Foreign aid and development in practice

Foreign aid and development is support from governments and other agencies for the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing and low income countries, aiming for sustained improvement rather than short term relief. The lessons help readers understand the tension between aid's promise and its practice. They consider how aid is shaped by its terms, purposes, funding, and accountability.

2 articles, 1 book · about 1 hr 22 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   foreign aid and development · Wikipedia · 36 min read

   In tied aid, donor countries often require recipients to buy goods and services from the donor, even if these are cheaper elsewhere. According to a 1991 report for the OECD, this condition can increase development aid project costs by up to 20 or 30 percent, amid criticism that conditions on aid have reduced its effectiveness. Britain's Colonial Development Act in 1929 established a Colonial Development Advisory Committee under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, then Lord Passfield. Its initial annual budget of £1 million funded transport, electrical power and water supply schemes in colonies and dominions abroad for imperial trade, while opening the door to future investment in the colonies. Foreign aid financing for education reflects the global decline in overseas development aid: between 2023 and 2024, aid to basic education fell at twice the rate (15%) of aid to education as a whole (8%).

2. Read
   

   "US and Foreign Aid Assistance" · globalissues.org · 46 min read

   Foreign aid has been poor in both quantity and quality, and donor nations have not been held to account. In 1970, the world's rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their GNI (Gross National Income) as official international development aid annually.

3. Book
   

   The White Tiger · Bookshop.org

   The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga describes the white tiger as trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, following Balram's eyes as they take in India.

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