Good government and democratization: A sideways look at aid and political conditionality

Some aspects of the aid donors’ current interest in political conditionality are examined in the light of perspectives from the aid receiving world. The chances of implementing policies for good government successfully through the attachment of political conditions to aid will be served by: clarity of aims and objectives on the part of the donors; transparency of purpose and consistency in application; a strategic grasp of the political complexities of each aid receiving country, in order that the application of conditionality does not weaken the friends of good government and arm its opponents. Ideally, the modus operandi of political conditionality should exhibit the very same characteristics that are held to provide the reasons for attaching the conditions, such as transparency and greater openness, accountability and the rule of law. In practice this ideal may be unattainable, especially with regard to reconciling the moral of political accountability in the aid‐receiving countries with the realities of power and influence in international relations.