One Word: Radicalism

The Tories have published their ideas for international development, called 'One World Conservatism'.

Its got a very encouraging bent towards transparency and evaluation. Here are some of the highlights:

• We will ensure the impartial and objective analysis of the effectiveness of British aid through an Independent Aid Watchdog.
  
• We will commit up to £10 million per year to the 3ie to commission impact evaluations of programmes supported by multilateral aid projects that DFID gives money to.We will volunteer bilateral DFID projects to be evaluated by the 3ie, and actively encourage all multilateral projects to which DFID gives money to have their programmes evaluated by the 3ie.
  
• We will publish full information about all of DFID’s projects and programmes – including the results of impact evaluations – on its website, and have them translated into local languages. This information will be published in a standardised format so that it can be freely used on third-party websites.
  
• We will also work for greater transparency across the whole aid system. We will require all bodies receiving DFID funds, whether NGOs, multilateral organisations or governments, to move towards greater openness and transparency.

Why are the Conservatives so far ahead of Labour on this one?