 ‘All the world's a stage’: structure, agency and accountability in international aidGerhard Hoffstaedter and Chris Roche Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 2011, vol. 16, issue 4, 529-543 Abstract: This paper explores recent critiques of aid and responses to them, with a particular focus on attempts to address accountability concerns. It describes, with particular reference to Africa and Melanesia, some of the assumptions that underpin these responses. Using the allegory of theatre, we suggest that much of the formal process of interaction between aid agencies and local actors can be seen as a ‘performance’, and what goes on behind the scenes is often, and sometimes deliberately, ignored. We review why this ‘theatre’ is constructed and how it is maintained, as well as why attempts to dismantle it, or at least change the way it functions, have not met with much success. As a result, we propose alternative ways of addressing issues of accountability, as it relates to International Aid and Cooperation, based on some rather different assumptions about states, civil society, citizens and change than those upon which many of the current attempts to address accountability are based. Date: 2011 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:rjapxx:v:16:y:2011:i:4:p:529-543 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/13547860.2011.610886 Access Statistics for this article Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy is currently edited by Leong Liew More articles in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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