1st Edition
Foreign Aid and Bangladesh Donor Relations and Realpolitik
Foreign Aid and Bangladesh offers a rich combination of aid history – from the evolution of aid as a global agenda after WWII to the rise of different multilateral, bilateral, and emerging donors and their policy shifts – and a nuanced perspective of aid partnerships at the country level. Drawing on first-hand experiences and insights, the author deeply investigates the realities of a longstanding aid recipient, Bangladesh, and argues that without a political economy approach, one cannot understand the realpolitik of development aid.
As an emerging economy from the global south, Bangladesh has been a longstanding partner and recipient of international aid since 1971. Bangladesh has also been active in the global discussions leading to redefining the new narrative and arguments for the new aid regime since the beginning of this century. Building on the analysis of Bangladesh's aid relations, the book shows that there has not been any qualitative shift in aid behavior in the new aid regime that set new norms after the end of the Cold War to ensure recipients' ownership and welcomed an expanding aid landscape by integrating emerging economies from the Global South for achieving better development results. The book analyses the role of different actors in the development partnership, both traditional and emerging donors - such as China and India, and their partnership practices. It examines different forms of aid and their changing perspective, particularly technical assistance. Based on more than two decades of research and profound insider observations, the book debunks the myth that Southern providers could be more benign to their partners. The arguments placed in the book expose that there is no difference between traditional and emerging donors in ensuring donors' business and strategic interests. Whilst donors continue to ensure their interests in providing aid, the Realpolitik of the situation in the recipient country shows that there is a specific economic and political agenda in pursuing aid.
Presenting a comprehensive picture of Bangladesh's aid partnership, through the lens of new development partnership principles and narratives of development aid, this book will be of interest to professionals and academics of aid and development studies, policy studies, development aid and political science as well as South Asian Studies. Donor officials, civil servants, and national and international policy communities will also benefit from this book.
Preface; Introduction; Chapter 1. Aid and the making of a development agenda: A historical account; Chapter 2. The new aid regime, country-level partnerships and realpolitik: Developing an analytical framework; Chapter 3. Bangladesh and foreign aid: A historical review; Chapter 4. Bilateral donors- Japan and the US: From emergence as donors to country partnerships; Chapter 5. Bangladesh and multilateral banks-the World Bank and Asian Development Bank: From emergence as international financial institutions to country partnerships; Chapter 6. Bangladesh and emerging donors- India and China: From emergence as donors to country partnerships; Chapter 7. Bangladesh and technical assistance: From the emergence of a global agenda to country-level practice; Chapter 8. Leveraging aid for development: Lessons from successful experiences; Chapter 9. Navigating realpolitik in Bangladesh's development partnerships; Chapter 10. Conclusion: What the future holds; Index
Biography
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman is an associate researcher (non-resident) at the Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium. He has over 25 years of civil service practice experience, including four and a half years in a policy specialist role to advocate for aid effectiveness at the UNDP. His research focuses on the political economy of international aid, developmental states, public administration, and governance.
"This excellent book is one of the rare books on development cooperation written by an author from the Global South. It shows that the practice of the new aid regime by far does not match the formal declarations on more effective aid. Donors, whether traditional or “emerging” ones like China and India, (still) prioritize their strategic and commercial interests. But the book goes beyond that in offering a fascinating inside view in the political and economic constraints hampering more effective aid on the recipient side. The author should also be commended for his well-documented historical analyses and for including a thorough analysis of technical assistance - often neglected in studies on aid relationships."
--Geske Dijkstra, Emeritus Professor of Governance and Global Development, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
"Mohammad Mizanur Rahman’s new book provides an insider’s view into Bangladesh’s aid sector. Drawing on over twenty-five years of first-hand experience, Rahman meticulously traces the evolution of the global aid landscape and its specific manifestations in Bangladesh. The book is essential reading for those interested in the interplay of Realpolitik and the aid industry in Bangladesh."
--Dr. Haley J. Swedlund, Author of The Development Dance: How Donors and Recipients Negotiate Aid
“This monograph offers unique insights into the history and contemporary dynamics of the global development aid regime. Based on over 25 years of research, the case study of Bangladesh reveals how aid objectives continue to compete with the business and strategic priorities of donors as well as the political and bureaucratic imperatives of recipients. A critical analysis of Bangladesh’s aid relationships with a range of donors – Japan, UK, China, India, WB and ADB – underpins the political
economy approach advocated by this book. It contains invaluable recommendations for donors and recipients alike.”--Geert De Neve, Professor of Social Anthropology and South Asian Studies, University of Sussex, UK
