Publication year: 2011
Source: Social Science & Medicine, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 25 August 2011
Regien, Biesma , Elsie, Makoa , Regina, Mmpemi , Lineo, Tsekoa , Philip, Odonkor , …
One of the biggest challenges in scaling up health interventions in sub-Saharan Africa for government recipients is to effectively manage the rapid influx of aid from different donors, each with its own requirements and conditions. However, there is little empirical evidence on how governments absorb knowledge from new donors in order to satisfy their requirements.This case study applies Cuellar and Gallivan’s (2006) framework on knowledge absorptive capacity (AC) to illustrate how recipient government organisations in Lesotho identified, assimilated and utilised knowledge on how to meet the disbursement and reporting requirements of Lesotho’s Round 5 grant from the Global Fund to…
Highlights: ► Knowledge absorptive capacity frameworks can help explain how recipient governments manage donor aid requirements and conditions. ► Organisational determinants moderate the ability of recipient organisations to effectively deliver donor-funded health programmes. ► Principal recipients, sub-recipients and sub-sub recipients in Lesotho differed in their capacity to absorb knowledge needed to meet the requirements related to the implementation of Global Fund Grants. ► Government ministries, when confronted with new and complex donor requirements, need to develop flexible organisational forms and coordination capabilities. ► African governments are particularly vulnerable to loss of trained staff, undermining organisational knowledge and capacity.