Book review: Why we lie about aid

Press/Media: Blogs and social media

Description

Every so often you read something that brilliantly articulates an idea or issue you have been struggling with for a while, but could not properly capture. Why We Lie About Aid is one of those books. Full of pithy quotes, punchy anecdotes and insightful case studies, it draws upon an eclectic mix of ideas from across the social sciences to craft an argument that the public and institutional discourses surrounding aid and development interventions are reductive to the point of self-harm. That is both because they make aid spending a political football and because they force practitioners to focus on what can be measured. This prevents donors from seizing opportunities for transformational change in recipient countries and does a disservice to reformers who could use their support in contentious political struggles.

 

Period2 May 2018

Media coverage

2

Media coverage

  • TitleBook review: why we lie about aid
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletFrom Poverty to Power
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date2/05/18
    DescriptionEvery so often you read something that brilliantly articulates an idea or issue you have been struggling with for a while, but could not properly capture. Why We Lie About Aid is one of those books. Full of pithy quotes, punchy anecdotes and insightful case studies, it draws upon an eclectic mix of ideas from across the social sciences to craft an argument that the public and institutional discourses surrounding aid and development interventions are reductive to the point of self-harm. That is both because they make aid spending a political football and because they force practitioners to focus on what can be measured. This prevents donors from seizing opportunities for transformational change in recipient countries and does a disservice to reformers who could use their support in contentious political struggles.

    Producer/AuthorTom Kirk
    URLhttps://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/book-review-why-we-lie-about-aid-by-pablo-yanguas/
    PersonsPablo Yanguas Gil
  • TitleBook review: Why we lie about aid
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletLSE bloes
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date2/05/18
    DescriptionAccording to Thomas Kirk, this book is an engaging rallying cry to reinterpret our discourses around aid and move away from quantifying successes based solely on value for money.
    Producer/AuthorTom Kirk
    URLblogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2018/05/18/book-review-why-we-lie-about-aid-by-pablo-yanguas/
    PersonsPablo Yanguas Gil

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Global inequalities
  • Global Development Institute

Keywords

  • aid