Leaving No One Behind? A New Test of Subnational Aid Targeting

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals endeavour to leave no one behind. This note tests whether or not donors have traditionally acted on this rhetoric by examining if aid targets areas of poverty within Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda. Unlike prior research on aid targeting, the analysis covers aid from nearly all donors and does not aggregate variables into spatial regions. Instead, I measure the distance from geotagged survey data tracking poverty to aid projects started just after each survey wave. I show that projects are placed closer to richer people. This effect holds within countries and within first‐level administrative regions. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Which Wheel Gets the Grease? Constituent Agency and Sub-national World Bank Aid Allocation

“…Recent work has not only seen more nuanced theoretical development (Bermeo, 2017), but also a move to understanding sub-national allocation patterns (Briggs, 2014(Briggs, , 2017(Briggs, , 2018Jablonski, 2014;. However, this work has consistently found no evidence of pro-poor allocation (Briggs, 2017(Briggs, , 2018Öhler et al, 2019). Meanwhile, this literature has almost exclusively focused on the supply side of foreign aid allocation -the motivations, tactics, or methods of donors and/or their governmental or non-governmental agents.…”

“…Only recently has scholarship turned to examining subnational aid allocation patterns. These studies have concentrated on whether aid goes to poorer and more vulnerable places (Barrett, 2015;Briggs, 2017Briggs, , 2018, regions with unique political preferences (Albertus, 2015; Briggs, 2014), political violence (Bezerra & Brainthwaite, 2016), and/or needs (Öhler & Nunnenkamp, 2014). Notably Briggs (2017Briggs ( , 2018 finds no evidence that the World Bank and the African Development Bank target their aid to the poorest regions of recipient countries.…”

“…These studies have concentrated on whether aid goes to poorer and more vulnerable places (Barrett, 2015;Briggs, 2017Briggs, , 2018, regions with unique political preferences (Albertus, 2015; Briggs, 2014), political violence (Bezerra & Brainthwaite, 2016), and/or needs (Öhler & Nunnenkamp, 2014). Notably Briggs (2017Briggs ( , 2018 finds no evidence that the World Bank and the African Development Bank target their aid to the poorest regions of recipient countries. Briggs' (2017Briggs' ( , 2018 theoretical discussion rests largely on issues of aid bargaining and donor control, suggesting that if aid doesn't flow to the poorest regions, this is evidence that donors have lost control to recipient's domestic political economy considerations.…”

“…The historical distinctions have been between 'recipients' needs ', 'recipients' merit', and 'donors' interests' with a focus on understanding differences in cross-national allocation patterns (McKinlay & Little, 1978). Recent work has not only seen more nuanced theoretical development (Bermeo, 2017), but also a move to understanding sub-national allocation patterns (Briggs, 2014(Briggs, , 2017(Briggs, , 2018Jablonski, 2014;. However, this work has consistently found no evidence of pro-poor allocation (Briggs, 2017(Briggs, , 2018Öhler et al, 2019).…”

Development Co-operation Report 2018

“…Sources: (Briggs, 2017 [15] ) (Briggs, 2018 [16] ) (Briggs, 2018 [17] ) and (Öhler and et al, 2017 [18] No crisis should be squandered, and a new narrative is emerging amongst SIDS. Dominica aims to become the world's first climate-resilient nation.…”