The ultimate measure of aid effectiveness is how aid affects the lives of poor people in developing countries. The huge literature on aid?s macroeconomic impact has remarkably little to say on this topic, and less still in terms of practical advice to government officials and aid administrators...

The Millennium Development Goals have become the frame of reference for most of the development community: the standard by which performance will ultimately be judged. Given their importance, considerable attention has been paid as to whether these goals will be met or not. The overwhelming...