Globalization of Foreign Aid

Liam Swiss is Associate Professor of Sociology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada.

"This long-awaited book provides a compelling account of why foreign aid donors engage in herd behaviour and how the process plays out in specific cases. In it, Liam Swiss makes a very insightful and nuanced contribution to the literature on foreign aid and policy diffusion." — Stephen Brown, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada"Based on sustained personal and professional experience, Liam Swiss provides a meticulous analysis of the many forces that produce convergence in international development policy, norms and priorities. Swiss manages the rare combination of compelling detail, clarity, and theoretical innovation." — Emma Mawdsley, Reader in Human Geography, University of Cambridge, UK"Combining mixed-methods research with his insights as a former international aid worker, Swiss offers a compelling explanation of how donors get stuck in inflexible approaches to development. This books gives us a glimpse into both the dark side of global consensus, and how to break free of it." — Elizabeth Heger Boyle, Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota, USA"This book is an indispensable contribution to our understanding of how aid works. Swiss deftly explores the challenges faced by the development industry today and blazes new trails into the global politics of bilateral assistance. I know of no other comparative study of aid agencies that takes a sociological approach as sophisticated as this." — Jeffrey T. Jackson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Mississippi, USA, and author of The Globalizers: Development Workers in Action

• PART I: Emerging Global Consensus? 1. The Globalization of Foreign Aid? 2. Global Influences and the Diffusion of Aid Priorities PART II: Donors Think Alike? 3. The Donors: Canada, Sweden, and the United States 4. Women and Gender: World Society and Bureaucrat Agency 5. Security Sector Reform: Catalytic Policy Processes and Donor Autonomy PART III: Globalization’s Influence on Aid Agencies 6. Processes of Globalization: Linking Micro and Macro 7. The Globalization of Aid: Conclusions on Consensus