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The effectiveness of foreign aid to education

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  • Riddell, Abby
  • Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel

Abstract

This article reviews what has been learned over many decades of foreign aid to education and discusses what works and what does not work. It shows the positive contribution that aid has made to education in aid-recipient countries, the most tangible outcome of which is the contribution that aid makes to expanding enrolments especially of basic education. But the article also indicates that there is a considerable gap between what aid does and what it could potentially achieve, especially in relation to its contribution to improvements in educational quality. It shows the distortions caused by focusing on enrolments and insufficiently on quality. Sustainable education outcomes will not be achieved merely by reproducing yet more successful, but individual projects. Perversely, development agencies which focus only on demonstrable short-term impact may well be contributing, unwittingly, to an undermining of long-term impact on the education systems and their deepening development, to whose progress they are trying to contribute.

Suggested Citation

  • Riddell, Abby & Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel, 2016. "The effectiveness of foreign aid to education," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 23-36.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:48:y:2016:i:c:p:23-36
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2015.11.013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    4. Kar, Ashim Kumar, 2016. "Aid and Human Development: Is There A Role for Good Policy Environment?," MPRA Paper 95433, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2018.
    5. Shields, Robin & Menashy, Francine, 2019. "The network of bilateral aid to education 2005–2015," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 74-80.
    6. Fahmida Khatun & Syed Yusuf Saadat & Md. Kamruzzaman, 2019. "FINANCE FOR SDGs: Addressing Governance Challenge of Aid Utilisation in Bangladesh," CPD Working Paper 125, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    7. Feldmann, Horst, 2025. "The effects of remittances on school enrollment rates: A global perspective," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Ferry, Marin & de Talancé, Marine & Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel, 2022. "Less debt, more schooling? Evidence from cross-country micro data," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 153-173.
    9. Dreher, Axel, 2025. "When aid misses the target: competing objectives, new classifications, and smarter delivery," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    10. Umut Türk & John Östh & Marina Toger & Karima Kourtit, 2021. "Using Individualised HDI Measures for Predicting Educational Performance of Young Students—A Swedish Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, May.
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    12. Martorano, Bruno & Metzger, Laura & Sanfilippo, Marco, 2020. "Chinese development assistance and household welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).

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