In a recent and very interesting article, William Easterly tried to put an end to his debate with Jeffrey Sachs’ claim that aid would end poverty as exemplified in the Millennium Villages project in Africa, where the hypothesis is that all problems of poverty have discrete technological fixes (for example, bed nets to deter malaria-spreading mosquitoes). “… Sachs’ promise … [Read more...] about Macro problems, micro solutions?
Do Leaders Matter?
There is ample evidence that managers have a large effect on firm performance and productivity. In a recent study of the performance of development projects in Latin America we find that project team leaders matter for project success, and to the extent that they do, on aggregate they matter for the success of development finance. Even if the impact of additional development … [Read more...] about Do Leaders Matter?
The M in M&E: Ugly Duckling or Swan?
In well-functioning markets, new ventures either succeed or fail. In contrast, up to 2005, all aid agencies created since 1945 were still in existence (see the book on Aid by Harford and Klein here and here). Given its nature, the aid system exists in an arena that is not subject to the invisible hand of efficient markets. For years the questions asked were, how much aid, and … [Read more...] about The M in M&E: Ugly Duckling or Swan?