[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/espost/118613.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The long-term effects of development aid - Empirical studies in rural West Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Kohnert, Dirk
  • Elwert, Georg
  • Bierschenk, Thomas
Abstract
This article is based on field studies in rural West Africa. It concentrates on the socio-structural effects of development aid in the long run, in contrast to numerous available evaluation reports on the short-run effects of development projects. The study reveals that superficial generalisations or condemnations of development projects, like the big farmers benefit at the expense of the smaller ones, or the men benefit at the expense of the women, do not hold up to verification. Quite to the contrary one observes a wide range of specific adapted forms by which the target groups react to the demands and offers of development projects, and thereby transform their own social structure. In short, one observes a great diversity of social self-organisation. The bureaucratic structures of the development administration do, however, unfortunately - more often than not - ignore the social dynamic of their target groups which they nevertheless sustain unconsciously. Development aid has become an important political and economic factor in most African countries. Its financial impact often exceeds that of the national budget. It contributes, therefore, significantly to the development of a bureaucratic class and of its clients: the project development degenerates into a project nationalization / bureaucratization. This contrasts vividly with the strategies of the peasants. Men and women at village level do not accept any longer the paternalistic development approach. They just select what they need out of the packages of solutions that are offered to them, while they develop their own solutions, like a variety of seeds adapted to their specific resource endowments, diversified sources of income, different strategies of accumulation and risk prevention. All this allows for a gradual evolution by variation and selection. The dynamic of the rural society is to a large extent due to a competition of different (strategic) groups, opposed to one another, about the partitioning of the cake of development aid. Normally this struggle between different vested interests is covered up by the rhetoric of development planning. Planned development has up to now proven to be to rigid, to be able to take account of the complex and subtle fabric of self organisation. Aid sometimes appears to be a second best substitute for a vision of a democratic society. This is due to the fact that the structures we are aiming for in the long run - which are to allow for open markets, an orientation of the producers at the resources and needs of the nation, and last not least, the growth of indigenous structures of self-help - would require a responsible and democratic government, as well as the guarantee of civil rights, accountability, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, etc.; up to now, however, all these elements are still oppressed by the commando state itself, well nourished by the various forms of technical and financial aid.

Suggested Citation

  • Kohnert, Dirk & Elwert, Georg & Bierschenk, Thomas, 1993. "The long-term effects of development aid - Empirical studies in rural West Africa," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 83-111.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:118613
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/118613/1/Kohnert-Bierschenk-Elwert-1993_Long-term-effects-of-development-aid_Economics_MPRA_paper_4217.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keith Griffin, 1991. "Foreign Aid after the Cold War," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 645-685, October.
    2. Kohnert, Dirk, 1988. "Socialism without liberation: Land Reclamation Projects in Guinea-Bissau," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 28(2/3), pages 161-175.
    3. Robert H. Bates, 2005. "Political Reform," CID Working Papers 114, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kohnert, Dirk, 1997. "L’emprise de l'occulte sur la légitimité de l'état et l'aide à la démocratisation en Afrique," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 24-50.
    2. Kohnert, Dirk, 2015. "Donor’s double talk undermines African agency: Comparative study of civic agency in Burkina Faso and Togo," MPRA Paper 67093, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Kohnert, Dirk, 1996. "Magic and witchcraft: Implications for democratization and poverty-alleviating aid in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(8), pages 1347-1355, August.
    4. Kohnert, Dirk, 2011. "Cultures of Innovation of the African Poor – Common roots, shared traits, joint prospects? On the articulation of multiple modernities in African societies and Black Diasporas in Latin America," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 241-262.
    5. Kohnert, Dirk, 2022. "'Enlightened' West African dictatorship challenged by state capture ? Insights from Benin, Togo and Senegal," MPRA Paper 114913, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Kohnert, Dirk, 2020. "On the impact of the occult on state legitimacy and democratization aid in Africa," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 24-50.
    7. Kohnert, Dirk, 1994. "Im Netz sozialer Beziehungen: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen lokaler Experten in Afrika [In the Network of Social Relationships: Potentials and Restrictions of Local Experts in Africa]," MPRA Paper 83763, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Apr 1995.
    8. Moumouni, I. & Tovignan, S. & Baco, M.N. & Nouatin, G., 2013. "Pitfalls of projects-driven institutional development in developing countries: The case of privatisation of agricultural services in Benin," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 48, March.
    9. Beck, Erin, 2016. "Repopulating Development: An Agent-Based Approach to Studying Development Interventions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 19-32.
    10. Kohnert, Dirk, 2022. "Des dictatures ouest-africaines « éclairées » contestées par la capture de l'État ? Perspectives du Bénin, du Togo et du Sénégal ['Enlightened’ West African dictatorship challenged by state capture," MPRA Paper 114934, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Moumouni, Ismail & Tovignan, Silvere D. & Baco, Mohamed N. & Nouatin, Guy, 2012. "Pitfalls Of Projects-Driven Institutional Development In Developing Countries: The Case Of Privatisation Of Agricultural Services In Benin," 52nd Annual Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, September 26-28, 2012 133046, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    12. Dirk Kohnert, 2018. "Trump's tariff impact on Africa and the ambiguous role of African agency," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(157), pages 451-466, July.
    13. Kohnert, Dirk, 2007. "Common roots, shared traits, joint prospects? On the articulation of multiple modernities in Benin and Haiti," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 151-173.
    14. Kohnert, Dirk, 2008. "Entfremdung und Ausgrenzung: Afrikas neuer Nationalismus in Zeiten der Globalisierung," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 197-222.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kohnert, Dirk, 2003. "Witchcraft and Transnational Social Spaces: Witchcraft Violence, Reconciliation and Development in South Africa's Transition Process," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 41(2), pages 217-245.
    2. Georgy Egorov & Konstantin Sonin, 2011. "Dictators And Their Viziers: Endogenizing The Loyalty–Competence Trade‐Off," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 9(5), pages 903-930, October.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2005. "Los orígenes coloniales del desarrollo comparativo: una investigación empírica," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 7(13), pages 17-67, July-Dece.
    4. Mondino, Guillermo & Sturzenegger, Federico & Tommasi, Mariano, 1996. "Recurrent High Inflation and Stabilization: A Dynamic Game," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 37(4), pages 981-996, November.
    5. Banerjee, Abhijit V. & Pande, Rohini, 2007. "Parochial Politics: Ethnic Preferences and Politician Corruption," Working Paper Series rwp07-031, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    6. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1369-1401, December.
    7. C. Martinelli & M. Tommasi, 1997. "Sequencing of Economic Reforms in the Presence of Political Constraints," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 115-131, July.
    8. Acemoglu, Daron & Johnson, Simon & Robinson, James & Thaicharoen, Yunyong, 2003. "Institutional causes, macroeconomic symptoms: volatility, crises and growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 49-123, January.
    9. Wessen, Paul D. & Oehmke, James F., 2001. "Privatizing Markets For Heterogeneous, Experience Goods: Coffee In Northwest Cameroon," Staff Paper Series 11640, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    10. Choucri, Nazli & Madnick, Stuart & Siegel, Michael & Wang, Richard, 2004. "Improving National and Homeland Security through a proposed Laboratory for Information Globalization and Harmonization Technologies (LIGHT)," Working papers 544243, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    11. Christopher Blattman & Edward Miguel, 2010. "Civil War," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(1), pages 3-57, March.
    12. Choucri, Nazli & Madnick, Stuart & Siegel, Michael & Wang, Richard, 2004. "Improving National and Homeland Security through a proposed Laboratory for nformation Globalization and Harmonization Technologies (LIGHT)," Working papers 4488-04, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    13. Popov, Vladimir, 2001. "Currency crises in Russia and other transition economies," MPRA Paper 28117, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Arnold, Stephanie, 2024. "African agency in ICT infrastructure provider choice: Navigating access to foreign finance and technology," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5).
    15. Henry Scheyvens, 2005. "Reform of Japan’s official development assistance: a complete overhaul or merely a fresh coat of paint?," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 5(2), pages 89-98, April.
    16. Robert K. Fleck & Christopher Kilby, 2001. "Foreign Aid and Domestic Politics: Voting in Congress and the Allocation of USAID Contracts across Congressional Districts," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 67(3), pages 598-617, January.
    17. Kohnert, Dirk, 2020. "On the impact of the occult on state legitimacy and democratization aid in Africa," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 24-50.
    18. Mark Duffield, 1993. "NGOs, Disaster Relief and Asset Transfer in the Horn: Political Survival in a Permanent Emergency," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 24(1), pages 131-158, January.
    19. Yu Wang & Shuai Jin, 2013. "Veto players and foreign aid provision," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 43-56, March.
    20. Kohnert, Dirk, 2009. "Democratisation via elections in an African 'narco state'? The case of Guinea-Bissau," MPRA Paper 19109, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    aid; ODA; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • N17 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Africa; Oceania
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy
    • O2 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:118613. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.