The Use Of Private Contractors In Foreign Aid Programs

Author : Ruben Berrios
Publisher : Praeger
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Contracting for Development written by Ruben Berrios and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2000-02-28 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Development assistance, long seen as a giveaway to developing countries, is, according to Berríos' assessment, actually a giveaway to large for-profit U.S. contractors. Berríos shows that a small but influential number of contractors continue to be awarded most of the contracts, both in value and number, despite their average or substandard performance. Berríos documents the commercial considerations that drive U.S. development assistance. The increasing delivery of development aid in the form of contracts has led contractors to increase their weight and influence on USAID's programs. As Berríos contends, the reasons for giving aid often have little to do with helping other countries, because, instead, it ends up mainly helping U.S. firms. Little is known about contracting for development. The contracting process is often neither open nor competitive. Despite the talk of restructuring, USAID continues to award contracts that are unfavorable to the agency. Berríos documents the practices of private sector contracting, how they compete for USAID contracts, how they fit into the stated aims and needs of the agency, and what their performance evaluations say upon completion of contracts. Berríos also provides a sweeping review of U.S. development assistance policies, the trend toward privatization, the rhetoric about reinventing government, and the issue of past performance. A controversial assessment, this will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and policy makers involved with U.S. developmental strategies.