Looking for the Silver Lining: Integrative Potentials in International Project Negotiation

Abstract

Foreign aid plays a critical role in the increasingly interdependent global economy, but research on foreign aid project negotiation has received little attention. It is posited that the successful implementation of foreign aid projects requires managing the nego tiation process as much as technical matters like technology and international finance. Major issues related to the conflicting expectations of donors and recipients and vari ous hurdles to effective foreign aid project negotiation and implementation are identi fied and discussed. A suspension bridge metaphor of project negotiation is presented, which may provide a fresh perspective, it is hoped, on how to successfully negotiate and implement foreign aid projects.