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Aid, Debt Relief and New Sources of Finance for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals

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  • Tony Addison
  • George Mavrotas
  • Mark McGillivray

Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have lofty expectations regarding the impact of official development aid. Are these expectations valid? This paper surveys the literature on aid and growth. It finds that practically all aid studies since the late 1990s conclude that aid increases economic growth. By implication, therefore, it can be inferred that poverty would be higher in the absence of aid. As such the above- mentioned expectations are, to a certain extent, valid. The paper then reviews volumes of and trends in official development assistance since 1960, highlighting flows to Sub-Saharan Africa. A downturn in volumes in the 1990s is demonstrated. It asserts that poverty is higher and the MDGs are hard to achieve because of this downturn. It also asserts that while aid will be important, other sources of external finance are required to achieve the MDGs. The paper concludes by examining recent proposals regarding new sources of such finance. [Research Paper No. 2005/09]

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  • Tony Addison & George Mavrotas & Mark McGillivray, 2010. "Aid, Debt Relief and New Sources of Finance for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals," Working Papers id:2592, eSocialSciences.
    • Handle: RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2592
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    1. Raghbendra Jha & T. Palanivel, 2007. "Resource Augmentation for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia Pacific Region," ASARC Working Papers 2007-02, The Australian National University, Australia South Asia Research Centre.
    2. Ismahene Yahyaoui & Najeh Bouchoucha, 2021. "The long‐run relationship between ODA, growth and governance: An application of FMOLS and DOLS approaches," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(1), pages 38-54, March.
    3. George Mavrotas, 2009. "Introduction: Development Aid-Theory, Policies, and Performance," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(s1), pages 373-381, August.
    4. Marin Ferry, 2019. "The carrot and stick approach to debt relief: overcoming moral hazard," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 28(3), pages 252-276.
    5. David Fielding & George Mavrotas, 2005. "The Volatility of Aid," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2005-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Mina Baliamoune‐Lutz & George Mavrotas, 2009. "Aid Effectiveness: Looking at the Aid–Social Capital–Growth Nexus," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 510-525, August.
    7. Ralf Hepp, 2005. "Health Expenditures Under the HIPC Debt Initiative," International Finance 0510005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Edward B. Barbier, 2012. "Économie verte et développement durable : enjeux de politique économique," Reflets et perspectives de la vie économique, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(4), pages 97-117.
    9. David Fielding & George Mavrotas, 2008. "Aid Volatility and Donor–Recipient Characteristics in ‘Difficult Partnership Countries’," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 75(299), pages 481-494, August.
    10. Mohammadou Nourou, 2014. "Foreign Aid And Development: Looking Beyond The Growth Effect," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 39(4), pages 99-115, December.
    11. M. Adnan Kabir, 2020. "Foreign Aid Effectiveness: Evidence from Panel Data Analysis," Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Emerging Markets Forum, vol. 12(3), pages 283-302, September.
    12. Hassan, Sherif, 2016. "Seventy Years of Official Development Assistance: Reflections on the Working Age Population," MPRA Paper 74835, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Tony Addison, 2006. "International Finance and the Developing World: The Next Twenty Years," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2006-09, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz & George Mavrotas, 2009. "Aid Effectiveness: Looking at the Aid-Social Capital-Growth Nexus," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(s1), pages 510-525, August.
    15. Edward Barbier, 2011. "The policy challenges for green economy and sustainable economic development," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(3), pages 233-245, August.
    16. Sherstnev, Mikhail, 2009. "Main sources of finance for development: retrospective view on the evolution of pre-crisis ideas," MPRA Paper 22433, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Ziyoda Asatullaeva & Reza Fathollah Zadeh Aghdam & Nisar Ahmad & Laylo Tashpulatova, 2021. "The impact of foreign aid on economic development: A systematic literature review and content analysis of the top 50 most influential papers," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 717-751, May.
    18. Ralf Hepp, 2005. "Can Debt Relief Buy Growth?," International Finance 0510003, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. George Mavrotas & Espen Villanger, 2006. "Multilateral Aid Agencies and Strategic Donor Behaviour," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2006-02, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Mr. Sanjeev Gupta & Ms. Catherine A Pattillo & Ms. Smita Wagh, 2006. "Are Donor Countries Giving More or Less Aid?," IMF Working Papers 2006/001, International Monetary Fund.
    21. Sherif M. Hassan, 2020. "Revisiting the Development Impact of Sectorally Disaggregated Foreign Aid," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), pages 123-149, June.
    22. Atanas Pekanov & Margit Schratzenstaller, 2019. "A Global Financial Transaction Tax. Theory, Practice and Potential Revenues," WIFO Working Papers 582, WIFO.

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