Philip Gibby

Bio

Having qualified many years ago as a public sector accountant, most of my working life has been spent holding central government accountable to Parliament for how it has utilised its resources. This involved examining different policy interventions, publishing reports on their cost-effectiveness and supporting the Committee of Public Accounts in its scrutiny of senior civil servants. Prior to taking voluntary redundancy in late 2013, my responsibilities as a Director in the National Audit Office included DFID and the FCO. The specific challenges facing the international development sector piqued my interest for further research in this area. I have recently completed an MSc in International Development at Northumbria and I am now embarking on a PHD.

PHD Project

I plan to examine the impact of value for money concepts on international development. There is a growing political pressure on institutional donors, such as DFID, to demonstrate value for money. Yet the concept remains subjective and open to interpretation. As a consequence, agents such as NGOs have to interpret and embed what is required in their day-to-day activities without adversely affecting organisational effectiveness.