| Abstract: | Third World debt continues to be a critical and intractable issue. A particularly interesting aspect of the story is the effort
by external donors and lenders to promote specific policy changes in exchange for assistance in dealing with indebtedness
and promoting economic development. This study looks at the interactions between donors and decision-makers in sub-Saharan
African countries, an area where donors rather than private banks play a dominant role. Donors have been learning from the
uneven response to the reforms and are attempting to tailor the reforms somewhat to different contexts and to encourage more
consultations. To succeed in these efforts they need to reexamine their view of analysis as a purely technocratic exercise
among experts. They can learn from recent changes in the policy sciences, here called an interactive approach to policy analysis.
It makes three assumptions: policy relevant knowledge includes time and space information and is diffused; participants can
reason together and learn from each other; and there is a need for procedures and institutions to facilitate interaction and
learning. The study explores the assumptions implicit in donor actions and proposes that an interactive approach, with its
more open-ended perspective on knowledge, can stimulate greater dialogue and expand the kinds of information that are fed
into the process.
Louise G. White is associate professor in the department of public affairs at George Mason University, Fairfax VA 22030–4444.
Her research is in the general areas of development management and policy analysis. Her most recent books areCreating Opportunities for Change: Approaches for Managing Development Programs, andPolitical Analysis: Technique and Practice. She has recently published articles inPublic Administration Review andWorld Development. |
