analysis is based on a press release of the entire KOICA's ODA project, which has been implemented for one year, based on 2017. After consideration, the actual results and future feasibility were analyzed. The interviews were conducted on senior Korean officials and Indian officials involved in Vietnam's ODA project. Results - As a result, some of the project cases applied and analyzed according to the model of this study were judged to be highly potential. Based on the results of this analysis, as the model derived from this study pursues, the global business model is developed under the CSV (Creating Shared Value) strategy through ODA projects to support recipient countries and global start-up/employment support of donor country. The possibility of simultaneously pursuing this model based on CSV business model was also confirmed. Conclusions - In the past, free aid agencies like KOICA focused solely on supporting recipient countries, but in terms of sustainability, they could discover the potential of supporting the global start-up/employment of the donor country using CSV business model in ODA project. In this study, we tried to find the theoretical background and potential possibilities in some ODA projects based on CSV business model. As a result of the analysis of KOICA ODA projects in 2017 and interviews, some ODA projects could be used to improve the economic development of the recipient country as well as the global start-up/employment of the donor country. Therefore, it is necessary for the ministries of the government to promote ODA projects to understand the framework that achieves these two objectives simultaneously and to promote ODA projects based on various strategic considerations.