Researchers: Sumedh Rao, Dr Heather Marquette
Funder: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre
This research examines the role of indicators focused on corruption within performance assessment frameworks (PAFs) for budget support, particularly in terms of their effectiveness in monitoring corruption at the macro-level, monitoring anti-corruption projects or institutions, and monitoring budget expenditures. It will be published as a U4 issues paper in early 2012.
Budget support is a modality for channelling aid from donor countries directly to the national budget of a partner country. Proponents of budget support argue that compared to funding individual projects and programmes, budget support reduces transaction costs and strengthens country systems whereas others highlight the risks of misappropriation.
In part to respond to misappropriation concerns, monitoring measures have been introduced such as Performance Assessment Frameworks (PAFs) – agreements between donor and partner country governments, used to monitor transfer of funds and government policy actions. PAFs can include indicators explicitly designed to address corruption issues, and to help donors control for the misuse of funds, but it is unclear how effective these indicators are.
The study focuses on recent (i.e. 2005-2010) PAFs from six current or former GBS countries: Afghanistan, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Tanzania and Uganda. It involved a review of current and recent PAFs and key academic and policy literature; and telephone interviews with interviewees in donor agencies, multilateral organisations and consultants who work on these issues.
For further information about this project please contact: Sumedh Rao s.rao.2@bham.ac.uk