Autonomy-Respecting Assistance

Toward An Alternative Theory of Development Assistance

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9257328
AutoresDavid Ellerman (0000-0002-5718-618X, autor correspondente)
Ano2004
Volume62
Fascículo2
Páginas149-168
Data de publicação2004-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoReview of Social Economy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0034-6764 • E-ISSN: 1470-1162
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00346760410001684424
OpenAlexW2018726020
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas9
Referências citadas16

The purpose of this paper is outline an alternative theory of development assistance by analyzing the old strategies for technical cooperation, capacity-building and, in broader terms, development assistance in a way that will point to new strategies. The perspective is the very old idea that the best form of assistance is to help people help themselves. The problem is how can the helpers supply help that actually furthers rather than overrides or undercuts the goal of the doers helping themselves? This problem of supplying help to self-help, “assisted self-reliance” or assisted autonomy, is the fundamental conundrum of development assistance. The forms of help that override or undercut people's capacity to help themselves will be called “unhelpful help.” These two overriding and undercutting forms of unhelpful help are analyzed and strategies for autonomy-respecting help are presented. Moreover the volitional and cognitive sides of development assistance are given separate but parallel treatment

Autonomy · Business · Development (topology) · Economics · Engineering ethics · Management science · Perspective (graphical) · Point (geometry) · Political science · Process management · African cultural and philosophical studies · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Engineering · International Development and Aid · Law · Mathematics · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Psychology