This article analyses the aid chain and north-south power relations with regard to INGO programming strategies. CARE USA's Household and Livelihood Security (HLS) programming framework is examined, as case study, from the headquarter level to country offices in South Africa and Lesotho as well as partner organizations. HLS is discussed in relation to participatory methodology, management tools, the project cycle, donors and direct versus partner implementation. The paper argues that using HLS to combine people centred development ideas with northern-based management techniques has led to inadequate success in the field. Furthermore, the unequal power relations between the north and the south ultimately sabotage development success. HLS is a promising programming framework for development pratictioners. However, many of the past programming failures continue to impede HLS. Additionally, new programming failures are being created through the dissemination and implementation of HLS programming as it currently exists. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Existing literature on foreign aid does not indicate what type of political regime is best to achieve human development outcomes or use aid funds more efficiently. I contend that political leaders of different regime types have personal incentives that motivate them to utilize foreign aid to reflect their interests in providing more or less basic social services for their citizens. Using a data set of 126 aid-recipient countries between the years of 1990 and 2007, I employ fixed effects estimation to test the model. The overall results of this research indicate that foreign aid and democratic institutionalization have a positive effect on total enrollment in primary education, while political regime types show little difference from one another in providing public health and education for their citizens.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The HIPC Initiative offers qualifying heavily indebted poor countries the opportunity to renege on their debt obligations in return for an emphatic commitment to poverty reduction and reform. This dissertation assesses the effectiveness of the HIPC Initiative in light of the fact that one third of the world's population continues to live on an average of US$1 per day. In evaluating the HIPC Initiative one simple question is posed: taking into consideration the abject poverty experienced by over a billion people in the developing world, and the urgency with which it must be addressed, is the HIPC Initiative extensive enough, deep enough or broad enough to effectively challenge worldwide poverty? Using quantitative and qualitative research methods, the dissertation investigates this question by examining the divergent points of view offered by the World Bank and IMF on the one hand, and NGOs on the other as they comment on the most hotly debated issues surrounding the effectiveness of the HIPC Initiative. The analysis leads us to an evaluation of the following issues: establishing debt sustainability to qualify for HIPC relief; the issue of conditionality and the use of poverty reduction strategy papers; funding the HIPC Initiative; the likelihood of HIPCs escaping the debt trap after HIPC relief; and finally, how the HIPC Initiative is contributing to attaining the Millennium Development Goals is evaluated. After probing the stances of the World Bank and IMF, and the contrasting views of NGOs the conclusions indicate that the HIPC Initiative is neither extensive, deep nor broad enough to effectively challenge poverty, or to provide indebted poor countries with a lasting escape from the burden of unsustainable debt. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Inisiatief bied aan arm lande met 'n groot skuldlas, wat kwalifiseer vir hulp, die geleentheid om hul skuldverpligtings af te las in ruil vir 'n definitiewe verbintenis tot armoede-vermindering en -hervorming. Hierdie verhandeling evalueer die doeltreffendheid van die HIPC Inisiatief teen die agtergrond van die feit dat een derde van die wêreld se bevolking op 'n gemiddelde van een Amerikaanse Dollar per dag oorleef. Hierdie evaluering van die HIPC Inisiatief stel 'n eenvoudige vraag: Is die HIPC Inisiatief voldoende en uitgebreid genoeg om die uitdaging van wêreldwye armoede aan te spreek indien 'n mens die uiterste armoede van meer as 'n biljoen mense in ontwikkelende gebiede in ag neem, sowel as die dringendheid waarmee dit aangespreek moet word? Deur van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik te maak, ondersoek die verhandeling hierdie vraag deur uiteenlopende gesigspunte van die Wêreldbank en die Internasionale Monitêre Fonds (IMF) aan die een kant, en Nie- Regerings Orginisasies (NRO's) s'n aan die ander kant, te ondersoek aan die hand van hul kommentaar op die belangrikste kwessies oor die doeltreffendheid van die HIPC Inisiatief. Hierdie ontleding lei tot 'n evaluering van die volgende kwessies: bepaling van lande se potensiaal om met terugbetalings vol te hou ten einde vir hulp deur die HIPC te kwalifiseer; die kwessie van voorwaardelikheid en die gebruik van armoedeverligtingstrategieë; befondsing van die HIPC Inisiatief; die moontlikheid dat die HIPC's die skuldstrikke na toepassing van HIPC-bystand sal ontsnap; en laastens, hoe die HIPC Inisiatief se bydrae tot die bereiking van die Millenium Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte geëvalueer word. Die standpunte van die Wêreld Bank en die IMF sowel as die teengestelde sienings van die NRO's word ondersoek. Die gevolgtrekking toon dat dat die HIPC Insiatief nie uitgebreid, diep of breed genoeg is om armoede doeltreffend hok te slaan nie, of om skuldlastige arm lande te help om finaal van hul skuldlas te ontsnap nie.

Following the dramatic takeoff of contemporary China-Africa relationship in the late 1990s, this once neglected international phenomenon has become one of the most topical themes over the past decade. This new popularity is due not only to the growing importance of both China and Africa on the global stage, but also China's rapidly increasing foreign aid on the continent. However, whilst most scholars are focusing on the financial side of the story – the massive concessional loan deals, the generous investments in natural resources and so forth, the primary purpose of this foreign aid – assisting African recipient countries' economic and welfare development – has only generated minimal interest. Little is known regarding how China delivers its foreign aid, and even less about how this foreign aid actually works in the African recipient countries. In light of this situation, this study asks: How has China's foreign aid been assisting Africa's development? On the basis of drawing specific attention to the effectiveness and sustainability of China's foreign aid in Africa, this study also explores the factors that affect these outcomes. Which, as this study finds out in the end, friendship – a factor that is often overlooked by Western scholars and patriotically examined by Chinese scholars. Not only has it continuously played a substantial role in shaping the development of China's foreign aid in Africa, but it is also frequently the most influential underlying consideration that practically undermines China's foreign aid outcomes. All in all, whilst purposed to promote China's foreign aid outcomes, this study improves our understanding of China's foreign aid in Africa. As well it delves into the development of China's foreign aid in Africa, assesses its performance, this study finds the shortcomings of China's foreign aid at present and searches for practical solutions that may contribute to its future development.

Foreign aid is publicly motivated by a moral obligation to help the poor and develop underdeveloped countries. Donors have invested more than US$2.3 trillion in foreign aid, but despite this significant investment, 3 billion people are still living on less than $2 a day, 840 million are hungry, 10 million children die from preventable disease, and 1 billion adults are illiterate. This study focuses on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth and development of underdeveloped countries. It was found that many variables influence growth and development and that cross-country regression analysis is an inappropriate method to measure the effectiveness of aid. The methodology is too generalist, and treats foreign aid as a homogenous entity that works equally in all countries in all types of environment and across all times. There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology for measuring the effectiveness of foreign aid. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This assignment seeks to critically analyse the impact of international funding on the present state of development in developing countries. The aim of the analysis is to provide recommendations to improve the methods and motives behind giving funding in order to increase the impact of such funding. International funding provided to developing countries is often based on rigid guidelines, requirements, restrictions and conditions. It is these conditions that need revising to be more appropriate for conditions in developing countries. Only through viewing case studies and learning from them is it possible for international funding to facilitate more innovative and effective development to those in need. The research findings are derived from analysis of the literature review of international funding and through viewing the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS), the two organisations of this case study. The SAPS is one of many organisations receiving international assistance and have benefited from assistance from DANIDA since 1994. Funding for the project in the study was granted after the project proposal was formulated to fit the requirements of the DANIDA Guideline for Project Preparation, a set of guidelines prescribed to any organisation wanting to receive funding from DANIDA. All funding organisations have similar guidelines although it is evident that some are more rigid and prescriptive than others. From this study a list of recommendations were developed pertaining to the sets of guidelines used by international development organisations. It appeared rational that the list of recommendations should be divided into suggestions on the required structures of development organisations and on the required aspects to be included in the project proposal and implementation. The recommendations to the structures were to determine the level of involvement of the funding organisation in the project; to determine the literacy level necessary to comply with the funding requirements; to decide on the level of involvement of external consultants; to ensure frequent reviews; and finally to ensure conflict resolution. The aspects to be included in the project proposal and implementation were based on ensuring equal opportunity in terms of diversity and gender awareness; to commit to the sustainability of the project; for all parties to be involved in the compilation of project objectives and to ensure that the project represents the overall development goals of the beneficial country. Although a number of these recommendations are applied by some organisations it is necessary for the successful outcome of a project that all are considered. Each recommendation represents a building block of development and these are all interdependent. The general conclusion of this study is therefore that some level of conditionality is necessary. No one can expect economic aid to be given without conditions but the conditions must be fair, benefiting the recipient country and ensuring that development of those living in poverty is indeed the outcome of all funding. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werkstuk het ten doelom die impak van internasionale befondsing op die huidige stand van ontwikkeling in ontwikkelende lande krities te analiseer. Die analise het die formulering van aanbevelings ter verbetering van die metodes en motiewe agter die toestaan van befondsing ten doel ten einde die impak van sulke fondse te verhoog. Internasionale befondsing vir ontwikkelende lande is dikwels gebaseer op rigiede riglyne, vereistes, beperkings en voorwaardes. Dit is hierdie voorwaardes wat hersien moet word ten einde meer toepaslik vir toestande in ontwikkelende lande te wees. Slegs deur die ontleding van gevallestudies en lesse daaruit geleer is dit moontlik vir internasionale befondsers om meer innoverende en effektiewe ontwikkeling aan behoeftiges te fasiliteer. Die navorsingsbevindings is afgelei uit die analise van die literatuurstudie insake internasionale befondsing, asook die analise van die twee organisasies in die gevallestudie, naamlik die "Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA)" en die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisie Diens (SAPD). Die SAPD is een van vele organisasies wat internasionale bystand ontvang en word reeds sedert 1994 deur DANIDA ondersteun. Befondsing vir die projek waarop die gevallestudie gebaseer is, was toegestaan nadat die projekvoorstel geformuleer is volgens die vereistes van die "DANIDA Guideline for Project Preparation". Laasgenoemde is 'n stel riglyne wat voorgeskryf word aan alle organisasies wat vir befondsing wil kwalifiseer. Alle befondsingsorganisasies het soortgelyke riglyne, alhoewel dit duidelik is dat sommiges veel meer rigied en voorskrywend is as ander. Uit die studie is 'n stel aanbevelings ontwikkel rakende die riglyne soos gebruik deur internasionale ontwikkelingsorganisasies. Dit blyk rasioneel om die lys van aanbevelings te verdeel volgens voorstelle rondom die vereiste struktuur van ontwikkelingsorganisasies, asook voorstelle aangaande die vereiste aspekte wat ingesluit moet word in die projekvoorstel en implementering. Aanbevelings insake die struktuur het ten doelom vas te stel watter vlak van betrokkenheid van die befondser benodig word; om die nodige geletterdheidsvlak vir die nakoming van die befondsingsvereistes te bepaal; om die vlak van betrokkenheid van eksterne konsultante te bepaal; om gereelde hersiening te verseker; en om konflik oplossing te verseker. Aspekte om in te sluit in die projekvoorstel en implementering is gebaseer op die versekering van gelyke geleenthede in terme van diversiteit en geslagsbewustheid; om volhoubaarheid van die projek na te streef; vir alle partye om betrokke te wees in die samestelling van die projekdoelwitte en om te verseker dat die projek die oorkoepelende ontwikkelingsdoelwitte van die begunstige land verteenwoordig. Alhoewel party van hierdie aanbevelings reeds toegepas word deur sekere organisasies, is dit noodsaaklik om alle aanbevelings in ag te neem ten einde 'n suksesvolle uitkoms van die projek te verseker. Elke aanbeveling verteenwoordig 'n boublok van ontwikkeling en almal is interafhanklik tot mekaar. Die algemene bevinding van hierdie studie is dat 'n bepaalde vlak van voorwaardelikheid noodsaaklik is. Daar kan nie verwag word dat ekonomiese hulp verskaf word sonder voorwaardes nie, maar laasgenoemde moet regverdig wees, voordelig vir die begunstigde land wees, en verseker dat ontwikkeling van diegene wat in armoede leef wel die uitkoms van alle befondsing is.

Foreign aid is publicly motivated by a moral obligation to help the poor and develop underdeveloped countries. Donors have invested more than US$2.3 trillion in foreign aid, but despite this significant investment, 3 billion people are still living on less than $2 a day, 840 million are hungry, 10 million children die from preventable disease, and 1 billion adults are illiterate. This study focuses on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth and development of underdeveloped countries. It was found that many variables influence growth and development and that cross-country regression analysis is an inappropriate method to measure the effectiveness of aid. The methodology is too generalist, and treats foreign aid as a homogenous entity that works equally in all countries in all types of environment and across all times. There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology for measuring the effectiveness of foreign aid. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

This research looks at social policy making in Venezuela and Brazil with the objective of alleviating poverty, with special focus on meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were set in 2000. Considering the leftist democratic governments that have been established in Latin America since Hugo Chávez was elected president in 1998, and later with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2002, the research seeks to understand and illustrate what nuances exist in strategy, ideas and implementation of social policy that would positively affect the underprivileged for a more equal and just society. The two countries have deep historical and structural inequalities from slavery, colonialism, imbalanced distribution of resources and like most developing nations of the Global South, have had to endure structural adjustments that have entrenched poverty levels further. Arguments in the past have been made for economic prosperity and economic growth as good indicators for development, however, the research takes a comparative analysis on how Venezuela (through Barrio Adentro and multiple state driven Missions) and Brazil (state supported Bolsa Familia and Universal Health System), have targeted health and education as the primary sectors not just to transform society but also because it is through these sectors that the most effective and efficient manner to measure human development which has thus far been neglected. The research also examines the leadership of the countries which speaks to the differing approaches adopted, style, rhetoric and political realities; and how they have been received not just domestically, but also internationally. The outcomes of the research illustrate a good link between literacy, education and health and a healthy level of state intervention that requires reciprocal social participation for programmes to succeed. Brazil and Venezuela have shown notable creativity and effectiveness in this regard.

Foreign aid as an economic policy was previously widely accepted as a way to assist least developed economies to achieve economic growth. Over the years, aid effectiveness has been questioned, whilst aid dependency has continued to rise. To assist in aid reduction, various economists have proposed aid exit strategies that countries could adopt to reduce aid dependency. However, the adoption of these strategies has been rather slow. The purpose of this study was to review and assess the current literature on the different proposed foreign aid exit strategies, in terms of their feasibility and ease of implementation, taking into account the current state of African economies. The analysis focused on the exit strategies recommended by Tandon (2008), Moyo (2009) and Fee (2012). The main finding of this study suggests that the aforementioned exit strategies are feasible, but not necessarily easy to implement, due to the limitations faced by many least developed countries. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

Foreign aid has been used on the one hand by donors as an important international relations policy tool and on the other hand by developing countries as a source of funds for development. Since its inception in the 1940s, foreign aid has been one of the most researched topics in development economics. This study adds to this growing aid effectiveness literature, with a particular focus on the under-researched relationship between foreign aid and extreme poverty. The main empirical assessment is based on a sample of 120 developing countries from 1981 to 2013. The study had two main objectives, namely: (i) to estimate the impact of foreign aid on poverty reduction and (ii) to examine the direction of causality between foreign aid and poverty in developing countries. From these two broad objectives, there are six specific objectives, which include to: (i) examine the overall impact of foreign aid (total official development assistance) on extreme poverty, (ii) investigate the impact of different proxies of foreign aid on the three proxies of extreme poverty, (iii) assess whether political freedom (democracy) or economic freedom enhances the effectiveness of foreign aid, (iv) compare the impact of foreign aid on extreme poverty by developing country income groups, and (v) examine the direction of causality between extreme poverty and foreign aid. To achieve these objectives, the study employed two main dynamic panel data econometric estimation methods, namely the systemgeneralised method of moments (SGMM) technique and the panel vector error correction model (VECM) Granger causality framework. While the SGMM was used to assess the impact of foreign aid on extreme poverty, the panel VECM Granger causality was used to examine the direction of causality between foreign aid poverty. The SGMM was used because of its ability to deal with endogeneity by controlling for simultaneity and unobserved heterogeneity, whereas the panel VECM was preferred because the variables were stationary and cointegrated. / Economics / D. Phil. (Economics)