Development and Patronage

Overview

Far from being a liberating process for all, much of what has been done in the name of development serves to reinforce the intellectual, material, and financial dependence of those on the receiving end. Some argue that the very concept of development is essentially a vehicle in which cultural values and social norms, as well as resources, are exported from one part of the world to another, along a one-way route from rich to poor. Aid thus becomes a means by which unequal relationships of power are maintained and patronage is fostered.