Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

3.2 The EU’s role in advancing the
MDGs: resources and effectiveness
It is impossible to establish the direct contribution
made by oDa from the Eu to progress in meeting
the mDGs. While there are associations between
the mDGs and Eu aid, these do not constitute a
causal link in advancing the mDGs. the literature
on aid effectiveness has dealt with this issue in
some detail, and studies have shown the difficulty
of establishing a direct connection between ‘aid’
and ‘mDG progress’ in view of the large number of
potential causal factors (bourguignon et al., 2008).
one part of the problem in assessing the impact
of oDa from the Eu is that many donors and other
Million of Euros
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
actors are contributing to the mDG effort, which
means that advances can be attributed to Eu contributions
only to a limited extent. moreover there
is no clear relationship between the amount of oDa
disbursed to a particular country (even on a per
capita basis) and mDG success. the overall size of
a country’s oDa inflows and even expenditure per
capita are only two factors among many that affect
its likelihood of achieving the mDGs. 24
the internal study undertaken for the commission
(forthcoming) found it difficult to establish a direct
causal link between the commission’s actions and
mDG performance. It did, however, gather sufficient
evidence to conclude that the commission’s oDa
and non-financial interventions have generally
Figure 3.2 EU ODA on social infrastructure, 2001–2011 (million Euros)
EC ODA for social infrastructures in Mio. Euros)
% funds managed by Commission
Source: EuropeAid annual reports 2004–2011
24 a study by DG Development on budget support and mDG performance revealed similar findings, although suggesting a stronger correlation
between budget support and mDG performance (benyon and Dusu, 2010).
poSt-2015: Global actIon For an IncluSIvE anD SuStaInablE FuturE
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
There is no clear
relationship
between the
amount of ODA
disbursed to
a particular
country (even on
a per capita basis)
and MDG success.
49