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Country Assistance Strategies as a Management and Evaluation Instrument for Donors
In other words, what makes up a priority area is not the fact that several
projects which “by chance” are located in one sector or one region, though they are
more or less independent of one another, are given a common label (e.g. priority
area “agriculture” or “physical and social infrastructure”). It is of course possible that
a priority area defined in substantive terms may, de facto, lead to a situation in which
the resources deployed are concentrated in one sector or region. But the crucial
point (for the designation of the priority area as well) is, in this case, not that sector
A or sector B is involved but that the concern is a contribution of German development
co-operation towards solving problem A or problem B.
One objection to the proposed definition of the term “priority area” is that it is
too abstract or academic. But in fact it is neither of these things. We quickly perceive
this when we take a closer look, in the light of the BMZ guidelines for the country
concepts, at the search and decision process leading to the identification of priority
areas and the cross-project strategy implemented for the priority areas selected.
The guidelines contain important references to this point which will be analysed
and in part complemented by what follows.
Criteria for the identification and selection of priority areas
There is no method that can be used to derive cogently and unequivocally
(and exclusively) defined priority areas for development co-operation with a partner
country. The identification and selection of a priority area is always a political
decision taken by Germany and the partner country with a view to setting a priority
in the light of various criteria and different alternatives. It is, however, important to
give a specific development-policy rationale to the decision-making process by
gearing the decision to criteria that give reason to anticipate that the development
co-operation contribution in question will have the greatest possible impact and
sustainability. Such criteria may be outlined as follows. Identification and selection
of priority areas should:
– Take account of the partner country’s core problems (and not be geared to
less relevant problems); core problems are those which, among the range of
problems noted by the donor and the partner country, are most instrumental
in hampering economic and social development.
– Take account of the development potential of the partner country (and not
embark on projects where development potential tends to be weak).
– Take account of the priorities of the partner country and German development
co-operation (and not seek priority areas in which the partner country
has no great interest or which are not in line with the guiding notions of German
development policy).
OECD 1999
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