Foreign Aid Reform: Agency Coordination
Abstract
In the decades since the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 became law, Congress, various Administrations, and a number of Commissions, have reviewed U.S. foreign aid programs and proposed ways to improve the coordination and effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance by consolidating or otherwise restructuring various agencies. Two recent trends in foreign assistance have renewed interest in this issue. First, foreign assistance funding has expanded considerably since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, from just over $15 billion in FY2001 to more than $45 billion in FY2007, including supplemental appropriations. Second, there has been an increase during this same time period in the number of agencies implementing foreign assistance. U.S. foreign assistance has long been carried out by multiple U.S. government agencies, including the State Department (State), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense (DOD) and many others, to a lesser extent. In 2007, 24 U.S. government agencies reported disbursing foreign assistance resources. With so many entities administering foreign aid, often with different objectives, many aid experts have questioned whether these agencies are working at cross-purposes. Where agencies have similar objectives, there is concern that they may be duplicating each others efforts. There is no overarching mechanism in place for coordinating or evaluating this broad range of activities. There are, however, several less-comprehensive systems of coordination in place among various departments and agencies, using means as varied as National Security Council policy coordination committees, new information-sharing technology systems, and inter-agency staff exchanges. There is little consensus among policy makers and aid experts about how best to improve coordination, or even the need for more formal coordination.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 2009
- Accession Number
- AD1172097
Entities
People
- Marian L. Lawson
- Susan B. Epstein
Organizations
- Library of Congress