In recent years, various value for money (VFM) tools and techniques have been proposed as the key to effective, targeted and cost-efficient aid. But are these approaches genuinely aligned with the needs of developing communities, as well as the donor agencies that promote them? What happens when they are implemented at grassroots level? And how can they be translated through citizen voice and accountability programmes?

Christian Aid will host a discussion on these issues as part of the Governance and Transparency Fund public meeting series. Following on from Q&A’s, there will be an informal Value For Money market-place where organisations and experts working on VFM will showcase their materials and resources, with the chance to interact with presenters, contributors, audience members and Christian Aid staff.

Value for money (VfM) is the most visible and widespread manifestation of donor attempts to move development initiatives to a place where results are more easily recorded, with a range of new tools and approaches being trialled.

But this agenda contrasts with certain perspectives from the grassroots level, which protest at this limited and unrealistic view of development. Their argument is that the situation suits donors more than the supposed beneficiaries of development interventions.

In this session we will explore the concepts of VfM, effectiveness and accountability, asking if and how they can be brought together in a coherent way, and what such a new approach would look like.