Given the diversity of interests and objectives at play in the field of development co-operation, the need
for basic qualitative norms and common disciplines has long been recognised (Wood, 1994). The OECD
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has been the primary forum in forging consensus among
development agencies about basic definitions and statistical norms. The development, preservation and
careful adaptation of an agreed definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA) represents one of the
major achievements of the DAC (OECD, 1992). The definition has provided transparency to improve
policies and enabled donors to set targets for increasing their aid effort.
While the definition of ODA has not changed since 1972, it is deliberately open to interpretation, although mostly in marginal cases. Consequently, there has always been a debate about the appropriateness and credibility of the ODA
concept. This debate has recently intensified and ODA measurement has been questioned with respect to
development intention and budgetary effort. The issues associated with this debate are both “highly
technical and highly political” (Lomøy, 2011:4).