Australia's Foreign Aid Dilemma: Humanitarian aspirations confront democratic legitimacy

by Jack Corbett

Overview

The Australian aid program faces a fundamental dilemma: how, in the absence of deep popular support, should it generate the political legitimacy required to safeguard its budget and administering institution?

Australia’s Foreign Aid Dilemma tells the story of the actors who have grappled with this question over 40 years. It draws on extensive interviews and archival material to uncover how 'court politics' shapes both aid policy and administration. The lesson for scholars and practitioners is that any holistic understanding of the development enterprise must account for the complex relationship between the aid program of individual governments and the domestic political and bureaucratic contexts in which it is embedded. If the way funding is administered shapes development outcomes, then understanding the 'court politics' of aid matters.

This comprehensive text will be of considerable interest to scholars and students of politics and foreign policy as well as development professionals in Australia and across the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781315523477
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/16/2017
Series:	Routledge Humanitarian Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	230
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jack Corbett is Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton, UK; Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs; and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University, Australia.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Introduction

Part One

1. The Post-War Period and the Whitlam Government

2. The Fraser Government

3. The Hawke-Keating Governments

4. The Howard Government

5. The Rudd-Gillard Governments

6. The Abbott-Turnbull Governments

Part Two

7. The National Story and Policy Legitimacy

8. Professionalisation and Technical Legitimacy

9. Managing Risk and Administrative Legitimacy

Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

'A brilliant analysis of the history of Australia's dilemmas in managing development aid. This is outstanding scholarship, an imaginative approach through the lens of "court politics", and an invaluable guide for policymakers, practitioners in the field and anyone interested in the alleviation of global poverty.' – Philip Flood, AO, former Director General of AusAID and Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia

'This book is so much more than a history of Australia's development assistance policies and agencies. It is an enthralling account of the Canberra "court politics" that shape policies and the fates of agencies, a sophisticated commentary on the global evolution of development policy, and a challenging account of the roles that aid play in foreign policy.' – Michael Wesley, Professor of International Affairs and Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, Australia

'While there is a considerable body of research on the dilemmas faced by aid workers in aid receiving nations, little or no empirical investigation exists on the dilemmas faced by the same professionals when working with their own governments or citizens. This timely book presents a fascinating and factual account of the evolution of the Australian donor administration and aid program and highlights the dilemmas faced by aid workers when the democratic realities of their country become irreconcilable with their humanitarian objectives.' – Mihir Bhatt, Founder and Director of the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

'there is no question that court politics as presented in this book is a key aspect of Australian aid policy, and perhaps the key aspect. The book is essential reading for anyone wanting an up-to-date evaluation of Australian aid policy as it has developed over the past fifty years and more.' – Derek McDougall, Review for The Round Table, 2017

'The story of Australian aid is a key part of the history of Australia’s relations with the developing world. Done well, aid programs do things that other elements of Australia’s relations with Asia and the Pacific region, such as trade, do not do. Corbett’s book analyses the dramatic changes in the Australian aid program over almost seven decades.' – Peter McCawley, Review for Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 2017

From the Publisher