Give and Take

Billions are spent each year on foreign aid and tens of thousands are employed in the aid industry. Here, David Sogge asks: is there a real net flow of financial resources to the South?; how much aid should there be?; on what terms should it be given? Do the strings imposed imply a ressurection of old colonial controls?; can Northern governments, international financial institutions and developing countries ever agree?; can we think of an aid system for the new century - democratic, effective, adequate and just?