AID FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This course examines the history and current realities of international bilateral and multilateral development assistance. After placing globalization and development assistance in an historical context, we will look at different kinds of aid that exists, the debate over what is to be developed and how that should occur, the project planning and assessment process, and the rise in importance of NGOs in the aid arena today. We then review and critique the current aid emphasis on promoting democratization, civil society and human rights, and the mandates of the Millennium Declaration and the resultant MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) as well as the emergent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course culminates in our own aid consortium simulation, where students have the opportunity to experience the decision-making process first-hand. Our emphasis throughout is on the development process and its critics, which could lead to a greater understanding of both the possibilities and the constraints of aid.