CDD persists in World Bank lending despite inconclusive evidence of its effectiveness

Evidence

After decades of implementation, empirical evidence continues to be inconclusive as to CDD’s operational and impact effectiveness, and has increasingly challenged its capacity to deliver on its core objectives of empowerment, social capital formation, and good governance (Poncin, 2024). Nevertheless, CDD has maintained a substantial and consistent share of World Bank lending portfolios, representing 9% of total lending from 2000–2008 (Binswanger-Mkhize et al., 2010) and a roughly similar 11% in 2020 (Holmlund & Rao, 2021). — Jessica Carrick-Hagenbarth, Institutional Bricolage and Commoning…, 7

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why does an approach with persistently inconclusive evidence hold a steady share of World Bank lending? Worth chasing the institutional-politics explanation.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Jessica Carrick-Hagenbarth, Institutional Bricolage and Commoning…, 7