This paper examines fungibility as a possible explanation for the "missing link" between foreign aid and economic growth. The composition of aid plays a crucial role in determining the composition of government spending and, consequently, the magnitude of fungibility and its impact on growth....

Comparing aid flows in the 1990s with those from the 1970s make it clear that there are now many more countries receiving what may be termed "high aid" (say in excess of 30 percent of GNP) and that there has emerged a group of countries receiving very high aid. Whilst never formally considered...