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Fragmentation’s Losers: Who Are the Aid Orphans?

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The Fragmentation of Aid

Part of the book series: Rethinking International Development series ((RID))

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Abstract

One way in which the fragmentation of development assistance can harm aid effectiveness is by producing uncoordinated and inefficient aid allocations, with overcrowded “aid darlings” on the one hand and neglected “aid orphans” on the other. This is a serious concern because aid effectiveness depends not only on how well resources are used, but also on how efficiently they are allocated across recipients. This chapter discusses the conceptual difficulties of identifying under-aided countries and examines the factors leading to disproportionally low aid receipts. Case studies of two potentially under-aided countries (Bangladesh and Madagascar) offer additional insights into how the lower attractiveness of some recipients in terms of performance and of strategic importance, combined with a general lack of coordination among donors, might produce “aid orphans”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pisa, Italy

    Elena Pietschmann

Authors
  1. Elena Pietschmann
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn, Germany

    Stephan Klingebiel

  2. German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, Bonn, Germany

    Timo Mahn

  3. The World Bank German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn, USA

    Mario Negre

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Pietschmann, E. (2016). Fragmentation’s Losers: Who Are the Aid Orphans?. In: Klingebiel, S., Mahn, T., Negre, M. (eds) The Fragmentation of Aid. Rethinking International Development series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55357-7_6

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