Donor Funding of Competitiveness Initiatives: Results to Date and Future Prospects

DONOR FUNDING OF COMPETITIVENESS INITIATIVES:
RESULTS TO DATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Facilitator and introduction:

Kevin X Murphy, J E Austin Associates, USA

Documentation:

Dzamila Bienkowska, Uppsala University

Abstract/Key issues: How can conference participants benefit from the recent trend by donor agencies to implement competitiveness projects around the world? Millions of dollars are now being awarded to consultants and companies implementing competitiveness initiatives in developing countries. Competitiveness will figure prominently in President Bush's Millennium Challenge Account Initiative where an additional $5 billion dollars will be allocated. The World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, UN and European donors have all adopted this approach recently. Why have donors gravitated to competitiveness? Will this trend continue or be "the flavor of the month." Is there any evidence that this approach is working? How do donor agencies justify assistance to well-off companies and CEOs when their mission is to help the poor? Will US and European taxpayers object to their tax money being used to help the competitiveness of OTHER countries? Can competitiveness projects really be done as "development projects" with all the rules and procedures of donor agencies? The answers to these intriguing questions will be the subject of the presentation of the competitiveness expert who was asked by USAID to design their approach and lead competitiveness initiatives in 15 countries.

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