Accountability and Aid Effectiveness Research in Global Health

Abstract

Accountability and aid effectiveness (AAE) research accounts for three main global health outcomes: first, the delivery of effective global health solutions; second, the efficiency or “value for money” of these solutions to donors and recipient countries; and third, the sustainability of these effective solutions to continue working towards the country’s health goals after the aid ends. AAE research is based on five principles: country ownership, harmonization, alignment, management by results, and mutual accountability. AAE research is difficutl because of the same reason that effective global health practice is difficult, that is, the global health and aid architecuture are complex and fragmented. However, it is possible to focus on research questions at country level, measure effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, reduce fragmentation and duplication, and aim for cross-national effectiveness comparisons. This chapter will discuss why this type of research matters and describe examples of how effective and accountable global health practice has demonstrated to be so far. Next, we will discuss mixed research methods used to measure accountability and effectiveness. If the HIV/AIDS (Esser, Glob Public Health 9:43–56, 2014), Ebola, and 2020 COVID-19 pandemics have served for a greater purpose, it is to show that AAE research is an essential part (or at least should be) of global health practice. This chapter will show you how to design and implement this type of research and use it to improve your own performance as a global health practitioner, as well as contribute to improve the results of global health practice.