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Foreign Aid and the Failure of State Building in H aiti from 1957 to 2015
Author(s) -
Buss Terry F.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
latin american policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.195
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2041-7373
pISSN - 2041-7365
DOI - 10.1111/lamp.12080
Subject(s) - compromise , context (archaeology) , politics , state (computer science) , political science , dysfunctional family , political economy , development economics , sociology , economics , medicine , law , history , clinical psychology , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
After receiving at least U . S .$38 billion in aid for reconstruction and development over the past 60 years, H aiti remains a fragile state, one of the worst globally. The reasons for aid failure are legion but mostly relate to highly dysfunctional H aitian regimes, at times destructive U . S . foreign policy and aid policy, and ongoing issues about how to deliver aid, all in the context of devastating natural disasters. The overriding cause of aid failure has been the social, cultural, and historical context that has led to domination by economic and political elites who have little interest in advancing H aiti and who are totally self‐interested— H aiti's fatal flaw. Donors can go far to improve aid effectiveness, but H aiti will languish until its leaders and people find common ground and compromise in managing their country.