U.S. Development Aid--An Historic First

Achievements and Failures in the Twentieth Century

Samuel Hale Butterfield

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9780313319105
• eBook ISBN: 9780313085079
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

The first comprehensive account of U.S. development aid policies and implementation operations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, this work is a unique contribution to world history and to the extensive literature on Third World development. Butterfield begins with the remarkable story of why, in 1949, President Truman surprised Americans with his unprecedented development aid policy. He then describes the major alterations in U.S. development aid strategy and operations from 1950 to 2000. Drawing upon his long experience both in Washington and in country aid missions, Butterfield puts a human face on the story by weaving real world vignettes into his narrative. The survey addresses the role of Congress, important program foundations established in the 1950s, creative initiatives of the 1960s, frustrated promises in Vietnam. It explores the Third World's unexpected population explosion; America's evolving technical assistance work in the core sectors such as agriculture, education, health, and administration; and initiatives to reach the rural poor and promote the development role of women. It also comments upon linkages between policy dialogue and financial aid to promote market-oriented policy reforms, Africa's lagging development, and the decline of U.S. development aid in the 1990s.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 A White House Surprise
• Chapter 2 A Summary of 50 Years
• Chapter 3 Starting Off
• Chapter 4 Changing Assumptions
• Chapter 5 Organizing the Aid Program
• Chapter 6 Early Country Programs: Afghanistan,Chile, India, and Taiwan
• Chapter 7 An Appealing New Strategy
• Chapter 8 Kennedy's Vision
• Chapter 9 Johnson's Wars
• Chapter 10 Population Explosion
• Chapter 11 Technical Assistance Revived
• Chapter 12 Trying to Reach the Rural Poor
• Chapter 13 Carter and Reagan
• Chapter 14 Promoting Market Forces
• Chapter 15 After the Cold War: Policies under Bush and Clinton
• Chapter 16 Africa's Lagging Development
• Chapter 17 Women in Development
• Chapter 18 Assessing 50 Years of Effort
• Acronyms
• Agency Administrators, 1950–2000
• Selected References
• Appendix
• Figure A.1 1960s Presentation of Demographic Transition
• Figure A.2 1960s Presentation of World Population Growth
• Figure A.3 USAID Population Assistance Funding (FY 1967–1997)
• Figure A.4 International Agricultural Research Centers, 1998
• Figure A.5 USAID Funding for Agricultural Research from 1974 to 1996 (constant 1987 US$)
• Figure A.6 The Sahelian Countries
• Figure A.7 Official Development Assistance by All Donors, 1959–1995
• Figure A.8 Economic Burden of Foreign Aid by Donor, 1995
• Table A.1 Key Development Indicators for 90 Countries That Received USAID Funds, 1962–2000
• Index