Aid, growth and peace: A comparative analysis.

The paper examines patterns of post-conflict aid in a sample of 14 countries, with in-depth, qualitative analysis of seven cases (Bosnia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mozambique and Rwanda). The study takes previous work by Paul Collier and associates in this area as a starting point, but disaggregates the data by type of aid, time intervals, and historical period. The findings significantly qualify the Collier conclusion to the effect that donors respond to a CNN-effect in a dysfunctional manner by rushing in aid soon after a peace agreement is concluded and scaling back too soon. Rather, disaggregated analysis shows that post-war aid follows several patterns and can best be understood as strategic behavior designed to promote a range of economic and political objectives. This paper also questions the related policy recommendation of the Collier research on post-conflict aid, namely that post-conflict aid should be phased in so as to maximize economic growth on the grounds that this is important to sustain peace during the first post-conflict decade. Instead, this paper finds, aid strategies that demonstrate early and firm donor commitment to the new order are more likely to stabilize peace in the short run, and aid strategies that address the underlying sources of conflict are important to sustain peace in the longer run.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4184

Version

published version paper

Citation

Suhrke, A. and Buckmaster, J. (2005). Aid, growth and peace: A comparative analysis. Earlier version of this paper presented at the Transformation of War Economies, University of Plymouth and the International Peace Academy, Experts¿ Seminar 16-18 June 2005, Plymouth, Devon. Bradford: University of Bradford, Department of Peace Studies. Transformation of War Economies Project Working Paper.

Link to published version

http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/twe/publications/

Type

Working Paper