|
|
- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042126/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This document discusses how the foreign aid priorities of developed countries, particularly the United Kingdom and the United States, have shifted in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. It also highlights modifications in aid policy related to changes in the balance of global economic power towards large middle-income countries. As the last decade bore witness to large scale military spending by western countries along with global financial crisis, it has become increasingly clear that the nature of foreign aid has changed in relation to these realities. The 9/11 incident has had a specifically profound impact on the way development agencies think and work, thus affecting the way aid is distributed. The human security of the poor has become an increasingly important component of development efforts promoted by the industrialized nations. Of particular note has been the shift in allocation towards conflict-affected and fragile states, an important change over the past decade in UK’s development aid policy. Also, the focus of aid has moved away from national units towards sub-national units and the societal level. Despite rather modest outcomes from these development actions as result of being over-ambitious, having conflicting objectives, and over-complex projects, there have been positive lessons learned from the past decade of foreign aid. Donors have learned the importance of sustainable governance, small local enterprises, tackling persistent inequalities between social groups, and addressing transnational threats to development such as illegal trafficking. As it is a well agreed upon fact that poverty reduction is hugely impeded by conflict and violence, the importance of ‘security’ in development is increasingly of great concern to donor countries. The author believes that as middle income countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America become stronger economically, their growing prominence in world security and development will influence the norms and agendas of developed countries in regard to development and security. With the emergence of world powers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the author expects to see an end to the large ‘boots-on-the ground’ western interventions that have been the norm in recent history. This restructuring of global power dynamics is likely to impact the notion that it is the flow of resources from rich to poor countries that will drive their development. This will likely push the idea of building ‘resilience’ as the goal of development action to the forefront of foreign aid policy thinking. ( English )
- Subject:
- Aid and Development ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- Norton, A. (2011). How the 9/11 decade changed the aid, security and development landscape. Overseas Development Institute, UK.
|
|
