Mumtaz Anwar. The Political Economy of Foreign Aid to Pakistan. HWWA Studies. Volume 79. Hamburg: Hamburg Institute of International Economics. 2006. 141 pages. Paperback. Price not given.

Foreign aid has played a significant role in Pakistan’seconomic development. In the 1950s and 1960s it was aid that helpedpropel the high rates of growth of the economy. Again in the 1980s andthe early 21st century, aid has supported the high levels of growth inthe economy. Many books and articles have looked at the role of aid in anarrow economic perspective, but the present volume looks at aid in apolitical economy framework. The time-period covered is 1960-2002, andboth bilateral as well as multilateral aid flows are included in theanalysis. Seven chapters makeup the book, along with a number of tablesat the end which throw light on the author’s analysis. The theoreticalframework followed is one that examines both the donor’s and therecipient’s need for aid. The objectives and the needs of both do notalways match. Chapters 3, 5, and 6 form the crux of the book. Chapter 3discusses and examines the politico-economic factors that areresponsible for the allocation of aid