Miller & Mukundan Co-Author Op-Ed on Foreign Aid
Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Hindustan Times on foreign aid to India and the narratives surrounding it. This is the eleventh of Miller’s monthly columns in Hindustan Times.
The article, titled “The politics of foreign aid in India,” was co-authored by Vidhu Priya Mukundan (MAIA Pardee ’22). The two discuss foreign aid to India and the fallacies that accepting such aid is a sign of weakness. As the authors point out, India has not stopped accepting aid despite this mentality in the country but rather has changed the terms of accepting aid. While the number of aid providers has decreased, India has received nearly the same amount of aid under its policies. The two conclude by arguing against the notion that foreign aid can be used as a tool to shape countries instead offering the idea that receiving an offer of foreign aid demonstrates a sense of international community.
An excerpt:
Arguably, the reputation of each country is built by the collective beliefs of a community of countries rather than a single element such as aid. Thus, the very act of being offered aid in a time of need can be seen as the outcome of an established reputation, and as an achievement of status rather than lack of it. This telling allows us to see the outpouring of international aid to India in a different light.
The full op-ed can be read on Hindustan Times‘ website.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller is Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. She works on foreign policy and security issues with a focus on South and East Asia. Her most recent book, Routledge Handbook of China–India Relations (Routledge & CRC Press, 2020), is the comprehensive guide to the Chinese-Indian relationship covering expansive ideas ranging from the historical relationship to current disputes to AI. Learn more about her on her Pardee School faculty profile.