Some Problems of Technical Assistance Administration in Developing Countries
| Date | 01 December 1968 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002085236803400401 |
| Published date | 01 December 1968 |
| Author | Talaat Abdel-Malek |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Some Problems of
Technical Assistance Administration
in Developing Countries
by
Talaat ABDEL-MALEK,
Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor
of Administration,
University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, Canada
UDC 341.232.5
INTRODUCTION
need
&dquo;
or
demand &dquo; side, program formulation
requires the surveying of different needs for
Virtually all the developing countries of to-
technical aid, and their assessment in the light
day receive foreign technical assistance in one
of the priorities of the national development
form or another. Although technical assistan-
plan. Adequate planning is also needed to
ce varies in form an.d amount, the volume of
ensure the timely provision of local resources
assistance has increased substantially during
to implement the program once it is negotiated
the past twenty years, and is expected to con-
successfully with the donor.
tinue to do so in the years to come, in response
to the needs of the developing world.
On the &dquo; supply &dquo; side, program formulation
callus for
The expansion and diversity of technical
organized efforts on the recipient’s
assistance have created
part to be aware of the various opportunities
new opportunities for
and
the satisfaction of needs
sources of
for such assistance.
assistance, to secure a good
But these
working knowledge of their methods of doing
two features have also given rise to
business, to find out their main orientations
some important administrative problems for
and
both recipients and donors in
comparative advantages, and to identify
respect of for-
the most suitable and most
mulating, implementing, and evaluating tech-
likely donors for
nical assistance
specific assistance programs and projects.
programs.
The
Many donor countries and organizations
concluding stage in program formulation
is the actual
have taken the lead in recognizing and dis-
drafting of the technical assistance
cussing their problems of aid administration.
program or proposal. Effective drafting de-
Some donors have also taken
pends on the skillful assessment of supply and
a number of
demand factors stated above, and
steps to be better organized in conducting aid
emphasizes
the
operations. The recipient countries in general,
developmental contribution of the program
as well as its main selling
on the other hand, have
points to prospective
yet to come to grips
with their
donors.
problems of administering technical
aid.
Such complex functions are not likely to be
undertaken effectively without an adequate ad-
The purpose of this paper is to review the
ministrative machinery, staffed with well-qual-
main problems of aid administration in the
ified personnel.
This machinery is required
recipient countries, particularly with reference
to ensure the proper communication between
to the formulation of technical assistance pro-
the various agencies and organizations con-
grams.
cerned, and to secure the coordination of their
work. Adequate administrative set-up is also
THE PROCESS OF
the means by which responsibilities for the
PROGRAM FORMULATION
various decisions related to technical assistance
are clearly allocated.
Formulation of technical aid programs is a
process which comprises a number of interde-
Thus, program formulation entails much
pendent and intertwined functions. On the
more than the mere drafting of a proposal or
316
a request to seek assistance.
In fact, the
amount in the immediate post-war years to
smoothness with which the program can be im-
$722 million in 1962 and to $922 million in
plemented, and the degree of success it can
1964.
Their net contributions to United
achieve, rest largely upon the soundness of the
Nations technical assistance agencies went up
formulation process.
from $75 million in 1962 to $102 million in
1964 (2). These figures do not take into ac-
With this premise in mind, many pertinent
count the substantial increase in total provi-
questions may be raised. How are the above
sions for technical assistance contributed by
functions undertaken in developing recipient
new donors including some Eastern Bloc coun-
countries today? To what extent is program
tries and some developing countries for which
formulation practised as an integrated process
data are scanty. The figures also do not cover
of multiple dimensions ? To what extent are
the sizeable technical assistance provided as an
technical assistance policies and criteria defined
integral part of capital aid projects and agree-
clearly ? And what type of administrative ma-
ments, which have increased remarkably since
chinery is responsible for program formula-
the end of World War II (3).
tion ?
An equally significant development has been
To be sure, there are significant variations
the notable widening of the scope of technical
in the practices and policies of different aid
assistance. From a rather narrow and conven-
recipients. Such variations are due to dif-
tional scope which was limited to the applica-
ferences in the amount of experience acquired
tion of modem technology in a number of
in aid administration, in the way in which the
fields, technical assistance has become increa-
recipients’ economic systems are administered,
singly more diversified. Such fields as man-
in the size of technical assistance received, and
agement development, public administration,
in the type of relationship between the recipient
national and regional planning, education,
and its major sources of assistance. However,
community development, family planning, and
most recipient countries appear to encounter
a host of other fields are now established areas
some common difficulties and problems in aid
of technical assistance (4). These additional
administration.
fields are of critical importance to the process
of development which has been retarded and
Common problems in formulating assistance
~ handicapped in many developing countries due
programs are closely interrelated, but may be
to the shortage of their know-how in these
conveniently divided into three categories :
fields.
policy and strategy problems, administrative
Another
machinery problems, and problems arising from
development has been the increase
in the number and contribution of donors.
the donor’s objectives and policies. These
Until
problems
roughly the mid 1950’s, the main donors
present a real challenge to the de-
of technical assistance
veloping countries, especially when viewed in
comprised the leading
advanced countries of the Western
the light of the main developments in inter-
Hemisphere,
headed
national technical assistance during the
by the United States. Since then, a
past
number of other donors have assumed a
twenty years. An outline of recent develop-
ments in this field provides
greater role. This is true of many West Eu-
a useful prologue
to the discussion of these problems.
ropean countries and of Japan. In addition,
the USSR and some other Eastern Bloc coun-
tries -
notably Czechoslavakia and Poland -
CHANGING FEATURES
have joined the donors’ club (5). Recently,
OF INTERNATIONAL
a small number of developing countries such
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
as India and the United Arab Republic have
acted as donors of technical assistance, and
The first striking development is the substan-
more of these countries are likely to do so in
tial increase in the volume of technical aid.
the near future.
The proliferation of inter-
Disbursements for bilateral technical assistance
national and regional organizations and the ex-
by members of the Development Assistance
Committee (1) have increased from a modest
(3) United Nations, International Economic Assis-
tance to the Less-Developed Countries, New York :
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 1961.
(1) Members of the Committee include the United
(4) For a more detailed list of the fields in which
States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany (Fe-
technical assistance can be obtained see, for exam-
deral Republic), Canada, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Bel-
ple, United Nations, The Expanded Program of
gium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Austria.
Technical Assistance for Economic Development of
(2) OECD, Development Assistance Efforts and
Underdeveloped Countries, New York : Technical
Policies of the Members of the Development Assis-
Assistance Board, 1961.
tance Committee, 1965 Review, Paris, 1965, table 12,
(5) United Nations, International Economic Assis-
pp. 140-141.
tance, op. cit., pp. 21-38 and pp. 51-52.
317
pansion of their technical assistance services
the more articulated requests for assistance are
are also important to note.
likely to find more receptive ears and more
serious consideration than requests of a me-
The increased membership of the donors’
diocre quality.
club provides not only a greater number of
sources of technical assistance, but also a wider
One implication of these developments is
range of experience and know-how that have
that the fund of international technical assis-
been developed under different economic sys-
tance has become richer in terms of oppor-
tems and different environmental conditions.
tunities and alternatives than ever before.
This is an important contribution which new
This helps in satisfying more needs in terms
donors are making to the international fund
of quantity and diversity. Another implica-
of technical assistance.
Until recently it was
tion, however, is that the great multiplicity of
true that a plea for development aid was inevi-
alternatives has made the task of studying and
tably &dquo; a plea for...
To continue reading
Request your trial