• Scaling up aid

Scaling up aid

This paper argues that service delivery is important for attaining accelerated growth and human development and that resources need to be mobilised and be used effectively in order to improve service delivery. It argues that improvement of service delivery can be achieved if the structure of incentives and the associated institutional reforms and systems of accountability are appropriate for actors in service provision to effectively perform their service delivery roles and functions. The paper addresses the case of scaling up the quantity and quality (in terms of effectiveness of use) of external resources without excluding effective use of all resources.

Service delivery has an impact on human development directly if it is delivered to people in the form of basic services such as education, health and water and sanitation which contribute to promoting human development. Service delivery also provides inputs into the growth process. Growth is a necessary condition for human development to be attained. In these two senses, access to the adequate quantity and quality of services contributes to accelerating progress in economic growth and human development. However, service delivery requires resources for it to occur. The quantity and quality of these resources is a major determinant of the influence of these resources on growth and human development. These resources may be from internal or external sources.

The paper contains the following:

• a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on aid and service delivery
• the impact and effectiveness of aid, in terms of poverty, human development, institutions and policy
• accountability systems and management of aid, including alignment and harmonisation
• methodological and research issues.

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