Predicting Partnerships: Which Countries Will MCC Select for FY2015 Eligibility?

Summary

The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) board of directors is scheduled to meet on December 10. As usual, they will use this end-of-year meeting to vote on which countries will be eligible for MCC assistance for FY2015. The board faces some difficult choices this year, and a number of overarching issues, including a constrained budget environment and the large number of contenders for second compacts, will likely play a role in framing the final decisions.

With this framing in mind, the Rethinking US Development Policy Initiative predicts that the MCC board will newly select India and Nepal for eligibility for a first compact. In addition, the board will likely reselect Liberia and Niger to c ontinue developing their first compacts. For second compact eligibility, the board may newly select Mongolia and/or the Philippines. It will likely reselect Benin, Lesotho, Morocco, and Tanzania to continue developing second compacts. The board will likely select Cote d’Ivoire for new threshold program.