What's politics got to do with it?: Why donors find it so hard to come to terms with politics, and why this matters

Sue Unsworth
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Sue Unsworth: University of Sussex, London, UK, Postal: University of Sussex, London, UK

Journal of International Development, 2009, vol. 21, issue 6, 883-894

Abstract: Donors are paying more attention to politics, and some are applying political analysis to specific aspects of development practice. But this is having little influence on mainstream debates about aid, and donors are not questioning their implicit assumptions about how development happens. There are powerful intellectual and institutional barriers to recognising that politics is central to the whole development process. This matters because, without a change in their mental models, donors will not invest in understanding local political dynamics, or give priority to strategically important but difficult issues. If they did so they would discover some very practical opportunities for progress. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:21:y:2009:i:6:p:883-894

DOI: 10.1002/jid.1625

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