Budget Support versus Project Aid: A Theoretical Appraisal.

Should donors interested in the effectiveness of developmental programmes rely on conditional budget support or on project aid? To answer this question, we present a model in which only a subset of developmental expenditures can be subject to conditionality. We show that budget support is preferable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic Journal Vol. 117; pp. 1260 - 1280
Main Authors: Cordella, Tito, Dell'Ariccia, Giovanni
Format: Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell October 2007
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Should donors interested in the effectiveness of developmental programmes rely on conditional budget support or on project aid? To answer this question, we present a model in which only a subset of developmental expenditures can be subject to conditionality. We show that budget support is preferable to project aid when the preferences of donors and recipients are aligned, and when assistance is small relative to the recipients' own resources. Furthermore, when donors cannot observe the recipient's type, they may impose higher levels of conditionality to separate committed governments from uncommitted ones. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.