A new report by spending watchdog the National Audit Office has generated concern about UK foreign aid by revealing that allegations of fraud have risen more than four-fold in five years.

Aid always has an element of risk, which agencies such as the Department for International Development (DfID) strive to keep to acceptable levels. But there is a broader problem globally with the way that development funds are allocated.

Priorities are set based on a myriad of inputs, including a nation’s diplomatic, economic and even military objectives, and political reality. Things that look bad in tabloid newspapers tend to lose funding .

While the emphasis varies from one country to another, most donors focus on the same small group of large problems: A lack of education and opportunity. Poverty. Inequality. Violence and war. Environmental degradation.

Unfortunately, agreeing that a problem exists is not the same as knowing how to fix it. It is easy for money to be wasted – and opportunities missed – because this important distinction is ignored. Sometimes, the simplest path is for well-meaning development agencies to spend money in places where a clear, simple narrative can be explained to voters at home.