Democracy Assistance and International Development Co-operation: What Have We Learned?

Abstract

What has democracy assistance achieved? What works, what doesn't and why? The 1990s have seen the gradual emergence of the promotion of democracy and the strengthening of good governance as both an objective of and a condition for development cooperation. In recent years democracy assistance has become a major field of activity within the international development community. However, it remains an uncharted territory, partially studied and poorly understood. After a decade of democracy assistance and considerable resources expended, the strategies pursued by international donors appear to have fallen short of their intended impact and effectiveness. This realisation requires us to review the experiences of the last decade and revisit the fundamental ‘question of strategy’.