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Aid to Africa

So Much To Do, So Little Done

Why, despite decades of high levels of foreign aid, has development been so disappointing in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to rising numbers of poor and fueling political instabilities? While not ignoring the culpability of Africans in these problems, Carol Lancaster finds that much of the responsibility is in the hands of the governments and international aid agencies that provide assistance to the region. The first examination of its kind, Aid to Africa investigates the impact of bureaucratic politics, special interest groups, and public opinion in aid-giving countries and agencies. She finds that aid agencies in Africa often misdiagnosed problems, had difficulty designing appropriate programs that addressed the local political environment, and failed to coordinate their efforts effectively.

This balanced but tough-minded analysis does not reject the potential usefulness of foreign aid but does offer recommendations for fundamental changes in how governments and multilateral aid agencies can operate more effectively.


318 pages | 1 line drawing, 11 tables | 6 x 9 | © 1999

African Studies

Economics and Business: Economics--Development, Growth, Planning

Political Science: Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, and International Relations

Table of Contents

Foreword by Richard C. Leone
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Africa—So Little Development?
3. Aid and Development in Africa
4. Foreign Aid: The Donors
5. The United States
6. France and Britain
7. Sweden, Italy, Japan
8. The Multilaterals
9. Findings
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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