Aid, development and politics in Southern Africa: A critical look at new conditionalities in official development assistance

Abstract

Development aid totalling more than 25 billion rand a year is currently flowing from the North to the Southern African region. Several countries in the region are extremely de pendent on these financial transfers and foreign donors have become important players in domestic decision making. In recent years, Northern donors have increasingly demanded major political and administrative reforms in recipient countries as a condition for con tinued aid. This article examines these new political conditionalities, drawing on data from sub‐Saharan and Southern Africa to illustrate certain key issues.

Notes

This article is an extended and revised version of a paper presented at a conference on human rights, democracy and economic development in Southern Africa, held at the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, November 1995.

Senior Research Fellow, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway and Visiting Fellow, Centre for Southern African Studies, University of the Western Cape (1995‐7).