Seminar: ReCom – Research and Communication on Foreign Aid

TIME: Friday, 27 January, 08.30 – 12.00

VENUE: Chr. Hansen Auditoriet (CSS 34.0.01), Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K

TIME: Friday, 27 January, 08.30 – 12.00

VENUE: Chr. Hansen Auditoriet (CSS 34.0.01), Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K

The Research and Communication Programme (ReCom) on Foreign Aid was launched by Danida and Sida in early 2011. It is undertaken by the UN University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and a global network of partners in the North and the South.

The aim of the programme is to research and communicate what works in development assistance, and what could work—including the potential to scale-up small but successful interventions into larger aid programmes, and transfer successful development cooperation interventions between countries. Through the creation, and sharing of this knowledge, ReCom aims to improve aid practice and policy, consequently increasing the benefits of aid for recipient countries.

ReCom focuses on five thematic areas:
– Growth and Employment
– Governance and Fragility
– Gender Equality
– Environment and Climate Change
– Social Sectors.

Poverty issues cut across all five themes.

A key focus in 2011 was “aid, growth and the macroeconomic management of aid” – motivated in part by the scepticism surrounding aid’s impact regularly found in the academic and public press.

This includes, for example, Dambisa Moyo’s recent book entitled “Dead Aid: Why Aid is not Working”. ReCom has investigated whether such views are well founded – and the broad answer is no.

Programme:

08.30: Welcome and overview, Finn Tarp, Director, UNU-WIDER

08.45: The Macroeconomic Impact and Management of Foreign Aid: What Do We Know?
– What is the aggregate impact of aid on growth?: Channing Arndt, Professor, University of Copenhagen and UNU-WIDER
– Unpacking the impact of aid – how does aid work?: Sam Jones, Research Associate, UNU-WIDER
– Insights from meta-analysis: Tseday Jemaneh Mekasha, Research Associate, UNU-WIDER
– Time-series analysis of 36 African countries: Katarina Juselius, Professor, University of Copenhagen
– Development interventions, export sectors and the poor: Henrik Nielsen, former Senior Researcher, DIIS
– Macroeconomic management of aid – key challenges: Tony Addison, Chief Economist/Deputy Director, UNU-WIDER

10.15: Break

10.30: Open discussion and take home messages

11.45: Closing statement

For further information and background see: http://www.wider.unu.edu/faq/en_GB/index/
Registration: http://website1.wider.unu.edu/ (Participation is free)