摘要：We analyze the aid portfolio of various bilateral and multilateral donors, testing
whether they have prioritised aid in line with the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). In doing so, we combine sectorally disaggregated aid data with indicators
reflecting the situation of recipient countries regarding the MDGs. Our results show
that donors differ not only in terms of their overall generosity and the general poverty
orientation of aid, but also in the extent to which their sectoral aid allocation is
conducive to achieving more specific MDGs such as all children completing a full
course of primary schooling, reducing child and maternal mortality as well as
reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Overall, while some MDGs, e.g., the fight against
HIV/AIDS, have shaped the allocation of aid, the sector-specific results reveal that
with respect to other MDGs, most notably primary education, there is a considerable
gap between donor rhetoric and actual aid allocation. These results invite the
conclusion that the current focus on substantially increasing aid in order to turn the
tide in trying to achieve the MDGs misses one important point: Unless the targeting of
aid is improved, higher aid will not have the desired effects. Our results suggest that at
least part of the blame for missing the MDGs falls on insufficient targeting of aid.
