Humanitarian crises - resulting from conflict, natural disaster or political collapse - are usually perceived as a complete break from normality, spurring special emergency policies and interventions. In reality, there are many continuities and discontinuities between crisis and normality. What does this mean for our understanding of politics, aid, and local institutions during crises? This book examines this question from a sociological perspective. This book provides a qualitative inquiry into the social and political dynamics of local institutional response, international policy and aid interventions in crises caused by conflict or natural disaster. Emphasising the importance of everyday practices, this book qualitatively unravels the social and political working of policies, aid programmes and local institutions. The first part of the book deals with the social life of politics in crisis. Some of the questions raised are: What is the meaning of human security in practice? How do governments and other actors use crises to securitize - and hence depoliticize - their strategies? The second part of the book deals with the question how local institutions fare under and transform in response to crises. Conflicts and disasters are breakpoints of social order, with a considerable degree of chaos and disruption, but they are also marked by processes of continuity and re-ordering, or the creation of new institutions and linkages. This part of the book focuses on institutions varying from inter-ethnic marriage patterns in Sri Lanka to situation of institutional multiplicity in Angola. The final part of the book concerns the social and political realities of different domains of interventions in crisis, including humanitarian aid, peace-building, disaster risk reduction and safety nets to address chronic food crises. This book gives students and researchers in humanitarian studies, disaster studies, conflict and peace studies as well as humanitarian and military practitioners an invaluable wealth of case studies and unique political science analysis of the humanitarian studies field.

For many years Tanzania was the darling of international aid agencies. During the 1970s it received more assistance per capita than any other nation in the world. And yet, the economy performed dismally: growth was negative, exports collapsed, and poverty increased massively. In the mid 1980s, however, the international community changed tacks and developed an approach based on conditionality and 'program ownership'. Since 1996 the country has grown steadily, and social conditions have improved significantly. This book provides an economic history of Tanzania, since independence in 1961. It covers the policies of African Socialism and the Arusha Declaration, the collapse of the early 1980s, the rocky relationships with the IMF, and the reforms of the 1990s and 2000s.

First published in 1971, this reissue considers the main aspects of foreign aid to developing countries in terms of economic concepts and principles. The author gives an economic definition of aid and considers the motives for giving aid and the principles on which it may be allocated. He looks at the effect on the economic growth of developing countries of both the aid given and the need to repay the debt, and the effect on trade patterns and resource allocation of tying aid to one particular project, or one source of goods. While economic analysis is only a first step in providing a basis for policy decisions on foreign aid, Dr Healey shows that many issues can be clarified by looking at them from the economists' point of view.

'Should be on the shelf of any academic, student, NGO activist or politician with an interest in aid issues. It should also be required reading for donor agency officials' Development and Change 'As accessible as it is comprehensive has established itself as a reliable 'watchdog' for anyone interested in this important aspect of international relations' ORBIT Despite commitments to eradicate poverty, 21 of the world's richest nations have slashed their aid to the world's poorest countries to just 0.3% of GNP, its lowest level for more than 20 years. In real terms, aid in 1994 was below the 1990 level, and with several donors planning further cuts it is likely that the aid level will continue to fall. Now in its fourth annual edition, The Reality of Aid critically examines the reality behind the rhetoric of development assistance, and the discrepancy between the targets that the 21 member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee are publically committed to and the aid that is actually disbursed. Part 1 of this year's edition includes analyses of; * the impact of the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development and '20/20' compact; * developing countries' debt and their Northern creditors, including banks and international financial institutions; * efforts to eradicate poverty, a stated aim of development assistance; * the human and economic cost of the estimated 140 million unexploded landmines currently planted around the world; and * the impact of conflict and humanitarian need on development cooperation. In a new section, Part 2 presents perspectives from the South, with contributors from India, Cambodia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Poland and Fiji. Part 3 consists of detailed, country-by-country profiles of the aid performance of the OECD donors; and Part 4 reviews aid spending by Northern governments and NGOs, with 'at a glance' tables and charts which compare donors' performance on issues such as aid to basic health and education, the priority given to poverty reduction, the political management of aid and public attitudes to aid in developed countries. Throughout, information is summarized in easily interpreted figures and graphs. First produced in 1993, The Reality of Aid has established itself as a unique source of independent evaluation and comment on aid policies and developments. It is indispensable for all involved in development aid, whether in the official or voluntary sectors. Originally published in 1996

NOW IN ITS FIFTH ANNUAL EDITION, The Reality of Aid continues to present the most comprehensive and rigorous independent analysis available of the aid and development policies of the world's richest nations, and exposes the gaps between rhetoric and reality. Part I presents a consideration of current issues in development cooperation in the context of globalisation and the increasing importance of private aid flows. Part II gives a full-report on the performance of OECD countries and the European Union over the last year, and also includes a report on the continuing Lom negotiations between the EU and Africa. Part III gives a Southern perspective, with chapters on development and cooperation in Argentina, Central and Eastern Europe, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Latin America, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Part IV reviews trends in aid policy and spending by Northern governments and NGOs, with 'at a glance' tables and charts which compare donors' performance on issues such as poverty eradication, gender, emergency relief, leadership and public information. Throughout, information is presented in easily interpreted diagrams and graphs. First produced in 1993, The Reality of Aid has established itself as a unique source of independent evaluation and comment on aid policies and development. It is indispensable for all in the field, whether in the official or voluntary sectors. Originally published in 1997

First published in 1987, this reissue explores contemporary United States foreign aid policies and thinking in the Reagan era. The author argues that aid policy is often confused as a result of bureaucratic decision-making processes. The book contrasts the experience of the many countries where aid-giving has produced unwished-for effects with the few countries where the desired results have occurred. The author concludes by arguing for a new approach to aid-giving by the United States.

NOW IN ITS SIXTH ANNUAL EDITION, The Reality of Aid has for the first time analysed the 'fair share' of bilateral aid for basic social services basic education, basic health, reproductive health, nutrition, clean water and sanitation - that should come from each donor; an analysis which shows only two donors meeting their fair share and the G7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US) falling behind by over US$5 billion. This year and next, The Reality of Aid focuses on basic education, as a right and not a privilege, and its role in development cooperation and poverty elimination. A key feature of The Reality of Aid 1998/1999 is the ten chapters offering analysis of development cooperation from the perspective of southern NGOs. Many of these focus on basic education and raise issues around transparency, gender and civil society. 'If policies were programmes and promises were dollars, The Reality of Aid could report great progress on the road to eradicating global poverty this year. But at a time when donors acknowledge that ending poverty is possible, it seems that commitments are being offered instead of resources and real change.' From the Summary Part I presents a useful Summary, highlighting the steps that donors could take now to make progress towards poverty eradication, and reviews the trends in development cooperation, debt relief measures targeted towards the new millennium and commitment to the goal of ensuring basic education for all. Part II gives a full report on the overseas aid performance of OECD country aid donors and the European Union over the last year. Part III sets out a Southern perspective on development cooperation. Part IV provides 'at a glance' comparisons of donors' aid outlook and commitment to development cooperation in the 21st Century, poverty eradication, gender and public support. Part V contains handy reference material. Throughout the book, information is presented in easily interpreted diagrams and graphs. The Reality of Aid has established itself as a unique source of independent evaluation and comment on aid policies and development. It is indispensable for all in the field, whether in the official or voluntary sectors. 'Indispensable ... it gives you most of the hard facts you need to know about the major issues' New Internationalist 'The most comprehensive and rigorous independent analysis of the aid and development policies of the world's wealthiest nations ... Essential reading' Charity World 'The Reality of Aid remains an essential purchase by the libraries of development institutions and an invaluable reference for development practitioners' Development & Change 'A reliable 'watchdog' for anyone interested in this important aspect of international relations' ORBIT 'An accessible reference ... [it] encompasses many key issues and stimulates further research' Commonwealth & Comparative Politics Originally published in 1998

Much about India's economy and aid flows has changed in the last two decades. India's growth rate has quickened since economic liberalisation, the poverty head count has fallen and the volume and composition of its aid have changed as new issues of climate change and the environment have emerged.. Yet Does Aid Work in India?, first published in 1990, remains of great interest as a study of aid effectiveness in India's pre-liberalisation era. It identifies those sectors where aid-funded interventions succeeded, and where they failed. It explains how India avoided problems of aid dependence, and managed the political tensions that are associated with aid policy dialogue. More generally, it contains a useful commentary on and criticism of donors' aid evaluation procedures at that time and it highlights donor efforts in the difficult area of institution building. Despite the passage of time, many of the insights from India's earlier experience remain highly relevant to key issues of development assistance today.

When this volume was published in 1993 it was the first comprehensive analysis of the major policy issues confronting Japan's massive foreign aid programme. It deals with the philosophy behind Japan's aid, Japanese reactions to the severe criticisms of its programmes and the beginnings of meaningful administrative reform of the complex aid system. Alan Rix goes on to examine the widespread innovation in programmes and policies to make Japan's aid more responsive and the impact of the Asian bias in Japan's aid.

How do ''types'' of aid differ? Why are there different kinds? When is one more appropriate than another? How can you tell ''good'' aid from ''bad''? Friends of the Earth commissioned Teresa Hayter, author of Aid as Imperialism and Aid: Rhetoric and Reality, to examine Britain's aid policy and practice, paying particular attention to its effects on the worlds forests. In this book she describes the history of the different forms of aid and their effects. On behalf of one of the West's most effective environmental lobbies, Exploited Earth show how and why British aid needs to change. Originally published in 1989

Is it possible to see famines coming, to be prepared and to save possibly hundreds of thousands of lives? Or is this the wrong question? A famine is not a single natural catastrophe: it has different stages. Many societies have sophisticated strategies for coping - but these are becoming dramatically limited. Famine Early Warning System is about the people who are caught up in the process of famine. Peter Walker looks at how they perceive their predicament and what they do to avert mass starvation: and at what genuinely useful help can be offered in order to prevent irreversible disaster. Originally published in 1989

Food aid is a controversial form of development assistance and this book, first published in 1979, seeks to counter allegations from critics by taking account of both direct and indirect affects. Based on field research in Tunisia, Botswana, Upper Volta and Lesotho, it considers aid from the UK, EEC, USAID, the World Food Programme, Canada and France, and draws a number of policy-orientated conclusions about the impact of food aid on nutrition, consumer prices and agricultural production. In the light of the evidence from field studies it is shown that many of the claims advanced by food aid supporters and by critics cannot be sustained, and that the real impact of food aid is rather different from that assumed by the conventional wisdom on the subject.

The development of poor countries has so often meant the export of Northern technology for ambitious schemes designed to make money the latest giant dam, oil refinery, logging process or pesticide factory. But such 'aid' has frequently been ecologically destructive and its crippling cost has ended up making life immeasurably worse for those it was supposed to help. Using examples from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, this book shows there are forms of development that allow people to control their own resources while improving their condition and enhancing their environment. The 33 case studies from agriculture, fishing and industry were commissioned by the International Institute for Environment and Development from people closely involved in the projects, with overviews by Robert Chambers, John Michael Kramer, Marilyn Carr, David Butcher and Yves Cabannes. Originally published in 1988

First published in 1975, in conjunction with the Overseas Development Institute, this study examines the case for and against aid for developing nations, taking the specific example of British aid to Malawi's economic development since independence in 1964. Kathryn Morton suggests that without Britain's aid, Malawi's capacity to develop would have been severely undermined and that aid has not generally inhibited Malawi's efforts to help itself. The rapid growth of both agricultural and industrial output alongside foreign exchange earnings and avoidance of large-scale urban unemployment and balance of payment problems do not bear out the critics' gloomy predictions. This book does much to counter the critics' case against aid and raises a number of vital questions in determining the future shape of aid policies for both Britain and other developed countries.

This work addresses the long-overdue imbalance in disaster management: an over-emphasis on post-disaster assistance and a lack of attention to vulnerability reduction. It seeks to answer the fundamental question in this debate: how can we mould pre-disaster development initiatives to become the most appropriate means for vulnerability reduction?;The book reasserts and reapplies some of the basic concepts and issues which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, with the message that development is a prime medium both of vulnerability and its reduction.;The author examines requirements for long-term change so that conditions which have become the context for catastrophe can be modified. Bu focusing on longer-term policies and activities now, emergency relief efforts will have a positive context within which to contribute to development and the likelihood of recurrence will be reduced.;The volume contains case studies from Sri Lanka, the Caribbean and the South Pacific and focuses on hazards of all kinds, setting out to redress the balance between large-scale disasters of global significance and small-scale disasters that are a matter of everyday existence.

The absolutely poor, who are mostly rural people, are a large part of the developing world's population and their numbers are growing. Government development programmes, aided by the big donors, have made the poor poorer and have rendered them more powerless in relation to the rest of society. They have done this by sustaining and reinforcing existing exploitative economic, social and political structures. Yet people's movements. religious organizations, voluntary groups, universities and so on have often devised 'alternative' development strategies whose programmes are specifically intended to empower the powerless and selectively enrich the poorest. These groups lack the funds and the political punch to make much more than a dent in the situation. This book brings together some of these workers from the South who describe the problems and provide the answers. They are a challenge to the received 'wisdom' of the North. Originally published in 1989

This reissue, first published in 1976, considers the rapid rate of economic growth in Kenya, combined with its apparent political stability, to determine whether or not this is indeed a case of 'growth without development' and, if so, where the responsibility for aid lies in this situation. The book concludes that while Kenyan growth has not been to an ideal pattern, accompanied by an increase in inequality, there is little or no reason to believe that living standards have not improved. It examines the impact of aid on Kenya's progress at both the microeconomic and macroeconomic level and provides an institutional study of the impact of aid on Kenyan Government policy formation and administration and a discussion of British aid's political purposes and influence in Kenya. The authors conclude that some of the effects predicted by the critics of aid are visible, but that the net effect on general living standards has been strongly positive, concluding that the problems constitute a case for improving aid procedures, but not against aid itself.

Disasters, both natural and man-made, are on the rise. Indeed, a catastrophe of one sort or another seems always to be unfolding somewhere on this planet. We have entered into a veritable Age of Catastrophes which, in the 20th century, grew both larger and more complex, to the point where disasters are now routinely planetary in scale and scope. The old days of the geographically isolated industrial accidents, of the sinking of a Titanic or the explosion of a Hindenburg, together with their isolated causes and limited effects, is over. Now, disasters on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill or the Japan tsunami and nuclear reactor accident, threaten to engulf the very order of civilization. This book analyzes the efforts of Westerners to keep the catastrophes outside, while maintaining order on the inside of society. These efforts are presently breaking down, as Nature and Civilization have become so intertwined they can no longer be clearly separated. Catastrophe is everywhere, and natural disasters, moreover, are becoming increasingly more difficult to differentiate from ""man-made.

This work comes at an important time of global crisis and change, where the world is ravaged by natural disasters, wars and poverty. This has increased the pressure on governments and other organisations, such as volunteer sending agencies, which provide aid, and we have seen an upward trend in the number of people volunteering abroad. Within this volatile environment, neoliberal ideology on how aid should be provided and implemented has become embedded in how policy is formulated. A market-driven model of aid provision has become the norm, and governments are increasingly focused on international development volunteering as a form of 'soft diplomacy'. This is the first qualitative empirical study of international development volunteering. The book contributes theoretical knowledge on International Volunteering Sending Agencies (IVSAs) and examines practitioner experience in development volunteering in the context of emerging policy developments. Critical analysis highlights the impact of global and social changes and provides a nuanced understanding of development volunteer motivation, and the relationship between volunteers and sending agencies. The book also puts forward an agenda and model for volunteer sending that addresses the complexities and diversity of the volunteer experience.

In the past two decades, the international community has shown an increased proclivity to engage in programmes of post-conflict reconstruction in the aftermath of wars. During the same period, increased globalisation has meant that multinational companies have grown greatly in size and influence and have begun to challenge existing notions of governance at a global level.

Here Peter Davis explores the reconstruction processes that have taken place in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Rwanda. Based on extensive field work as well as existing literature, this book plots the recovery of these countries from conflict, and examines in detail the role that international companies have played in that process. The book also explores how companies impacts on reconstruction are governed, both by the companies themselves, and by the host government and international agencies managing the rebuilding process.

Strong financial management skills are essential to promote high program standards in international development organizations. Many non-finance people find numbers and financial techniques difficult, and some just give up or expect someone else to handle them. However, NGO managers and other staff are responsible for sound financial management and without full understanding their programs will be, at best, less effective, and, at worst, vulnerable to going unfunded.To help avoid these problems, many development agencies provide financial training for their non-finance staff, and also their partners. But just providing more skills training does not address all the issues. Poor communication about financial information, by both finance and non-finance people, often seems to cause a block. This book helps people speak and write better financial information, avoiding jargon, and preventing their listeners from switching off. It explains why messages about finance may not be received as they were intended when working cross-culturally and outlines how information can be tailored to different audiences. It outlines how to design training sessions that improve understanding and collaboration between finance and non-finance people, including partner organizations, trustees, and staff."Communicating Financial Management to Non- Finance People" should be read by non-finance and finance managers and staff within nonprofit organizations internationally, as well as other organizations.

The Magarini Settlement Project in Kenya is typical of many large Third World rural development projects of recent years, not least in its failure to fulfil even minimum goals. First published in 1991, Development in Practice explores the reasons for this projects failure, and looks at the lessons to be learned from this experience for development in general. Challenging many assumptions and approaches, its provocative conclusions will generate much interest amongst development practitioners.

The prime purpose of Oxfam and similar development agencies is to assist poor men and women in changing their situation and exercising their right to participate in the development of their societies. However, aid agencies that ignore peoples existing strengths may create dependency, and so make people more vulnerable than before. This book examines the concept of capacity-building and why it is such an integral part of development. It considers specific and practical ways in which NGOs can contribute to enabling people to build on the capacities they already possess, while avoiding undermining such capacities."Capacity-Building" reviews the types of social organization with which NGOs might consider working, and the provision of training in a variety of skills and activities, for the people involved and for their organization. The particular importance of using a capacity-building approach in emergency situations, and the dynamic and long-term nature of the process, are emphasized.

This book examines the sociological consequences of disaster relief and recovery, and uncovers its impact on the communities that were affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. It is the most extensive and intensive study of post-disaster community rebuilding yet reported in the literature on the subject. The authors draw on this research to develop a three-phase strategy for moving from quick and effective relief to long-term social recovery work. While there have been many big natural disasters since then, none have affected so many local communities spread over so many nations and none have evoked the same kind of global response. A great deal of post-tsunami recovery work was done in India and Sri Lanka, with more than 500 international aid and humanitarian agencies involved in Sri Lanka alone - many with little experience in long-term community development. This book argues that international aid agencies must work patiently to put in place meaningful partnerships with local, community-based organisations as soon as long-term physical and social planning becomes possible. The authors explain that such an approach could help address some pre-existing vulnerabilities in disaster-affected communities. They argue that it is much easier to rebuild damaged infrastructure than to rebuild shattered lives, and to ensure that traumatised communities are not put under new stresses and strains, the 'fault-lines' within these communities need to be lessened.

Natural disasters that have struck Asian countries in recent years have brought global attention to the work of local Buddhist communities and international humanitarian groups operating on Buddhist principles. Buddhist monks and nuns, even in the most conservative tradition, have engaged with survivors and families of the deceased in difficult contexts and are making active contribution to the development of civil society. Contributors of this volume have conducted research in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Cambodia and examine both local Buddhist communities and international organizations engaged in a variety of relief work in China, Taiwan and Japan. They explore the variety of ways in which Buddhist traditions and organizations are being reconstructed through local and international aid work in ways more engaged with and more relevant to human problems in the contemporary world.