This week, the Strauss
Center’s CCAPS Program and AidData
published a first-of-its-kind geocoded dataset from the Government of Malawi's
Aid Management Platform. These data are also available through the CCAPS dashboard, which
enables users to overlay and visualize data on climate change vulnerability,
conflict, and aid, and analyze how these issues intersect in Africa. The geocoded aid dataset was created in
partnership with Malawi's Ministry of Finance (MoF). It includes sub-national
geocodes for approximately 550 aid projects undertaken in Malawi since 2000,
representing nearly $5.3 billion in total commitments or roughly 80% of all aid
reported to the MoF during that time. The dataset is the first effort of the
kind envisioned by the Open Aid
Partnership, an initiative spearheaded by the World Bank that seeks to make
local information on donor activities more accessible to improve the targeting,
coordination, and delivery of aid.
AidData and CCAPS
researchers have begun using these data to explore the sub-national drivers of
aid allocation in Malawi. We are still working to create robust models, but
initial results suggest that population density may be the most important determinant
of allocation patterns, more so than poverty, access to electricity, or other
measures of need (see graphs below prepared by BYU faculty member and AidData/CCAPS
researcher Mike Findley).
This pattern can be seen in a map as well where it’s clear the
less-densely populated Northern region has comparatively fewer projects,
despite relatively high levels of poverty. Conversely, the main population
centers—Lilongwe (the capital city) and Blantyre (in the Southern region)—seem
to attract dense clusters of aid projects.
These represent very preliminary findings, but they should
give readers an idea of how geocoded aid information can be put to productive
use. We will continue to update The First
Tranche with research on aid distribution and impact in Malawi and are
excited to see what others will do with these data now that they are available
to the public. To download the full dataset, go here.
This post was written
by Josh Powell, a Business Development Associate at Development Gateway and a
member of the AidData team.
1 comment:
The graphic shown is impressive but this must be a call to our government and private officials to reach out for poverty headcount. They're getting larger in number.
Post a Comment