book1

As the Busan summit on aid eff ec� veness is approaching, the global
a� en� on has once again turned on discussions on how to make the best use
of aid, s� ll considered as one of the major tools to li� millions of people out
of poverty. In the last years, there has been a great deal of debates on the
relevance and impact of aid support to developing countries.
The cause-eff ect nexus between aid and economic growth, the la� er
more and more being considered as the real engine to take millions of
people away from poverty and misery is being ques� oned.
Indeed those doub� ng the posi� ve eff ects of aid over the overall
economic growth of a na� on should be reminded at the same � me that
aid tends to perform be� er in social rather than economic sphere of
development, especially in sector like educa� on and health.
S� ll wealth crea� on is the latest jargon on used to demonstrate a tectonic
shi� in the percep� ons of how aid should be designed and delivered.
Tradi� onal sector of support like educa� on and health, are no more dicta� ng
how aid is being spent in the recipient countries. In few words, aid is being
pushed outside its “comfort zone”.
In this scenario, we witness, on one hand, the rise of new form of aid,
more focused on social innova� on and on other hand, we see a� empts to
reform the way that tradi� onal aid is managed and spent.
Within the above men� oned second trend, there is the case for a more
and be� er accountability by civil society organiza� ons engaged at grassroots
level.
Tradi� onal versus new forms of support: towards some form of
complementari� es
The agenda of aid reform set by the Paris Declara� on is based on ways
to improve the exis� ng framework rather than thinking out of the box with
some new ways of delivering aid. Far from advoca� ng for a global “Occupy
the Aid System” movement like the ongoing protests against the fi nancial
systems all around the world, there is unfortunately no space to truly speak
about diff erent ways for doing aid, although there is an increasing recogni� on
of the need of having smarter ways of doing aid. Actually the new trend
is a kind of an� thesis of the concept of aid itself: more than aid the focus
is on a new wave of mixed approaches that work according to the market
but are driven by social missions. In some aspects, we are in a transi� on
� me where new actors and players, like founda� ons, are emerging and a
kind of introspec� on on ways aid is delivered and designed is underway at
all the levels. The economic crisis in most of the western countries is also
taking its toll in bringing in more effi ciency in the sector, especially among
the interna� onal civil society organiza� ons.
The Bellagio Ini� a� ve 1 , promoted by several big founda� ons well refl ects
the current situa� on as it a� empts to explore the future of global philanthropy
1. www.bellagioini� a� ve.org
Changing paradigms of aid eff ec� veness in Nepal 75