Aid & development linkage

by Danielle Cave - 28 October 2010 11:37AM

The New York Times magazine discusses the DIY foreign aid revolution. Responses were fast and thick, from the open-minded to the sceptical and the adverse. I think this blogger has captured the bigger picture.
The recently established Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University will be publishing the first installment of its Aid Open Paper on 1 November. The paper will take the form of a series of blog posts debating the direction of Australia's aid program. Despite Australia's massive scale-up of the aid budget, this area of policy is starved of research and public discussion, and the Development Policy Centre is a welcome addition. You can contribute to the discussion on the centre's blog.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd (still maintaining his PM status online), delivered a speech last week to the Australian Council for International Development on the 'Importance of Aid Effectiveness'. The speech outlined five basic principles that guide the delivery of Australia's aid program. Archie Law, CEO of ActionAID, blogs on what was missing: human rights and Q&A.
The Gates Foundation and Coca-Cola: Melinda Gates (below) looks at what development can learn from the private sector. But as discussed by this blogger, one organisation has the ability to reach a worldwide audience, while the other doesn't.