ABSTRACT
In late 2005 and early 2006, there was a great deal of discussion within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) about the future of foreign aid. This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines policy themes challenging foreign aid practitioners and those who have studied international assistance. It discusses current US aid priorities and goals for the twentyfirst century. Aid, to its critics, has become part of a broader problem of less developed countries' (LDCs') state weakness, since assistance historically has been directed at or gone through inefficient central governments even though local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector provide social services more effectively. The future of the LDC state is an important concern of aid donors. Despite the pessimism, USAID continued to stress three concerns in 2005: conflict resolution and state transformation, development of civil society, and relief and development, both social and economic.
