U.S. Development Assistance: Evolving Priorities, Practices, and Lessons from the Cold War to the Present Day

In partnership with William & Mary’s Global Research Institute (GRI) and the Gates Global Policy Center (GGPC) led by William & Mary's Chancellor and Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, this research paper was produced by AidData to accompany the second Gates Forum, held in December 2023 at William & Mary on the role of U.S. development assistance in an era of intensifying great power competition.

This research effort sought to answer a single overarching question: How might we reinvigorate development assistance to better advance America’s varied national interests (e.g., humanitarian, diplomatic, economic, and security)? This paper retrospectively looks at U.S. development assistance at three junctures: the Cold War, the post-Cold War and 9/11 period, and the contemporary era. It discusses how the Global South perceives the U.S. as a development assistance supplier in a crowded marketplace. It also surfaces six takeaways for policymakers to consider in how they can strengthen America’s
development assistance in the future.

For the complete research volume, please see [Combined Report] The Imperative to Reinvigorate U.S. Development Assistance Capabilities to Better Advance America’s National Interests.