2 research outputs found
Building a theoretical framework to understand the role of aid in achieving the education Millennium Development Goals in fragile states
This thesis aims to build a theory for understanding the role of aid in achieving
the education Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in fragile states. In so
doing, it responds to claims that both educational research (see e.g. Cohen et
al., 2000), and the economic literature on aid and international development
(see e.g. Deaton, 2008), are insufficiently grounded in theory.
In finding a methodological voice for this thesis, I distinguish between three
research paradigms: positivist, interpretive and critical theory. I ask whether
theory is essentially a positivist project, better suited to quantitative methods
and to the natural sciences. I argue for a 'mixed-method' approach, proposing
that when qualitative methods generate data that are subjected to a stronger
process of generalisation â including comparison between data derived from
qualitative and quantitative methods, and from macro and micro level analysis â
then that evidence may be sufficiently strong to underpin theory.
I use a four step process to build theory: (i) categorising data into domains for
analysis, (ii) hypothesising linkages between these domains, (iii) investigating
these hypotheses through assessing the evidence supporting them, (iv)
organising hypotheses into a theoretical framework. To assess the strength of
evidence in support of each hypothesis, I use an instrument to âgrade the
evidenceâ, based on a threefold assessment of method, observer bias and
corroboration. I include evidence from new research conducted for this thesis,
including: a portfolio analysis of 145 DFID education projects in fragile states
(1991-2007), and an analysis of primary data collected for the 2008 DFID
âEducation Portfolio Reviewâ.
The findings of this research confirm a potential relationship between aid inputs
and education outcomes in fragile states. Positing that this relationship might
work through intermediate financing and institutional effects, it finds weak
evidence for the former, but stronger evidence for the latter. With both aid and
non-aid inputs (e.g. diplomacy, military engagement), external inputs appear
better at supporting existing incipient reform than generating that reform,
suggesting that donors should adopt a more modest and opportunistic approach
to aid, as opposed to deploying a âtransformationalâ blueprint (Easterly, 2009).
The inter-dependence between aid inputs and non-aid inputs points to the
importance of deploying instruments within a single approach to strategy and possibly delivery. There is relatively strong evidence for âpre-conditionsâ for
successful interventions â proposed here as political will, community ownership
and security / stability â whereas evidence for conventional proxies of âaid
effectivenessâ is weak relative to the importance generally ascribed to it.
The evidence linking education and social stability is mixed, and weakly
researched in developing country contexts â potentially significant for critical
theorists who question the wisdom and motives of donor governments investing
in education to counter radicalisation.
I conclude by assessing whether the theory generated has validity or utility. I
assess the theory against five key characteristics of theory: empirical grounding;
explanatory power; predictive power; utility; verification / falsification. I conclude
that my theory has explanatory power and utility, but that claims to
generalisability are weak, given the importance of context.
The thesis and its product (the âtheoryâ) provide a framework that advances our
understanding of the relationships between aid and education outcomes in
fragile states. It tests the evidence base for these proposed relationships and,
notwithstanding limits of generalisability, offers a narrative and framework with
practical utility for future research, policy development and programming
Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
This Handbook provides an authoritative and foundational disciplinary overview of African Public Policy and a comprehensive examination of the practicalities of policy analysis, policymaking processes, implementation, and administration in Africa today. The book assembles a multidisciplinary team of distinguished and upcoming Africanist scholars, practitioners, researchers and policy experts working inside and outside Africa to analyse the historical and emerging policy issues in 21st-century Africa. While mostly attentive to comparative public policy in Africa, this book attempts to address some of the following pertinent questions: ⢠How can public policy be understood and taught in Africa? ⢠How does policymaking occur in unstable political contexts, or in states under pressure? ⢠Has the democratisation of governing systems improved policy processes in Africa? ⢠How have recent transformations, such as technological proliferation in Africa, impacted public policy processes? ⢠What are the underlying challenges and potential policy paths for Africa going forward? The contributions examine an interplay of prevailing institutional, political, structural challenges and opportunities for policy effectiveness to discern striking commonalities and trajectories across different African states. This is a valuable resource for practitioners, politicians, researchers, university students, and academics interested in studying and understanding how African countries are governed