Institute for Health and Human Development

Health and Development

Project: International Financial Architecture and HIV/AIDS in Africa

Project Lead: Martin Wall

Project Partners:

This project forms part of the five year DFiD supported research consortium ABBA programme. The project aims to investigate the apparent contradiction between the approach of the multilateral aid agencies to development and that of the global health initiatives. The latter groups seem to operate in ways that go against much of the current consensus on aid effectiveness. Is this threatening both poverty reduction strategies and efforts to reduce HIV? The project is examining the case of Kenya and Malawi.

Overview

This project will investigate whether the global health initiatives are working in ways that threaten or undermine other aid programmes to address poverty or ensure economic development. It will examine how these schemes are working in three countries, look at the weaknesses and strength of their approach in these countries and make recommendations as to how they can be improved.

This research project will address the following specific issues:

With regard to international schemes addressing HIV/AIDS

• Can these schemes be harmonised with the countries own priorities and strategic development goals ?
• Is it in the essence of disease specific interventions to be counter to development policy in this way?

With regard to international schemes to address poverty

• Is the IMF’s PRGF facility sufficiently flexible to allow necessary social spending to address HIV/AIDS?
• Are the IMF, HIPC and World Bank schemes complementary to the flow of resources from the GHFIs?
• Is the role of the private sector and NGO sector in providing services recognised and or supported and or included in the overall strategic planning of public expenditure

The protocol for the study can be found here

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