Assessing Aid for Trade
Effectiveness, Current Issues and Future Directions

Aid for Trade (AfT) has been an integral part of official development assistance (ODA) since its inception at the World Trade Organization’s Hong Kong Ministerial in 2005. While many observers agree that the initiative has generated momentum in securing more trade support, the policy discourse on AfT continues to be vibrant and dynamic.
This volume, comprising 16 chapters prepared by 20 renowned experts from a range of international organisations, think tanks and academic institutions, including Commonwealth Secretariat, ODI, ECDPM, DIE, ICTSD, Saana Consulting, WTI Advisors, and Columbia University, provides a comprehensive review of the Aid for Trade initiative.
Part I of this volume uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to examine the effectiveness of different components of Aid for Trade and underlying factors affecting the outcomes. Part II provides analyses of current issues, including regional AfT, global value chains, infrastructure for development for agriculture, AfT adjustment and lessons from emerging economies in aiding exports. Part III looks to the future, proposing a range of possible directions including an alternative way to improve trade outcomes for developing countries from Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
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Regional Aid for Trade and Aid Effectiveness: Examples from East and West Africa
This chapter provides an introductory review of regional Aid for Trade (AfT) and the extent to which aid effectiveness principles are applied through the use of case studies. The focus is on projects and programmes supporting regional economic integration, since many of these are regional and multi-country in nature. Geographically, the area of study is East and West Africa. The main aid effectiveness principles explored are ownership, alignment and harmonisation. The chapter does not attempt to conduct a comprehensive assessment but rather lays the groundwork for future work in this area.
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