Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa: Development without Democracy (Africa Now) - Softcover

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9781783606283: Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa: Development without Democracy (Africa Now)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783606282 ISBN 13: 9781783606283

Publisher: Zed Books, 2016

There is a shocking aspect of Africa’s foreign aid that is almost entirely ignored: since 2013, almost half of Africa’s top aid recipients have been ruled by authoritarian one-party states. Many international donors such as USAID, DFID, the World Bank, and the European Commission have watched their aid policies becoming increasingly entangled with the agendas of governmental elites. The situation prompts an uncomfortable question: to what extent are foreign aid programs now actually perpetuating authoritarian rule in Africa?

Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa sheds much-needed light on the moral dilemmas and political intricacies raised by the poisonous relationship between foreign aid and autocratic rule. Leading experts on the political situations in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Angola contribute essays that expose the impact of foreign aid on military assistance, rural development, electoral processes, and domestic politics. Offering a controversial yet crucial argument on the perpetuation of authoritarianism in Africa, this book will be an indispensible resource for scholars and activists interested in the relationship between development aid and politics in the contemporary landscape.

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About the Author:

Tobias Hagmann is associate professor of international development at Roskilde University, Denmark, research associate with the Political Geography Chair at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and a fellow with the Rift Valley Institute in Nairobi and London. Filip Reyntjens is professor of African law and politics at the Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of Antwerp.

Review:

“A thought-provoking collection on an important phenomenon of African and global politics. Its essays elegantly reveal the intersections between ideologies of progress, power politics, technocracy, and sovereignty.” (Peter Uvin, Claremont McKenna College)

“Easily one of the most important books on development published in recent years. It offers a brilliant and informed corrective to the near absence of any research on the important link between Western aid and authoritarianism. A must-read for all those concerned with where the globe’s bankrupt political elites are taking us.” (Mark Duffield, University of Bristol)

“This incisive collection sounds a timely warning: If Western aid donors sacrifice democracy and human rights in the quest for economic growth and national security, they become complicit in keeping African autocrats in power.” (Michael Bratton, Michigan State University)

“A wake-up call to the international democratic community. Its rich, reflexive case studies analyze the broken promises of Western donors who have been supporting authoritarian governments in the name of peace and security. At a time when distrusting democracy has become fashionable again, this book cogently warns against the pitfalls of placing faith in dictatorship.” (Andreas Schedler, author of The Politics of Uncertainty)

“A well-focused and argued contribution to a new study of the links between insurgent authoritarianism and Western aid in Africa . . . a very interesting collection.” (Talking Humanities)

“This volume offers comprehensive explanations of donors’ motives in supporting such regimes—and details the consequences of that support.” (Foreign Affairs)

“This is a wide-ranging volume which examines the intersection between the aid industry and African politics from a variety of perspectives. It should provoke new thinking among both academics and practitioners.” (Africa at LSE)

“Anyone interested in foreign aid, African politics, authoritarian regimes, or the international dimension of democratization will find it well worth reading.” (African Studies Review)

“[A] timely collection of essays.” (Medicine, Conflict and Survival)

“A valuable addition to the literature on political evolution in Africa and the relationship to aid and donor-based development.” (The Conversation)

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