ABSTRACT
The role of institutions in development is explored in the context of modern foreign aid and foreign policy failures to spread “copycat” versions of Western institutions throughout the developing world. It is argued the role of local capacity and local vision must play a larger part in leading the iterative process of institutional change. The extent of the international community’s signaled commitment to supporting local capacity is documented while the shortcomings and incompleteness of those commitments in practice are highlighted. The democratic foundations of effective institutional change are emphasized, and the limits of outsider and centralized institutional design are further demonstrated.
