The politics of effectiveness in Canada’s international development assistance

Abstract

Despite promoting innovations in multilateralism and aid, Canadian development assistance often operates in politically instrumental ways and has been criticized as wasteful and ineffective. Aid effectiveness has thus become a central rubric for programming and assessing aid at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and a primary means for reforming the global aid architecture. The meaning of effectiveness, however, is not straightforward; it refers variously to development progress, operational efficiency and political utility. This article examines CIDA’s effectiveness agenda, focusing on the 2009 Food Security Strategy and the geographic concentration of aid in countries of focus. It argues that this agenda is unlikely to resolve longstanding tensions and contradictions related to the politicisation of foreign aid programs, CIDA's place in the Canadian state and the development impact of Canadian aid.