Scaling-up aid to education: is absorptive capacity a constraint?

"Absorptive capacity" is a frequently used term amongst development practitioners in education. It is adopted by some as a reason for caution over scaling up aid. Others are of the view that absorptive capacity is an excuse by some donors for not delivering on their Education for All financing commitments. Drawing on interviews with representatives from NGOs, development agencies and international consultants, the paper highlights that there are a variety of ways in which the term is understood. Overall, it finds that absorptive capacity should not be seen as a reason for not increasing aid. Rather there is a need to unpack the concept to ensure that bottlenecks can be identified and addressed. In breaking "absorptive capacity" down into component parts, it then becomes possible to identify alternative strategies that donors and national governments need to address to ensure that increased aid reaches schools and improves educational outcomes.