We document that, in rural Uganda, the entry of foreign aid reduces government provision of similar services because the organization that delivers aid often hires the government worker, thereby reducing state capacity. Access to any public services and population well-being worsen in villages...

The Millennium Development Goals call for reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. This goal was adopted in large part because clean water was seen as critical to fighting diarrheal disease, which kills 2 million children annually. There is...

The history of foreign development assistance is one of movement away from addressing immediate needs and toward focusing on the underlying causes of poverty. A recent manifestation is the move towards sustainability,' which stresses community mobilization, education, and cost-recovery. This...