The Role and Impact of Foreign Aid in Neoliberal Development

Abstract

The impact of foreign aid on development and economic growth in poor countries has been a subject of academic debate for many years. From the first years of the post-World War II period until today, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of foreign aid on development and economic growth. In discussions on the effectiveness of foreign aid, which are based on the results of these studies conducted by academics from many different disciplines, such as development economics, international relations, and sociology, no consensus has not been formed on the effectiveness of foreign aid. Although criticisms of foreign aid are generally associated with Marxist/critical approaches, especially Dependency Theory, neoliberal thought has also directed harsh criticism at foreign aid. However, despite neoliberal criticism questioning the usefulness and importance of foreign aid, the amount and scope of foreign aid provided to poor countries has continued to increase since the rise of neoliberalism in Western donor countries since the 1980s. Surprisingly, despite the anti-foreign aid views of neoliberal development approaches based on their unquestioning belief that free market mechanisms are the only and most efficient solution to poverty, official development aid has constantly increased and broken records over the past 50 years. If foreign aid is an intervention in the free market, does an increase in the amount and scope of foreign aid mean a move away from the basic principles of the neoliberal development approach? Or is there a change in neoliberal development approaches to foreign aid under the changing conditions of the global economy? The aim of this study is to examine the change and continuity in the perspective of neoliberal development approaches to foreign aid by analysing the discourses of neoliberal development literature on foreign aid and the foreign aid practises of donors that adopt neoliberal development prescriptions.

Keywords

• Foreign aid
• Development
• Global value chains
• Neoliberalism
• OECD

Neoliberal Kalkınma Yaklaşımlarında Dış Yardımın Rolü ve Etkisi

Abstract

Dış yardımların yoksul ülkelerde kalkınma ve ekonomik büyümeye etkisi, akademik çevrelerde uzun yıllardır süregelen bir tartışma konusudur. İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrası dönemin ilk yıllarından günümüze kadar, dış yardımların kalkınma ve ekonomik büyümeye etkisini değerlendiren birçok araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Kalkınma iktisadı, uluslararası ilişkiler ve sosyoloji gibi pek çok farklı disiplinden gelen akademisyenlerin yürüttüğü bu araştırmaların sonuçları üzerinden yürüyen dış yardımın etkinliği tartışmalarında hala bir uzlaşı sağlanamamış; dış yardımların etkinliği konusunda bir fikir birliği oluşmamıştır. Dış yardıma yönelik eleştiriler, Bağımlılık Teorisi başta olmak üzere genellikle Marksist/eleştirel yaklaşımlar ile ilişkilendiriliyor olmasına rağmen, neoliberal düşünce de dış yardımlara sert eleştiriler yöneltmiştir. Ancak, dış yardımların fayda ve önemini sorgulayan neoliberal eleştirilere rağmen, yoksul ülkelere sağlanan dış yardımların miktarı ve kapsamı Batılı donör ülkelerde 1980’li yıllardan itibaren neoliberalizmin yükselişinden sonra da artarak devam etmiştir. Neoliberal kalkınma yaklaşımlarının, serbest piyasa mekanizmalarının yoksulluğun tek ve en verimli çözümü olduğuna dair sorgusuz inançlarına dayanan dış yardım karşıtı görüşlerine rağmen, geçtiğimiz 50 yıl boyunca resmi kalkınma yardımlarının sürekli artması ve rekorlar kırması şaşırtıcıdır. Eğer dış yardım serbest piyasaya bir müdahale ise, miktarı ve kapsamı giderek artan dış yardımlar neoliberal kalkınma anlayışının temel ilkelerinden bir uzaklaşma anlamına mı gelmektedir? Yoksa neoliberal kalkınma yaklaşımlarının dış yardımlara bakışında küresel ekonominin değişen şartları altında bir değişim mi söz konudur? Bu çalışmanın amacı neoliberal kalkınma literatürünün dış yardıma ilişkin söylemlerini ve neoliberal kalkınma reçetelerini benimseyen donörlerin dış yardım uygulamalarını analiz ederek, neoliberal kalkınma yaklaşımlarının dış yardıma bakış açısındaki değişim ve sürekliliği incelemektir.

Keywords

• Dış yardım
• Kalkınma
• Küresel değer zincirleri
• Neoliberalizm
• OECD

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