The Political Economy of Bilateral Aid (Routledge Studies in Development Economics)

The social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and of extreme climate events have brought into sharp relief the serious deficiencies of our political economies. The dominant global ideology of neoliberalism and its architects and beneficiaries are responsible for this. Bilateral development assistance is an integral part of the neoliberal grand design. However, while the deficiencies of neoliberalism have been starkly exposed by the pandemic, its collapse is unlikely in the short-term. Much bilateral assistance will therefore continue to be self-serving.

Within these confines, and on the basis of a sharply critical analysis of the functioning of technical assistance at the point of the design and delivery of programmes and projects, this book identifies crucial supply-side nodes of power and influence where feasible and relatively straight-forward ‘functional’ reforms - strategy, structure, selection, training - would make genuinely developmental results for recipients more likely and enhance donor interests at the same time. It argues that more authentic, empathetic, and altruistic technical assistance will be essential to bringing this about.

The arguments are supported by primary, published evidence gathered by the author during 18 years of full-time employment as a team leader or programme manager of technical assistance programmes. The book will be of interest to students of development management, development economics, political economy and international relations, as well as policy makers, development practitioners and supply- and demand-side government officials.

Peter Blunt is Adjunct Professor at the School of Business in the University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australia.

Cecilia Escobar holds a PhD and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Athens and a Master in Economic Development from the Carlos III University of Madrid.

Vlassis Missos is Research Fellow at the Centre of Planning and Economic Research, Athens, Greece, and a staff member of the Department of Economics, University of Athens.