Political economy and the aid industry in Asia / Jane Hutchison, Murdoch University, Australia; Wil Hout, Erasmus University Rotterdam,The Netherlands; Caroline Hughes, University of Bradford, UK and Richard Robison, Murdoch University, Australia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hutchison, Jane, 1954- author.

Hout, Wil, 1961- author.

Hughes, Caroline, 1969- author.

Robison, Richard, 1943- author.

Series:

Critical studies of the Asia Pacific series

Critical studies of the Asia-Pacific

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic assistance--Asia.

Economic assistance.

Non-governmental organizations.

Economic development--Political aspects.

Asia.

Economic development--Political aspects--Asia.

Economic development.

Non-governmental organizations--Asia.

Physical Description:

xii, 188 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

"The international aid industry's experimentation with political economy analysis is on the road to nowhere, so long as major assumptions remain unchallenged; namely, that development is a public good and reform comes from experts and enlightened reformers working in partnership on new institutions, whilst development failures are the result of information failures or perverse incentives, as collective action problems.This book provocatively argues that donor efforts to think and work more politically have not adequately addressed, to date, the structural dimensions of power and interests and the political economy of the aid industry itself. The authors address these 'elephants in the room' via a lively critique of technical and agency-focused political economy approaches and the sustained application of an original typology for evaluating the commitments of reform actors and strength of their alliances with donors. Highlighting the need for donors to engage more tactically and opportunistically to achieve incremental improvements in the lives of the poor, this book will be a valuable resource for development practitioners and scholars of international political economy and international development. "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Introduction

Part I. Development agencies and the reality of politics. 2. Realities of Political Economy: The Elephant in the Room ; 3. Development Agencies and the Political Economy Turn ; 4. Development as Collective Action Problems

Part II. : Applying structural political economy. 5. Understanding the Development Problem ; 6. Analysing Reform and Reformers ; 7. Working Politically: Understanding Alliances ; 8. Conclusion: The Road to Nowhere?.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 162-181) and index.

ISBN:

9781137303608

1137303603

OCLC:

870285644