**Research Firsts Exhibition: Image and accompanying text by Bernhard Reinsberg** ![Photograph looking up at three large flags set against a deep blue sky][1] Financing development has become an increasingly political issue. International development organisations increasingly support their operations through earmarked funds. These funds allow donor governments to support specific sectors, countries, or projects, rather than the general budget of an organisation. While earmarked funding has helped organisations expand their activities, it also poses significant operational challenges that undermine aid effectiveness. We are the first to demonstrate this causal relationship using large-N datasets and inferential methods. We have shaped policy discussions on earmarked funding at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, and other international development organisations. [1]: https://mfr.osf.io/export?url=https://osf.io/download/f4nqr/?direct=&mode=render&format=2400x2400.jpeg