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Coordination Without Effectiveness? A Critique of the Paris Agenda in the Experience of Development Aid in Albania

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Abstract

A recent shift in donor policies, referred to as ‘the rise in development (rather than aid) effectiveness’, is being increasingly debated. It follows the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda for Action and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development supported by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). However, the academic literature is falling somewhat behind in this debate. Given the limited number of case studies looking into the dynamics of the ‘aid effectiveness’ agenda in the developing world, this article explores the role of aid institutions/mechanisms in the context of Albania. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of aid effectiveness and the role of international (aid) organizations in policy transfer, the thrust of this article lies in empirical findings about aid limitations and, more specifically, the unintended effects of the ‘aid effectiveness’ agenda on administrative capacity-building as a key conditionality for EU accession and aid in Albania.

Abstract

Le changement récent des politiques des bailleurs de fonds, que l’on appelle «la montée de l’efficacité du développement (plutôt que de l’aide au développement)» est de plus en plus débattu. Il est dans la lignée de la soutenu par l’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques. Cependant, la littérature académique est plutôt en retard dans ce débat. Étant donné le nombre limité d’études de cas se penchant sur la dynamique de ‘l’efficacité de l’aide au développement’ à l’ordre du jour dans les pays en développement, cet article explore le rôle des institutions / mécanismes d’aide au développement dans le contexte de l’Albanie. S’appuyant sur les débats théoriques sur l’efficacité de l’aide et le rôle des organisations internationales dans le transfert de politiques, la force de cet article réside dans les résultats empiriques à propos des limitations de l’aide au développement et, en particulier, les effets non intentionnels de ‘l’efficacité de l’aide au développement’ sur le renforcement de la capacité administrative qui est une condition clé pour adhérer à l’UE et de l’aide dans le contexte de la recherche.

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Notes

  1. See also ‘Early aid coordination and effectiveness initiatives’ below.

  2. The Paris Declaration was a landmark event, where the participating parties committed themselves to 56 partnership commitments through a single set of principles including: (i) ownership, (ii) alignment, (iii) harmonisation, (iv) managing for results and (v) mutual accountability. Born out of decades of development experience, these principles have gained support across the development community, thus improving aid practice OECD DAC (2010a). Targets for 12 indicators measuring progress on donor commitments were set and surveys carried out in developing countries that opted to participate in this global process in 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2014 in order to measure progress across all the above dimensions.

  3. ‘Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Restructuring Their Economies’.

  4. Unlike in other countries of the Western Balkans such as B&H, where the OSCE played a prominent role in the post-Dayton agreement phase, the role of the organization in Albania during the mid-1990s to 2000 was primarily peace-keeping and election monitoring during the events of 1997–1998.

  5. Community Assistance for Reconstruction and Development.

  6. In July 1999, 40 countries met in Sarajevo (B&H) and agreed to provide a financial framework for the Western Balkans known as the Stability Pact to assist the region in rebuilding its infrastructure and in promoting economic liberalization, respect for human rights and democratization (USIS, 2007).

  7. IPA represents the new focus of the EU strategy for enlargement and contains the following elements: general capacity building, cross-border cooperation, regional development, human resources management (HRM) and rural development (European Commission, 2009).

  8. IPS will be discussed in greater detail below.

  9. The Paris Declaration dimensions were mentioned as part of Introduction (p. 1). The indicators include: (i) operational development strategies; (ii) building reliable country systems; (iii) aid flows as aligned with national priorities; (iv) strengthening capacity by coordinated support; (v) use of country’s financial systems; (vi) strengthening capacity by avoiding parallel project implementation units (PIUs); (vii) aid is more predictable aid; (viii) aid is untied; (ix) use of common arrangements or procedures; (x) joint missions and shared analytical work; (xi) managing for results; and (xii) mutual accountability.

  10. These mechanisms are designed to ensure: (i) policy development; (ii) improved donor coordination; (iii) mid-term budget planning (MTBP); (iv) compliance with EU accession requirements and (v) development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in each Ministry (DSDC, 2009b).

  11. FTI-DoL is a mechanism to ensure the coherence of EU assistance, less overlap and transaction costs with a view to achieving better development results through more effective aid.

  12. Irrespective of the specificity of the country circumstances, HAPs are based on its five partnership commitments set forth in the Paris Declaration (2005) and refined in the Accra Agenda for Action (2008) and Busan Partnership for Effective Development (2011). These can be described as ‘typically centered on the principles of supporting country ownership, aligning donor support behind government policy priorities, using government systems where feasible and where possible harmonizing and simplifying donors’ own procedures’ (Harmonization Action Plan (HAP), 2009; DSDC, 2009, p. 3).

  13. As per the Paris Declaration, Indicator 4 focuses on ‘the extent to which donor technical assistance is aligned with the national development strategies thus leading to endogenous capacity development’ (OECD-DAC, 2008: p. 2–7).

  14. Such is the case of the re-alignment of the DoPA and its replacement with the DSDC in 2005, although the move is considered by the government as a means towards efficiency in the name of New Public Management.

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    Artan Karini

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Karini, A. Coordination Without Effectiveness? A Critique of the Paris Agenda in the Experience of Development Aid in Albania. Eur J Dev Res 28, 741–757 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1057/ejdr.2015.28

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