Deakin researcher cited in House of Lords

A new paper co-authored by Deakin University's Professor Mark McGillivray has been cited in the British House of Lords.

Giving evidence to The Select Committee on Economic Affairs, Professor Adrian Wood, Professor of International Development at Oxford University, has referred the committee members to the paper: Does Aid Work For The Poor?.

"This paper econometrically examines the impact of aid on the well-being of population sub-groups within 48 developing countries," Professor McGillivray said.

"This is a radical departure from previous empirical research of aid effectiveness, which has looked at  the relationship between aid and national aggregates, per capita GDP growth in particular. A specific concern of the paper is the impact of aid on the well-being of the poor.

"Well-being is measured using indicators of achievements wealth, health and education. Results indicate that while aid improves the well-being of the poorest groups, it tends to be the middle groups that benefit most and poor groups that benefit the least."

Professor McGillivray is a globally recognised expert in the field of aid who works with ADRI, the Alfred Deakin Research Institute at the Geelong Waterfront Campus.

He has recently been involved in a number of projects focussing on the effectiveness of aid in the South Pacific.

Professor Mark McGillivray