The use of challenge funds to promote economic and social development continues to grow, but has been the subject of relatively little research. This paper develops a definition of what challenge funds are and how they differ from other development funding mechanisms, taking into account their...

We use a unique data set for 115 countries, from 2000-18, and 5-year non-overlapping averages to explore the impact of technical assitance on revenue mobilization. To the authors' knowledge this is the first such effort to determine a direct relationship between technical assistance and the...

Adequate fiscal flexibility is a prerequisite for meeting the post-2015 development challenges. This paper proposes a composite fiscal flexibility index. Based on several important fiscal parameters, the index will identify countries in the Asia and Pacific region that are well-poised to meet...

This paper argues for a novel approach to financing infrastructure needs in Arab countries. It first describes the context of rising public debt in the region, contrasting it with the vast infrastructure needs. It then discusses the challenges in meeting these needs with traditional financing....

The OECD Survey on Blended Finance Funds and Facilities represents a major step forward to consolidate evidence and provide further policy guidance in support of the OECD DAC Blended Finance Principles, whose focus is unlocking commercial finance for the Sustainable Development Goals. This...

The development community agrees on the need to address conflict and fragility for global security and sustainable development. In such complex situations, programming should strive to include multiple actors at various levels of society. Although the use of private investment in fragile...