Rethinking US Foreign Assistance Blog

This is a joint post with Sarah Rose.

It's not your father's USAID. That's the big message in USAID's first progress report on how the agency, under Administrator Rajiv Shah's leadership, is trying to be smarter about where and how it delivers aid around the world. There's a lot to like in the report: better evaluation, more developing-country partners, mobile technology and an end to some programs. This is all good news for revamping USAID, but our enthusiasm is tempered by the constraints USAID can’t fix alone. 

Will donors be able to “go big” on the African Development Fund (AfDF) this year, even if they want to?  Here in the United States, budget austerity and restrictive funding rules stack the deck against any bold moves when it comes to multilateral contributions.  But I think boldness in support of smart multilateral investments like AfDF may still be possible, and the United Kingdom’s multilateral aid review just might offer some clues on how to get there.   

USAID has made sweeping new commitments to two important elements of foreign assistance reform: improving learning and increasing transparency.  A commitment to publish datasets associated with USAID-funded evaluations would be a further win for both.

Washington is abuzz with rumors that the White House budget will include a far-reaching reform of US food aid that moves away from in-kind food aid transported on American ships. Even though no details are available, the plan faces considerable resistance from agricultural and maritime interests that profit from the current system. But current practices are inefficient, costly, and slow and most development advocates support the administration’s desire to shake things up.