Behind multilateral aid in the 21st century: A case study of the World Bank and the District Primary Education Program in India

This dissertation is concerned with the World Bank's participation in India's first District Primary Education Program (DPEP I) in the early 1990's. The focus of the research is the negotiations and understandings between education sector officials of the World Bank and the Government of India for DPEP I. This dissertation has contributed to the body of knowledge about education aid projects funded by the World Bank because it explores the case study through the perspective of the education sectors at both the World Bank and in the Government of India. Most studies about the World Bank are viewed from the perspective of financial officials or economists. This study qualifies the position of many critics of the World Bank who maintain that specific requirements or conditions drive World Bank project funding. The research showed that DPEP I was a Government of India education sector directed project. The mutual understandings between the lead education sector negotiators at the World Bank and in the Government of India set the goals and implementation direction for DPEP I while at the same time accommodated the mandates and organizational structures of both organizations. The research for DPEP I also showed that the negotiation process yielded a lack of mutual understanding between education sector lead negotiators and field functionaries at the World Bank and in the Government of India about the goals and implementation direction. These misunderstandings led to implementation confusion and reduction of project success.; There are no easy and pat answers to negotiate and launch a project of this magnitude. Identifying areas of consensus and clarifying areas of confusion can enhance the quality of the dialogue during future negotiations processes between funding sources and governments who accept education aid and result in effective design at top levels before programs are rolled out to more local levels. This research has offered several recommendations during negotiations to enhance top level negotiations between the World Bank and recipient governments for education projects before they are implemented at the local levels. This study reveals what is wrong, and right, with the present impact of current projects and will help lead to a more clearly defined understanding of the complexity of issues that must be addressed and resolved when design and funding by the World Bank is developed for specific education programs in specific nations.