New paper from AidInfo: ‘Show Me the Money’
We are delighted to see the release of ‘Show Me the Money’, a valuable paper from Aidinfo which considers the issue of transparency in aid and the role that the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) plays.
In arguing the case for aid transparency, aidinfo states that the flow of aid should be traced at every step of the process, highlighting the importance of applying transparency standards across the board, so that information available on aid is timely, accessible, comparable and comprehensive.
The paper shows that while the costs initially involved in increased transparency may make donors hesitant to adopt such tracing mechanisms, these costs will be outweighed by the benefits of aid traceability, and ultimately money will be saved in adopting these processes (see Aidinfo’s Costs and Benefits Analysis paper for more information.)
Outlining the benefits of aid transparency for all stakeholder groups, the paper explores the differing needs of each group of users involved, and emphasises the need for pilots to be undertaken to demonstrate how IATI will work for each of them in a practical sense. With careful use of case studies and figures illustrating the debilitating nature that a lack of transparency can bring in the context of aid, this paper produces a convincing case for the adoption of IATI, providing many of the answers that signatories and donors alike ask on this detailed and technical subject.