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Tag: COD aid

 

A Critical Moment for COD Aid or “The Trouble with Targets”

2/7/13
Nancy Birdsall

As mentioned in our last post, aid agencies are experimenting with programs that incorporate the main features of COD Aid: paying for outputs and outcomes, giving the recipient greater discretion to spend as they see fit, independent verification, and transparency. Once these results-based programs are up and running, they face a critical test when the first results are reported. In particular, most programs create expectations by setting annual targets and are then judged relative to those targets rather than to their baseline. And this means that even successful programs will be viewed as failures (a point also made in an earlier blog). By refusing to set targets, a results-based program can avoid this pitfall. How is it that targets can create such a problem?

A Critical Moment for COD Aid or “How to Be Patient When It Matters”

2/4/13
Nancy Birdsall

An increasing number of aid agencies are experimenting with programs that incorporate the main features of COD Aid: paying for outputs, giving the recipient greater discretion to spend as they see fit, independent verification, and transparency. (See our brief and book for more details). We’ve argued that the design of COD Aid programs can be rather easy, though the quality of the indicators chosen and the verification process are certainly critical to success. We have spent less time talking about what happens once the program is up and running. In particular, what happens when you find out how much progress actually occurred?

Is European Aid Skepticism Going to Drive Aid Innovation?

4/27/12
William Savedoff

Cash on Delivery Aid (COD Aid) is moving from concept to reality as I learned in a recent trip to Europe. In the process we are learning a lot about measuring outcomes and other implementation challenges. While I heard about the ways aid agencies are beginning to try COD Aid or similar initiatives, the internal resistance they face told me a lot about the internal contradictions we’ve lived with in foreign aid for a long time.

Death by Tobacco: A Big Problem Needs Bigger Action

7/12/11
William Savedoff

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a meeting to discuss tobacco control in New York City where I was reminded of the massive loss of life associated with tobacco use, the extremely cost-effective approaches available to combat tobacco use, and some very exciting progress around the world over the last five years. Nevertheless, controlling tobacco is still extremely challenging on the social and political fronts.

Where Is the U.S. on Global Tobacco?

12/15/10
Cindy Prieto

In the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, visiting fellow Tom Bollyky and coauthor Lawrence Gostin make the case (gated) for increased U.S. engagement on global tobacco control. Tobacco use is currently the leading cause of disease and premature death in the world, tallying more deaths than HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria combined.

A New Report Slams the World Bank’s Support of Health Systems for Insufficient Focus on Results

6/15/10
Mead Over

The Washington-based NGO ACTION has just released a report on the effectiveness of the World Bank’s preeminent instrument for strengthening health sectors in poor countries: the Sector Wide Approach or SWAp. Through a SWAp the World Bank and other donors collectively provide broad financial support to a country’s health sector, in order to foster country ownership and to coordinate all the many parts of the health sector toward improving the population’s health status.

Women Deliver 2010: A Second Chance for the World to Deliver for Women

6/8/10
Nandini Oomman

The much-anticipated Women Deliver 2010 conference opened with a rousing call for global action for women’s health. A star-studded line-up of health and development leaders committed themselves and urged others to do more to reduce child and maternal deaths. The rhetoric and passion sounds a lot like the calls we heard fifteen years ago that went unheeded. Today there is a second chance for the world to deliver for women. Will this time be different?

Canada Reported Ready to Spend $1 Billion to Cut Maternal Mortality—How To Use the Money Well

6/3/10
Nandini Oomman

This is a joint post with Katherine Douglas.

The Canadian press reports that Ottawa is

telling other G8 countries that Canada is willing to put about $1 billion toward maternal and child health — as long as other countries ante up too… The Canadian cash will likely target poor countries with the worst records of maternal and child mortality and malnutrition.

The news follows Canadian PM Stephen Harper’s January announcement that improving maternal and child health would be his country’s signature initiative.

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