Message-ID: <19980204034619.22809.qmail@hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 19:46:18 PST From: abdus samad <mailto:samad_100@HOTMAIL.COM> Subject: Re: Donors vs. Domestic capacity To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
I got a lot of interesting responses to my msgs listed below. There is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence in support of the fonors crowding out domestic capacity. Many practitioners who have actual experience of development appear to find merit in it.I was reading Susan George's book last night and even she supports this hypothesis.
However, what perplexes me is that even now I find many donors resistant to change that encourages domestic talent. Why? I cannot accept the conspiracy theory argument. There are a lot of decent commited folk in the donor agencies such as the World Bank. They are however, arrogant and too rich to take the whole development process seriously enough.
> Perhap an example will illustrate. In many low income countries,
policy > analysis is done by donor consultants. The domestic professionals are
> forced to be minor functionaries in teh process. The universities
were > not involved. There were not hinktanks of any merit. Later all
> domestic professionals on any merit were involved only as consultants
> under the direction of donor representatives. They are never in
charge > of their own agendas. Nor do they have their own networks, peer
review > and iniitatives other than those conducted under donor supervision.
The > result is that the best people run away to donor headquarters. Those
> that remain are dispirited and lack the incnetive to fully develop.
>
> Like a child that is over-protected, they do not grow.
>
>
> >From mailto:tierravi@tierravirtual.com Sun Feb 1 04:33:30 1998
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> >Reply-To: "tierravi" <mailto:tierravi@tierravirtual.com>
> >From: "tierravi" <mailto:tierravi@tierravirtual.com>
> >To: "abdus samad" <mailto:samad_100@HOTMAIL.COM>
> >Subject: RE: Donors vs. Domestic capacity
> >Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 07:22:03 -0500
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> >-----Original Message-----
> >De: abdus samad <mailto:samad_100@HOTMAIL.COM>
> >Para: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU <DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
> >Fecha: den 31 januari 1998 16:52
> >Asunto: Donors vs. Domestic capacity
> >
> >
> >>Donors out of altruistic motives start aid programs to help develop
> poor
> >>societies. They create programs invest in projects and send experts
> on
> >>technical assistance to attempt to get the poor societies to develop
> >>faster. Is it possible, that such programs may stifle domestic
> >>initiative and hence inhibit capacity growth for insitutional
> >>development. This is an important issue that I have found some
> evidence
> >>for. I am actively researching this issue and would like input,
> >>evidnece, anecdotes relating to this. I would apreciate your
thoughts > >>and help on this.
> >>
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