Can aid help a country to recover from conflict?
8 November 2011
Rory Stewart MP, who has criticised international aid efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere, will give evidence to the Economic Affairs Committee's inquiry into the impact of development aid tomorrow. The MP has worked in a number of post-conflict environments and recently co-authored Can Intervention Work?
- Parliament TV: The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid
- Inquiry: Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid
- Economic Affairs Committee
Issues
The committee will explore whether or not aid can support stability and economic growth in post-conflict environments.
- It is expected to cover questions such as:
Professor Paul Collier told the committee that "donors have tried to turn Afghanistan into Denmark in two years". What should donors' aims be; can they usefully contribute to preventing conflict and building peace after conflict? - How should we deal with corruption, fraud and the misappropriation of aid? Should donors bypass incapable or corrupt governments?
- Given DFID's commitment to spend 30% of British aid in fragile and post-conflict states despite the high failure rate in these places, how can the Government get public support for its efforts? Can we evaluate whether aid provides good value for money?
- Has the Government got the right strategies and targets, including the new Building Stability Overseas Strategy, and its commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on development aid?
The evidence sessions will start at 3.35pm, Tuesday 8 November in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.