Aid Strategies:

Our research in this area covers two broad themes: “aid effectiveness” and “the emerging aid agenda.” Researches in aid effectiveness apply rigorous academic analysis to JICA’s field operations in order to evaluate them from the viewpoints of human security and inclusive/dynamic development. Their research projects are conducted as comparative case studies of capacity development and innovation in empirical impact evaluation. Researches in emerging aid agenda emphasize the medium and long-term perspective with an eye on the post-MDG (Millennium Development Goals) era, after 2015. They include studies on development potential in Islamic societies and knowledge creation in developing countries.

Research Themes

1. Aid EffectivenessAid donors face the enormous challenge of adequately evaluating the impacts and outcomes of their ODA programs and projects consistent with both their fundamental objective of supporting sustainable development in developing countries and their responsibility of providing domestic accountability to taxpayers. JICA has participated in international efforts to promote and mainstream the concept of capacity development (CD) and has attempted to evaluate impacts of its infrastructure projects. JICA-RI researchers are currently conducting a series of CD case studies designed to improve understanding of complex CD processes by applying relevant analytical frameworks from related academic disciplines. In addition, JICA-RI is engaged in impact evaluation (IE) exercises on selected JICA-funded programs and projects. This is expected to contribute to further innovation in IE and also to amplify the good practice of bridging IE research and JICA aid operations.

Photo: Kazuyoshi Nomachi/JICA

2. Emerging Aid AgendaThe unprecedented spread of advances in science and technology -- including information technology -- brought about by globalization requires increased capacity of developing countries if they are to acquire and eventually create such advanced knowledge themselves. To explore effective approaches to knowledge creation in our developing country partners, JICA-RI has undertaken a tracer study of graduates who benefited from a JICA-supported project to strengthen engineering higher education in East Asia. JICA-RI also is currently conducting a research project on Islamic societies in Southeast Asia to improve cooperative relationships with countries that have Islamic populations. Islamic societies tend to differ from those of major donor countries in such aspects as law, finance and education. It is crucial, therefore, that donor organizations sufficiently grasp social and cultural context when extending assistance to these countries.

Photo: Kenshiro Imamura/JICA