Country Selection Continues
Last month’s newsletter outlined the overall process to determine countries eligible for MCC assistance.

Candidate countries are chosen by meeting one of two income tests and by not being subject to any number of U.S. or international sanctions.  The 2007 Candidate Country Report lists the countries to be considered for MCC assistance.

Earlier this month, the Board of Directors approved the criteria and methodology, which includes the indicators for the year, for determining country eligibility.  The criteria and methodology are available to the public for comment until October 12, 2006.

How a Country Becomes Eligible
Countries are determined eligible for MCC assistance based upon:

• How they measure against their peer countries on measured by 16 indicators and supplemental information;
• Whether a compact in that particular country could lead to poverty reduction through economic growth.

Selection Indicators
Eligibility for MCC Compact assistance is based on a country's demonstrated commitment to policies that promote political and economic freedom, investments in education and health, control of corruption, sustainable management of natural resources, and respect for civil liberties and the rule of law.  These 16 policy indicators are developed and managed by non-governmental organizations and institutions.

Read more about the 16 indicators.

Natural Resources Indicators
MCC’s authorizing legislation asks that the corporation identify and include a natural resource management indicator as part of the selection criteria.  After two years of extensive research and consultations with environmental groups, think tanks, research institutes, academics, and the public, two natural resources indicators were chosen:

• Access to Land (developed and managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the International Finance Corporation)
• Natural Resource Management index (developed and managed by Columbia and Yale Universities)

These indicators will be used as supplemental information in determining country eligibility for 2007. Ambassador John J. Danilovich, chief executive officer of MCC, said he will soon recommend the Board formally adopt the two new indicators for use in determining a country's eligibility for MCA funding.

Term of the Month: Supplemental Information
During the annual eligible country selection process by MCC’s Board of Directors, additional statistics, facts, trends and other information may be used by the Board to help clarify gaps, time lags, or positive or negative data trends in the selection indicators.  This additional information is known as supplemental information.  For example, to supplement country data on Girls’ Primary Education Completion Rates -- an indicator which requires sustained investments over a period of years to improve -- the Board may consider a country’s current enrollment and retention rates.

Ask the Expert: Maureen Harrington
Ask Maureen Harrington, Vice President of Policy and International Relations, a question about the country selection indicators.  Should your question be chosen, it will appear with an answer in next month’s Millennium Challenge Monthly. Ask Maureen a question.

Bio of Maureen Harrington
Vice President for Policy and International Relations
Maureen Harrington, Vice President for Policy and International Relations, at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), is responsible for managing the annual eligible and Threshold country selection process, executing the Threshold Program, monitoring trends in development policy and practice, and promoting and ensuring effective donor coordination on the general MCC approach.
Prior to serving in this role, Ms. Harrington was responsible for overseeing MCC’s efforts in Anglophone and Lusophone Africa and was also the Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer at MCC.

Ms. Harrington previously served as Special Assistant with the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Harrington was responsible for a number of private sector development projects for the Africa Bureau, including participation in the work of a congressionally mandated policy advisory panel preparing recommendations on how the U.S. Government can help strengthen the African capital markets.

Prior to joining the State Department, Ms. Harrington served as Senior Associate at JE Austin Associates, an emerging markets economic development consulting firm in Washington, D.C., directing the competitiveness practice.

Earlier, Ms. Harrington led the Massachusetts Trade Office, the organization responsible for promoting international trade initiatives in Massachusetts. Responsible for international protocol and marketing, Ms. Harrington managed programs to encourage increased exports from Massachusetts and to attract foreign direct investment to the state. She also contributed to the development of a new economic development strategy for Massachusetts.

Ms. Harrington held a variety of positions over eight years with the International Republican Institute (IRI), a non-profit organization that supports democracy initiatives worldwide. As project director in South Africa, Ms. Harrington served as the senior official for IRI’s USAID funded political party, municipal governance and economic development training program. Ms. Harrington managed, developed or participated in democracy assistance programs or election observation efforts in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Cambodia, Yemen, and Romania.

Following graduation from DePauw, Ms. Harrington served as a staff member for Congressman Wally Herger. A graduate of Harvard Business School in 2001, Ms. Harrington resides in Washington, D.C.

Notable Quotable
"Well I think first of all let's give the Bush administration credit. I disagree with them on virtually everything domestically and a great deal of the foreign policy but they've given more money to AIDS than ever before, they have a Millennium Challenge grant that I think does a lot of good. You heard Mrs. Bush announce one of those projects yesterday."

Former President Bill Clinton
on NBC’s Today Show
September 21, 2006

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