Foreign Aid Revisited: Aid Effectiveness and U.S. Development Agenda

Abstract

Foreign aid has historically played an enormous role in driving economic and societal change around the globe, but its effectiveness and true value for donors and recipients are still hotly debated. The emergence of the U.S. in the aid industry with its early undertakings through the Marshall Plan has inaugurated and shaped the development sector as we know it today. The U.S. remains an influential player in the industry acting with national security, commercial and humanitarian considerations in realizing its policy objectives to help those in need. As the world moves towards a greater recognition of foreign aid, as the force for a positive change, there is a global plea to make aid more effective for better development results.
Keywords: foreign aid, development, aid effectiveness, donors, recipients, U.S.