Official Development Assistance in fragile states: an unresolved issue - Focus on education

Thomas Poirier (1)

1 IREDU - Institut de recherche sur l'éducation : Sociologie et Economie de l'Education

Since the mid 2000s, the theme of "fragile states" became a structuring axis of development policies of most donors. Insofar as investment in education is perceived as a necessary, if not sufficient, to vanquish poverty, the option to stimulate and accelerate the development of education constitutes an opportunity for the international community. Even if it means that the latter also has to exercise some forms of interference. The findings of our empirical analysis show, that within fragile states, the emergence of a current contradiction between the inclusive nature of the EFA goals and the exclusionary nature of the paradigms on which foreign aid is based (effectiveness and results). This situation leads us to question the approach of aid which is torn morally between the consequences of individual actions or common actions where the financial criteria and instruments are clearly not (yet) adapted to situations of fragility.

Mots clés: Official development assistance; fragile state; sub-Saharan Africa; education

Domaines: Education

Thomas Poirier. Official Development Assistance in fragile states: an unresolved issue - Focus on education. 2nd Conference "Institutions et Développement", Jun 2013, Paris, France. ⟨halshs-00874789⟩