This study was commissioned by the Learning and Advisory Process of the OECD DAC. It brings together two concurrent focuses of work in the international development assistance community. The first focus is on ‘fragile states’ or ‘difficult partnerships’, emerging from both from the challenge of meeting the MDGs through tackling poverty in these environments and the renewed focus on improving governance and institutions in weak institutional environments. The second is the evolving agenda around donor behaviour and aid effectiveness as articulated particularly in the Rome agenda on harmonisation and alignment.