Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

What's In a Label? The Donor Community's Perceptions of "Success" and "Failure"

Open to the Public

Despite relatively close positions in the human development index, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau seem to spark completely opposite reviews from the Western donor community, which has come to regard the former as a success story and the latter as a failure. This seminar questions the striking difference between the two countries' performances according to Western donors' own criteria and discusses the reasons for such a difference of treatment that remains until today.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
Women lined up to vote in Guinea-Bissau in November 2008.

About

Despite relatively close positions in the human development index, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau seem to spark completely opposite reviews from the Western donor community, which has come to regard the former as a success story and the latter as a failure. The countries are perceived to represent the epitome of what is ultimately right and wrong with Africa in terms of their divergent paths towards democracy and development. Praise and blame, optimism and pessimism, tolerance with deviations or pure abandonment — these opposite attitudes have hitherto characterized donors' relations with the two states.  This seminar questions the striking difference between the two countries' performances according to Western donors' own criteria and discusses the reasons for such a difference of treatment that remains until today.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.