Suchergebnisse

Contributed papers presented at a seminar held at New Delhi on April 14 and 15, 1994; with special reference to the critical appraisal of aid projects in India and Bangladesh, and pros and cons of development aid.

Filling a gap in the existing literature, this book analyzes the distinctive features of Japan's development aid, especially technical co-operation, in comparison with other donors' aid.Incorporating a wealth ofresearch, it discusses whether Japan is behind other leading donor countries in rethinking its aid policy and whether it lacks transparency, sensitivity to recipient needs, and a coherent and coordinated policy that targets poverty.The volume assesses the nature and effectiveness of the administration of Japan's aid, and explores the degree of involvement of private sector a

The current state of development theory is explored from the perspective of an economist, with emphasis on the experience of less developed countries (LDCs) over recent decades. Official statistics are used to illuminate factors responsible for the economic growth of 23 countries during the 1970s & 1980s. These factors include maintenance of a free market & the development of aid programs that invest in human capital, particularly primary health care, & educational & literacy programs. In Comment, Raj Roy (U of Toledo, Ohio) offers a critical analysis of the officially accepted doctrine that foreign economic assistance is necessary to foster economic development. It is argued that the contention that foreign aid helps LDCs by supplementing investible funds & eliminating the foreign exchange constraint rests on flawed reasoning. In Rejoinder, Carney distinguishes between aid as a general concept & particular types of aid programs. Arguments for the utility of foreign aid are reiterated. In Comment, Chung-tai Lu (Hamline U, Saint Paul, Minn) agrees with Carney's support of foreign aid programs, but questions whether the resolution of economic disparities between nations will automatically decrease tensions between them or necessarily improve human living conditions. It is argued that the rapid growth of LDCs cannot continue if there is not corresponding growth in other industrial economies on which they are dependent. In a final Comment, Raj Aggarwal (U of Toledo, Ohio) examines the validity of the assumption that development aid will lead to world peace. The limitations of foreign aid are discussed, & it is advised that LDCs shift their focus to effective resource allocation, & decrease the role of trade in promoting economic growth. 4 Tables. K. Hyatt

Concerns over aid effectiveness have led to calls for greater accountability in international development aid. This article examines the state of accountability within and between international development agencies: aid NGOs, the international financial institutions, and government aid ministries. The investigation finds that there is very little accountability in these agencies, and that the accountability that there is often works against poverty relief. Increasing accountability, however, is not always the solution: increased accountability may just amplify the complexities of development efforts. Only those reforms with real promise to make aid more effective in reducing poverty should be encouraged. One such proposal is set out here.

The disappointing results of development aid policy have discredited traditional incentive-based conditionality and have unleashed a debate on the effectiveness of development aid. There is now a consensus that sustainable reforms cannot be imposed, rather it is necessary that recipients be willing to take responsibility for formulating and implementing reform programs with the financial and technical support of the donors.The new paradigm of development partnership is accompanied by a continuing debate over re-designing conditionality. This signals an effort to translate contradictory demands and goals into consistent policy programs which are above all efficient in aiding development. This study offers orientation in this debate by identifying the options for applying conditionality: an exclusive approach, which calls for a stricter selectivity in the choice of partners, and an inclusive approach, which conceives of conditionality as knowledge transfer and a learning process. The performance of both strategies is exemplified by the conditionality of the Millennium Challenge Account and the development aid of the EU.It becomes clear that a selective strategy does not promise much success with regard to a more efficient ressource allocation and cannot be implemented consistently. In contrast, the example of EU programs demonstrates that when conditionality is framed as development partnership, it is a powerful instrument of political influence which expects the recipients to take ownership of reform programs and hence tends to delegate the responsibility for their impact and consequences to the recipents. (SWP-Research Papers / SWP)

Economic growth in developing countries and characteristics of successful aid programs; with comments.

Mongolian Journal of International Affairs Vol.1 1994: 40-46