Customer Reviews

Making Aid Work (Boston Review Books)

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I previously read and reviewed another intriguing release from MIT's Boston Review Press (God and the Welfare State, also recommended) as it was a very thought provoking treatment of its subject. So, to see if that work was going to be indicative of the series, I picked this one next based on the topic.

To start out, this is a very narrowly focused work. It does not treat the entire subject of international aid. Rather, it approaches the question under the basic assumption that aid does in fact work. If you are looking for a broad treatment, you will have to consult other authors for the other side of the dialogue.

The book's format more resembles a panel discussion than a social science text. The main contributor, Abhijit Banerjee, asks various respected authors for their opinions on one of his thoughtful dissertations about how to "make aid work". The various and often disagreeing points of view add depth to the field and invoke historical, practical, political and emotional considerations of the topic. For this alone, the book is definitely worth the reading. However, it adds a collateral discussion on research design.

The way the various authors, especially Banerjee, identify and discuss the limitations of his research is refreshing; especially in a topic that does have significant political overtones. Banerjee not only brings up the limitations to his designs that he identified, but he also discusses the limitations brought forth in peer review. Some he dismisses and others he embraces; but how he incorporates these research design issues into the work is exceptional. I recommend it to anyone interested in bettering their ability to conduct or evaluate quasi-experimental research design for any social science.

I only have two issues with the book. The first is, as I mentioned earlier, it stands on the premise that aid does work. I would like to see the same level of discussion put behind a treatment that suggests aid does NOT work. Second, I am aware that this is meant to be in a discussion format. However, the absence of footnotes and source data for the large number of stated facts is irritating and disappointing. Any scholarly work regardless of format should include references.

All in all this is an excellent work. If you are interested in the aid field or in quasi-experimental research design then this will be a very rewarding and quick read for you.

The glaring error of this book is its expertise in navel gazing: It's experts debating experts about inexpert masses and what expert experts should do with expertise to uplift the dumb masses.

The result is a range of expert opinions about expert policies designed by experts who are expert enough to know what undeveloped folks want without asking, "What is your ill-informed opinion of our expertise?"

It's like politicians who believe, "In my modest and humble opinion, I'm better than you because I was elected and you weren't."

In this book, aid experts assess aid because they know all about aid, while recipients remain ignorant about the reasons they need aid and what it is supposed to do for them.

For example, there were several references to schools in India where 25 percent of teachers were absent on any given day, only 45 percent of those present were teaching while the rest were drinking tea, talking to each other or reading newspapers.

Okay. I didn't find any analysis of why 100 percent of teachers were not teaching. Is that how MIT, where Banerjee teaches, is run? If a social program doesn't work, surely the first response is to ask those who are affected why it doesn't work. Talking only to experts simply affirms the expertise of experts and the ignorance of everyone else.

Sadly, this book is very inexpert.