Looks at the necessary conditions in the optimization of donor operations for debt relief, notably additional resource generation and desirability of earmarking. Presents a tentative overview of the role of microfinance in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSPR) policies of 29 countries in...

This paper discusses to what extent debt relief embedded in debt swaps linked to development can be helpful in reaching development goals such as the Millennium Development Goals. A range of historical and current international debt relief practices and proposals is assessed on the basis of...

This guidebook for evaluators and other evaluation stakeholders provides an introductory overview of a range of methods that have been selected for their actual and potential use in the field of international development evaluation. For each method, a detailed guidance note presents the method's...

This paper explores the accessibility of rural credit for the case of a rural bank in northern Nicaragua. Both the point of view of the potential client and the bank are addressed. It is illustrated that local networks of information and recommendation are important low-cost screening mechanisms...

We study how 22 donors allocate their bilateral aid among 147 recipient countries over the 1970- 2004 period to investigate whether changes in the international aid architecture?at the international and country level?have led to changes in behavior. We find that after the fall of the Berlin...

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis have risen in popularity in international development to provide evidence on 'what works'. This paper reports the findings of a meta-analysis to assess the impact of microcredit on women's control over household spending to illustrate the challenges of...

In this paper, we explore some of the methodological challenges that evaluators face in assessing the impacts of complex intervention strategies. We illustrate these challenges, using the specific example of an impact evaluation of one of the six focal areas of the Global Environment Facility;...