* An accessible introduction for all social science students

* A balanced, comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the issues and trends

* A guide to the past, present and future of foreign aid

Foreign aid has undergone considerable changes over the past fifty years. Foreign Aid in a Changing World explores the changes and locates them in a context of wider economic and political developments. These are the developments affecting all countries, in North, South, East and West, and in particular, the changing relations among them. The book analyses the different reasons why some countries - both in the developing world and former communist states - seem to need assistance. It critically surveys the values-based and interests-based arguments in favour of aid and its many forms; encompasses the important non-governmental and multilateral dimensions, as well as the bilateral flows, at national and sub-national levels; and focuses particularly on the contemporary emphasis on making aid dependent on democratization and 'good government'.

Peter Burnell examines the principal influences on foreign aid, what makes aid controversial, and whether it has a future. He provides an important text for all students of international relations and development studies across the social science disciplines.