• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.339-360
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• 2021

More donors are formally assessing their multilateral aid disbursement policies as well as the multilateral institutions that they contribute to. Analyzing OECD Creditor Reporting System data from 2011 to 2019 of 23 donors and 34 multilateral organizations, we find evidence of institutional portfolio building of donors to align multilateral and bilateral aid channels. Such tendency is more pronounced for core-funding than multi-bi funding and much stronger at the recipient country level than at the sectoral level. Smaller donors that operate from a limited multilateral budget show greater preferences for geographical similarity. When donors give to institutions with sectoral specialization, they seek sectoral similarity with their bilateral aid.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.201-230
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• 2024

This paper aims to better understand the trajectory and contributions of international humanitarian assistance to North Korea over the last three decades, while examining the status of international aid and constraints placed on humanitarian operations in the country, as well as allocations of humanitarian aid by sector. A survey of UN documents and statistics demonstrates the roles of major actors and channels of international aid to North Korea. The majority of humanitarian aid to North Korea has been channeled through UN agencies and NGOs, contributing to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable people and access to basic services. About 63 percent of international assistance to North Korea was allocated to food aid and agriculture. The remainder was largely used for health, WASH and multi-sector operations. By examining the significant shortfall of funding, the paper also investigates multiple operational constraints on the aid delivery of international organizations. In highlighting the status and changing trends of humanitarian aid by sector, the paper assesses the features of sectoral allocation of international aid and associated problems. This paper suggests some policy implications for the resumption of international organizations' in-country operations and the expansion of humanitarian aid to North Korea.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.41-49
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• 2024

Objective: The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of foreign aid on income inequality in Nepal with disaggregation of foreign aid into four major sectors: social sector, economic sector, production sector, and multi-sector. Methodology: This study uses time-series annual data over the period 2002-2023. The autoregressive distributed lag; bound test and error correction model are applied to find short-run and long-run impact. Result: The bounds test for cointegration, confirms that there is no long-run relationship between the dependent variable and the set of covariates in all regressions. The short-term dynamics results indicate that aggregated foreign aid has a negative and statistically significant impact on income inequality in Nepal. When foreign aid is disaggregated by sector, its impact varies. Aid directed toward the social sector and multi-sector initiatives appears to reduce income inequality, whereas aid to the economic and production sectors shows a weaker and inconsistent effect on inequality. Conclusion: Social and multi-sector aid effectively reduces inequality by directing funds to health, education, social services, and environmental protection projects benefiting low-income populations. Conversely, economic and production sector aid often supports urban projects, reaching fewer marginalized communities. Policymakers should prioritize social programs and adapt economic aid to promote inclusive growth, such as rural infrastructure and small enterprise support, to improve equity. Also, Nepal should adopt policies that prioritize sustainable and inclusive development to strengthen the long-term relationship between aid and inequality.