The end of the Cold War changed radically the international environment as well as the scope of development aid and cooperation within it. The development agenda in the new millenium has started to significantly focus on the develpment aid effectiveness. In this context the use of the instrument of budget support is rising. The thesis aims to assess the concept of the partnership general budget support and the way it responds to the requirements imposed on development aid mainly by the Paris Declaration On Aid Effectiveness in 2005.

Why does the implementation of policies for educational improvement often disappoint? The literature suggests that pitfalls in the formulation stage can hamper successful implementation. This research aims to develop insights into the process of policy formulation in order to establish how this may affect subsequent policy implementation using a case study of Pre-Primary Education in Bangladesh. Uniquely, I have been able to study the development of PPE policy when it was taking place since I was directly involved in the process as a professional advisor working for a donor. The first research question investigated how the pre-primary policy was formed. This had two parts in terms of i) developing understanding of the phases of policy formulation and the stakeholders involved, and ii) analysing the discourses that informed the policy. The second research question enquired into the development of the implementation strategy and its feasibility, and compared expectations with the data available on the characteristics and impact of the initial implementation. This enabled the identification of aspects of policy formulation that shape current and future implementation. Special attention was given to the development of policy that prioritised underprivileged children throughout the process, because of the extent of unequal provision and because this was a high profile goal for educational development. The analysis of policy development derived from relevant policy documents and keyinformant interviews highlighted charismatic and politicised approaches to educational reform, which lacked the involvement of beneficiaries and those tasked with implementation. This has consequences for subsequent impact and the sustainability of the new policy. The initial implementation was generally considered inadequate and uneven by the respondents. It reflected aspirational planning linked to the EFA goals, with ambitious aims to provide a "quantitative breakthrough" in access and attainment without a realistic assessment of the resources available and the capacity to mobilise them. When the implementation strategy was updated and included in the third national programme of primary education (PEDP III), a more phased and comprehensive approach to planning was introduced. However, reports on programme implementation have identified delays and difficulties in starting PEDP III, albeit improvements between year 1 and 2 have been noted. In particular, the implementation strategies identified were insufficiently detailed and different stakeholders' needs were not properly assessed. More equitable delivery to underprivileged children remains poorly articulated. Part of the reason appears to be diminished political will and inconsistent leadership. Finally, opportunities to collaborate with the NGO service providers have not been fully exploited and the implementation planning for PEDP III appeared to have relied excessively on external expertise, with implications for the ownership and continuity of the policy on pre-school. Based on these findings, suggestions are offered to the development partners, the Government and the NGOs to improve the integration of policy and implementation strategies to increase the probability of sustained improvements in Pre Primary provision.

La ricerca considera il problema dell'effettività dell'aiuto pubblico allo sviluppo secondo una prospettiva istituzionale. Nello specifico,la sostenibilità di accordi cooperativi tra donors and recipients viene considerata con riferimento a modelli istituzionali teorici. Il sistema di incentivi che determina la natura della relazione d'aiuto nel caso del General Budget Support è inoltre considerato con riferimento alla più recente prassi sviluppatasi in Tanzania. / The researches considers that issues that are inherently connected with the type of donor-recipient relationship affect the productivity of aid. This is mainly because incentives embodied in the relation shape party behaviours. The basic elements that characterized the aid relationship and the incentives that aid organization face, are in fact altered according to the institutional set in which money flows. Different aid modalities bear in themselves the potential of acting on the aid relationship by changing the basic rules of the game. General Budget Support (GBS), as a new aid modality represents quite an interesting institution. Getting the “incentives” right for cooperation, in such a context, would imply a rethinking of the basic theoretical model and organizational features on the ground of the evolving practices and specific technology of provision. The research aim is opening a route of possible investigation into the dynamics of incentives related to international cooperation at country level. Tanzania has been chosen among a series of possible cases study as in the Sub Saharan Africa panorama it represents one of most successful cases of GBS implementation. The analysis is grounded on a general institutional analysis that puts at the centre of observation the structure of the negotiations between the group of donors and the recipient government. The framework employed represents an adaptation of the Institutional Analysis for Development. The purpose of understanding the set of explicit and hidden motivations is functional to better delineate the contractual set in which the bulk of relations takes place.Results obtained from the empirical analysis are considered in a theoretical fashion with the purpose of generalizing on the main structural change caused by GBS on the donor-recipient relation. Concepts are taken from NIE and organizational theory to study the governance structure of aid relations.

Uganda, like several developing countries, is a recipient of development assistance. This assistance, which is provided by rich developed countries, supports among others human rights programmes in these countries. Development partners that provide this assistance wield considerable influence arising from the assistance they provide. This study seeks to determine what role development assistance plays in the promotion and protection of human rights in Uganda. The study establishes that, similar to several African countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Kenya and Ghana, Uganda is aid-dependent. Although Uganda is committed to reducing this dependence, it is concluded that without this vital lifeline of development assistance, Uganda would not be able to fully fund and run its human rights programmes or development budget. The study further establishes that international cooperation and the provision of development assistance are embodied in international human rights treaties and declarations. However, while there is an obligation to provide development assistance, stipulated in international human rights treaties, the study establishes that some development partners do not recognise this obligation. A model convention providing for the obligation to provide development assistance is elaborated in this study. The study arrives at the conclusion that development partners through the provision of development assistance have advanced the human rights agenda in Uganda, though sometimes impedding the development of an authentic domestic human rights culture. The study recommends that there is a need to reverse this situation. The study concludes with several recommendations aimed at making Uganda own its human rights agenda. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) can be defined as collaboration between governments, development partners and civil society. It promotes coordination of various donor funded programmes to align with a common sector vision. In the case of South Africa, a water sector SWAP was introduced in 2000. Funds were directed to municipalities that were providing water known as Water Services Authorities (WSAs). This study examines the impact of the SWAP on tangible water delivery issues in Ukhahlamba District Municipality, Eastern Cape. The literature reviewed focuses on rural development in South Africa, and abroad. The quantitative aspect of the research considered various sources including primary data from municipal records of water services provision. Interviews were held with community members, municipal and provincial government officials. Analysis of information from these sources indicates some aspects of water delivery were positive and some negative. Recommendations for improvement and further research are made in the last chapter. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) can be defined as collaboration between governments, development partners and civil society. It promotes coordination of various donor funded programmes to align with a common sector vision. In the case of South Africa, a water sector SWAP was introduced in 2000. Funds were directed to municipalities that were providing water known as Water Services Authorities (WSAs). This study examines the impact of the SWAP on tangible water delivery issues in Ukhahlamba District Municipality, Eastern Cape. The literature reviewed focuses on rural development in South Africa, and abroad. The quantitative aspect of the research considered various sources including primary data from municipal records of water services provision. Interviews were held with community members, municipal and provincial government officials. Analysis of information from these sources indicates some aspects of water delivery were positive and some negative. Recommendations for improvement and further research are made in the last chapter. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

En tant qu'acteur économique et politique sur la scène internationale, l’Union Européenne (UE) œuvre pour ses valeurs et ses intérêts à travers divers instruments. L'UE avec ses institutions est le deuxième plus grand bailleur de fonds en matière d’aide au développement aux pays tiers. Depuis 2000 dans un contexte des reformes pour le développement et l’aide, l’UE affirme son action extérieure, tout en augmentant son aide. En proposant une vision synthétique avec une approche interdisciplinaire et systémique, cette thèse dresse les évolutions et procède à un bilan de l’aide de l’UE à l’Ukraine pour la période 1991-2015. Dans cette optique, l’aide est examinée dans son ensemble, incluant l’aide au développement à >3.9Mrd € et l’aide économique à >8,47Mrd €. Le cadre politique (Politique européenne de voisinage) et contractuel pour la coopération UE-Ukraine définissent principalement les évolutions de l’aide. Dans une moindre mesure, les reformes du cadre pour le développement et l’efficacité de l’aide, ainsi que la politique économique de l’UE influencent ces évolutions, essentiellement en termes des modalités de l’aide. Cette analyse aide à la compréhension des perspectives de l’aide de l’UE à l’Ukraine en démontrant que celles-ci se présentent dans un recours accru aux financements innovants (mixage prêt-don) et sont indissociables de l’utilisation plus efficace des ressources budgétaires restreintes. Au-delà des financements, l’UE pourrait renforcer la coopération avec la BEI en augmentant le plafond du Mandat de Prêt Extérieur et en assouplissant les conditions des prêts sous-souverains et améliorer la coordination des donateurs en Ukraine via un mécanisme ad hoc. / As an economic and political actor on the international scene, the European Union (EU) promotes its values and interests through various instruments. The EU with its institutions is the second largest donor of development aid to third countries. Since 2000 in the context of development and aid reforms, the EU has been affirming its external action while increasing its aid.By proposing a synthetic vision with an interdisciplinary and systemic approach, this thesis draws up the evolutions of and reviews the EU aid to Ukraine for the period 1991-2015. In this perspective, the EU aid is examined as a whole, including development aid above € 3,9bn and economic aid above € 8,47bn. The political (European Neighborhood Policy) and contractual framework for the EU-Ukraine cooperation mainly define aid developments. To a lesser extent, the reforms of the framework for development and aid effectiveness, as well as the EU's economic policy influence these developments, essentially in terms of aid modalities.This analysis furthers the understanding of the prospects for the EU aid to Ukraine by demonstrating that these are part of an increased use of innovative financing (blending loan-grant) and are inseparable from more effective use of the limited budgetary resources. Beyond financing, the EU could strengthen cooperation with the EIB by increasing the ceiling of the External Lending Mandate and by easing the terms of sub-sovereign lending and improve donor coordination in Ukraine through an ad hoc mechanism.