ABSTRACT
Responsibility for administration of the development program rests on the United Kingdom Diplomatic mission, and in particular the “Chief of Mission”. The issue of development cooperation first came to prominence in 1964. The newly elected Labour government created a separate Overseas Development Ministry, which for the first time brought together responsibilities. In 1979, the Conservatives replaced Labour in government, on a general “free enterprise” platform which included a strong commitment to reduce public spending and improve government efficiency. First, the Treasury is immensely influential, due to its domination of government public expenditure and overall economic management. Secondly, under the British system of collective responsibility, a ministry or other agency does not pursue an independent policy, but must go through a process of negotiation and compromise to ensure that the policy is acceptable to all other interested ministries and departments.
