Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog

 

Posts Tagged: QDDR

 

Elevating Development – Rhetoric, Reality, and Recommendations

October 11, 2011

Posted by in Aid Priorities, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , , ,

Connie Veillette

Last month, I released a new analysis on the Future of Aid Reform.  In it, I sought to judge to what extent the administration’s 2012 budget request reflected a strong commitment to the principles outlined in the PPD and QDDR, and to prognosticate on the congressional response.

On one major principle – elevating development – I argued that the administration had not scored well based on a number of indicators.  In brief I argued that 1) a national security budget is more rhetoric than reality; 2) development is losing ground relative to security; 3) requested amounts for key development accounts have stagnated; and 4) USAID has not been put fully in charge of development.

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From Talk to Action? A Report Card on U.S. Development Strategy

January 13, 2011

Posted by in Aid Effectiveness, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: ,

Nancy Birdsall

Back in July of last year, I blogged on five steps for a practical agenda on how to move beyond vision and “get on with it.”  Since then, the President’s Global Development Policy and the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review were released.  Some progress has been made on a number of fronts, but overall, much more needs to be done to get beyond talk to action.

Here are the five steps and my assessment of progress:

  1. Give the USAID administrator policy authority to inform and influence development issues within the State Department.  Ensure he has visibility to shore up his political standing.  He should be the spokesperson on Haiti, Feed the Future and on development programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and other strategically critical states.
    B+.  The QDDR endorses USAID’s new Policy, Planning, and Learning Bureau and the other components of USAID Forward, and gives the agency control of the Feed the Future initiative.  It is not at all clear on USAID’s role in strategically critical states. Read More…

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A Quick and Dirty Reflection on the QDDR: State Compared to USAID

January 4, 2011

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , ,

Nancy Birdsall

At the State Department, QDDR changes are about moving boxes in the org chart.  State will put global economy and systems together (under Undersecretary Bob Hormats, apparently) and human security, conflict prevention and other good things together (under Undersecretary Maria Otero).  Both moves seem reasonable – though it is mostly about insider DC top-down process which is hard for voters to wrap their heads around in the way of action or impact.

Regarding USAID, I sense QDDR change is more about reform and rebuilding. Read More…

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The Grades Are In, But Points Off for Timeliness

December 22, 2010

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , ,

Connie Veillette

On November 12th, my colleague Todd Moss devised a grading matrix for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).  Now that the full document has been released, the two of us are donning our professors’ hats and reporting our final grades based on his original framework. Read More…

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The QDDR on USAID and the GHI: A Bridge to Nowhere?

December 22, 2010

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags: , ,

Nandini Oomman

The early Christmas gift from the State Department of a 200+ page Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) was unwrapped several times over and inspected by its many recipients in the development and diplomacy communities. The “Made in DC” review is a 100% American product finely crafted by some of the best American women and men (see pages 214-215) in the U.S.G. to assess the performance of the U.S.’ development and diplomatic efforts.  Secretary Clinton has matched President  Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive vision with this practical review to ensure that development is indeed elevated in U.S foreign policy, along with the U.S’ diplomatic and defense efforts. Read More…

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The QDDR: Whew, It’s Done (Or Is It?)

December 16, 2010

Posted by in Aid Effectiveness, Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags:

Connie Veillette

After nearly 18 months, thousands of man-hours, and a few interagency scuffles, the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review was released on Wednesday.  First, hats off to the many State Department and USAID staff who toiled on the various working groups in addition to their regular work portfolios.  This was a huge undertaking for which staff should be applauded.

There are many things to like in this first QDDR.  That the document is clear on the types of threats the world faces and attempts to craft diplomatic and development responses to them is a welcome approach.  I am delighted that State recognizes that its ambassadors need to be sensitized to the role of development and will be trained and judged on their ability to navigate an interagency process.  The focus on improving hiring, staffing, and filling the mid-level gap through more flexible mechanisms is long overdue.  (The need for some of these fixes was previously known and State/USAID should have availed themselves of Congressional willingness to fix them in legislation that had been introduced back in 2009.)

Despite all the hard work, there are a number of issues that are being deferred for further study or where more clarity is needed.  Perhaps these represent areas where consensus could not be reached or where sufficient information was not available.  Nonetheless, they represent critical issues that will have to be tackled at some point soon.  As the authors duly note, the QDDR represents a process, meaning that once again this all comes down to implementation.  To the degree that implementation requires a culture change among the various agencies with an overseas presence, makes it even more difficult. Read More…

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’Twas the Night Before the QDDR

December 13, 2010

Posted by in Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Tags:

Twas two weeks before Christmas, when all through the town
Breaths were held expectantly, in the midst of a countdown.
With their keyboards ready, the bloggers abandoned all care,
Hoping that Secretary Clinton soon would be there.

The NGOs were nestled all snug in their beds,
Knowing the QDDR soon would be read.
And the Senate and House, with a sharp rap,
Had just left town for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the Mall there arose such a clatter,
Aid analysts sprang from their cubicles to see what was the matter.
Away to their Inboxes they flew like a flash,
Tore open their emails and emptied the cache.

The moon on the breast of the soon-to-fall snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the stalled traffic below.
When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But an armored car, and eight men in full gear.

With a diplomatic wit, married to Bill,
They knew in a moment it must be St Hill.
More rapid than eagles her people, they came,
And she whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Slaughter! Now, Radelet! Now, Geithner and Shah!
On, Nides! On, Steinberg! On Yohannes, hurrah!
To the top of the White House! To the top of the Hill!
Now dash away! Dash away! Get us good will!”

And then, in a flash, her people took to the phone
Spreading the word about what few had known.
As the developmentistas gathered to find common ground,
Behind the podium St Hillary came with a bound.

Her eyes-how they twinkled! Her hair how flaxen!
Her cheeks were like roses, the cameras were flashin’!
Her smart red suit was adorned with a bow,
The perfect “development diplomat” from head to toe.

She addressed the crowd on integration and elevation,
And gave USAID some special designation!
A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,
Soon let them dream that they had fewer things to dread.

She spoke many words, and expressed her complete vision,
While her colleagues set about implementing the QDDR’s decision.
And laying her finger aside of her nose,
And giving a nod, she departed, nothing else to disclose!

She sprang to her car, to her team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But they heard her exclaim, ‘ere she drove out of sight,
“Just trust me on this, it will all be alright!”

May all your dreams come true, from your friends at the Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance initiative – Connie, Sarah Jane, and Casey – and with many thanks for the creative talents of Casey Dunning and Julie Walz.

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