The Trouble with Aid: Why Less Could Mean More for Africa (African Arguments)

186 Pages·2008·0.58 MB·English

by  Jonathan Glennie

About the author
Jonathan Glennie has worked as a
policy analyst in several international
development charities. He is currently
Christian Aid’s country representative
in Colombia. He has played a key role in
campaigns in the United Kingdom and
around the world, including the Make
Poverty History campaign in 2005.
African Arguments
African Arguments is a series of short books about Africa today.
Aimed at the growing number of students and general readers who
want to know more about the continent, these books highlight
many of the longer-term strategic as well as immediate political
issues confronting the African continent. They get to the heart of
why Africa is the way it is and how it is changing. The books are
scholarly but engaged, substantive as well as topical.
Series editors
alex de waal, Social Science Research Council
richard dowden, Executive Director, Royal African Society
Editorial board
emmanuel akyeampong, Harvard University
tim allen, London School of Economics and Political Science
akwe amosu, Open Society Institute
breyten breytenbach, Gorée Institute
craig calhoun, Social Science Research Council
peter da costa, journalist and development specialist
william gumede, journalist and author
alcinda honwana, Open University
abdul mohamme d, InterAfrica Group
robert molteno, editor and publisher
Titles already published
Tim Allen, Trial Justice: The International Criminal Court and the
Lord’s Resistance Army
Alex de Waal, AIDS and Power: Why There is No Political Crisis – Yet
Raymond W. Copson, The United States in Africa: Bush Policy and
Beyond
Chris Alden, China in Africa
Tom Porteous, Britain in Africa
Julie Flint and Alex de Waal, Darfur: A New History of a Long War
Jonathan Glennie, The Trouble with Aid: Why Less Could be More
for Africa
Forthcoming
Peter Uvin, Life after Violence: A People’s Story of Burundi
William Gumede, The Democracy Gap: Africa’s Wasted Years
Camilla Toulmin, Climate Change in Africa
Published by Zed Books and the IAI with the support of
the following organizations:
InterAfrica Group The InterAfrica Group is the regional centre for
dialogue on issues of development, democracy, conflict resolution and
humanitarianism in the Horn of Africa. It was founded in 1988 and
is based in Addis Ababa, with programmes supporting democracy in
Ethiopia and partnership with the African Union and IGAD. <www.sas.
upenn.edu/African_Studies/ Hornet/menu_Intr_Afr.html>
International African Institute The International African Institute’s
principal aim is to promote scholarly understanding of Africa, notably
its changing societies, cultures and languages. Founded in 1926 and
based in London, it supports a range of seminars and publications
including the journal Africa. <www.internationalafricaninstitute.org>
Justice Africa Justice Africa initiates and supports African civil
society activities in support of peace, justice and demo cracy in Africa.
Founded in 1999, it has a range of activities relating to peace in the
Horn of Africa, HIV/AIDS and democracy, and the African Union.
<www. justiceafrica.org>
Royal African Society Now more than a hundred years old, the Royal
African Society today is Britain’s leading organization prom oting
Africa’s cause. Through its journal, African Affairs, and by organi zing
meetings, discussions and other activities, the society strengthens links
between Africa and Britain and encourages understanding of Africa and
its relations with the rest of the world. <www.royalafricansociety.org>
Social Science Research Council The Social Science Research
Council brings much-needed expert knowledge to public issues.
Founded in 1923 and based in New York, it brings together researchers,
prac titioners and policymakers in every continent. <www.ssrc.org>

jonathan glennie
The trouble with aid
Why less could mean more
for Africa
Zed Books
london | new york
in association with
International African Institute
Royal African Society
Social Science Research Council
The trouble with aid: Why less could mean more for Africa was first
published in association with the International African Institute, the
Royal African Society and the Social Science Research Council in 2008
by Zed Books Ltd, 7 Cynthia Street, London n1 9jf, uk and Room 400,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, ny 10010, usa
www.zedbooks.co.uk
www.internationalafricaninstitute.org
www.royalafricansociety.org
www.ssrc.org
Copyright © Jonathan Glennie, 2008
The right of Jonathan Glennie to be identified as the author of this
work has been asserted by him in accord ance with the Copy right,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
Cover designed by Rogue Four Design
Set in OurType Arnhem and Futura Bold by Ewan Smith, London
index: <[email protected]>
Printed and bound in Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd
Distributed in the usa exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, a division
of St Martin’s Press, llc, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, ny 10010.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without
the prior permission of Zed Books Ltd.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data available
isbn 978 1 84813 039 5 hb
isbn 978 1 84813 040 1 pb
Contents
Acknowledgements | viii
Abbreviations | ix
1 Time to think again . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 The new aid era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3 All aid’s impacts: the bigger picture . . . . 25
4 Pulling the strings: the reality of aid
conditionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5 Institutions, institutions, institutions . . . 54
6 Aid, growth and confused academics . . . 78
7 A better future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
8 Why is aid really going up? . . . . . . . 102
9 What is to be done? . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Notes | 145 Bibliography | 155
Index | 167
Acknowledgements
This book has benefited from the input of many
friends and colleagues, either directly commenting on
the text or during discussions. The initial paper was
presented at the UN Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean and thanks are due to
the team there, especially to Juan Carlos Moreno, for
giving me the opportunity to elaborate the structure of
my argument. Thanks to Richard Dowden for suggest-
ing the book, to Robert Molteno for encouraging me
to write it, and to David Woodward, Dereje Alemayehu,
Alex de Waal, Alex Wilks and Ian Knowles for their very
helpful comments. Special thanks to Charles Abugre
who has shared with me the insights gained from his
many years of service. Finally, thanks to my parents,
who taught me most of what I know.
The views expressed in this book are mine and do
not necessarily represent the views of Christian Aid or
any other organization for which I have worked.
viii
Abbreviations
AFRICOM United States Africa Command
CPIA Country Policy and Institutional Assessment
DAC Development Assistance Committee
DBS Direct Budget Support
EPI Expanded Programme on Immunization
FDI foreign direct investment
GBS General Budget Support
GDP gross domestic product
GNI gross national income
GFATM Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Country
IFF International Finance Facility
IMCI integrated management of childhood illnesses
IMF International Monetary Fund
MCA Millennium Challenge Account
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
NGO non-governmental organization
ODA official development assistance
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
PAF Performance Assessment Framework
PARPA Action Plan to Reduce Absolute Poverty
(Mozambique)
PEPFAR US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
UNCTAD UN Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
USAID United States Agency for International
Development
WTO World Trade Organization
ix