The Fragmentation of Aid

This edited volume provides an assessment of an increasingly fragmented aid system. Development cooperation is fundamentally changing its character in the wake of global economic and political transformations and an ongoing debate about what constitutes, and how best to achieve, global development. This also has important implications for the setup of the aid architecture. The increasing number of donors and other actors as well as goals and instruments has created an environment that is increasingly difficult to manoeuvre. Critics describe today's aid architecture as 'fragmented': inefficient, overly complex and rigid in adapting to the dynamic landscape of international cooperation.  By analysing the actions of donors and new development actors, this book gives important insights into how and why the aid architecture has moved in this direction. The contributors also discuss the associated costs, but also potential benefits of a diverse aid system, and provide some concrete options for the way forward.

Stephan Klingebiel is Head of the Department of Bilateral and Multilateral Development Policy at the German Development Institute, Germany. His research and university teaching focus on the political economy of aid, aid development effectiveness, political economy and governance issues in sub-Saharan Africa, and crisis prevention and conflict management. He is a regular Visiting Professor at Stanford University, USA.

Timo Mahn is a researcher and public sector consultant at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE). His research interests include public financial management, development effectiveness and the United Nations.