Institute of Development Studies

No shortcuts to aid or development

23 June 2010

Over the past month, the UK's newly elected government has been setting out their vision for greater transparency and accountability to overseas aid.

In today's Comment is Free section of The Guardian (23 June), Lawrence Haddad expresses his concern that their latest plans risk diverting help away from where it is really needed. He asks whether the new approach will slant aid towards items on which it is easiest to demonstrate delivery and concludes that while the focus on "the things that aid can best deliver and that can make a real long term difference" sounds sensible, these very things may not be the most easily assessed.

Read Lawrence Haddad's blog Development Horizons