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The Trojan‐Horse Principle in Development Assistance: A Reading of Uganda’s Experience with Aid

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  • Arjan Verschoor

Abstract

The World Bank recommends “ideas, not money” as a guiding principle to donors for dealing with badly governed countries. This paper challenges that principle on the basis of a study of the evolution in Uganda of pro‐growth policies in the early to mid 1990s and pro‐poor policies in the late 1990s. The analysis of Uganda’s experience with aid is accommodated within the theoretical framework of a principal–agent conditionality game, in which policy objectives of the recipient (the agent) evolve over time. The key finding of the paper is that the apparent conditionality failure of the period 1987–91 has paved the way for later reform. Financial aid given during this period suspended the necessity of reforms and bought donor proximity to recipient policy deliberations, as a result of both of which the policy learning could take place that led to later successful reform measures.

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  • Arjan Verschoor, 2007. "The Trojan‐Horse Principle in Development Assistance: A Reading of Uganda’s Experience with Aid," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(1), pages 78-91, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:11:y:2007:i:1:p:78-91
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2007.00365.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ritva Reinikka & Paul Collier, 2001. "Uganda's Recovery : The Role of Farms, Firms, and Government," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13850.
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    4. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Zoido-Lobaton, Pablo, 2002. "Governance matters II - updated indicators for 2000-01," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2772, The World Bank.
    5. Scott McDonald & Arja & Lindsay Chant, 2004. "The Role of the 1994-95 Coffee Boom in Uganda's Recovery," Working Papers 2004011, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2004.
    6. Ablo, Emmanuel & Reinikka, Ritva, 1998. "Do budgets really matter? - evidence from public spending on education and health in Uganda," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1926, The World Bank.
    7. Shantayanan Devarajan & David R. Dollar & Torgny Holmgren, 2001. "Aid and Reform in Africa : Lessons from Ten Case Studies," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13894.
    8. Jan Dehn, 2000. "Commodity Price Uncertainty and Shocks: Implications for Economic Growth," Economics Series Working Papers WPS/2000-10, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rik Habraken & Lau Schulpen & Paul Hoebink, 2017. "Putting promises into practice: The New Aid Architecture in Uganda," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 35(6), pages 779-795, November.

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