About the book: This volume presents a state-of-the-art debate on the controversial topic of development aid.
For several decades, the need to provide aid to low income countries, in order to stimulate and promote their economic and social development, was widely accepted. In recent years, however, the issue of aid and the question of its role in development have become matters of controversy. In this collection of essays, development aid is put under the microscope, as the contributors examine its history, its rationale, and its effectiveness, and reach some quite different conclusions as to the part it plays in catalysing, or indeed in stifling, development. While some argue that aid remains vital, and must be maintained or increased, others are more sceptical, and fear that it may even prolong underdevelopment in certain circumstances. These essays, from a select group of commentators representing different analytical perspectives, first appeared as an academic debate in the journal Development and Change, in response to an article by Jan Pronk, former Minister for Development Co-operation of the Netherlands.