IBON International

2009
IBON International
ISBN: 978-971-0483-38-9

Abstract: This primer reviews the history of ODA since World War II and identifies the major problems with the aid system. It reveals the yawning gap between aid rhetoric and aid practice. It also argues that current donor-led efforts to improve "aid effectiveness" fail to grapple with power asymmetries in aid relationships. The primer challenges the premises, priorities and the configuration of aid partnerships at present. It sketches an agenda for transforming the international aid architecture from one that serves the interests of elites in the North and South, to one that ensures the progressive realization of the human rights of the poor and the marginalized.

Keyword(s): Aid ; Development ; Effectiveness ; Guide ; International Development Cooperation ; ODA ; Primer ; Reforms