NEW RESEARCH IS being carried out at Trinity College Dublin to identify what development aid actually works.

It will mean that better investments that have real impact on the development process can be made.

At the launch last night Professor of Economics and Director of STICERD at the London School of Economics, Professor Oriana Bandiera, gave a keynote speech where she said:

There is solid evidence that when the poor are given cash or productive assets they are able and willing to put them to good use, so that earnings increase and households escape poverty.

“At the same time, the poor seem unable to save even for small investments that have large rate of returns. Understanding these apparently inconsistent behaviours is key to design interventions to eliminate poverty.”

Source: Powering Education Project

Associate Professor of Economics at Trinity and co-founder of the new research group, Trinity Impact Evaluation Unit, TIME, Carol Newman, said:

“Ireland’s aid programme amounts to over €600 million annually. Understanding what works and why is crucial in informing development aid decisions and in ensuring that aid and investments are targeted towards areas where they can have the greatest impact.”