How Does the Objective of Aid Affect Its Impact on Accountability? Evidence from Two Aid Programmes in Uganda

Recent research indicates that the political impact of aid, including its impact on accountability institutions, is contingent on its objective. This article explains how this occurs. It relies on evidence from two aid programmes in Uganda, one targeted at poverty reduction and one at democratic governance. I argue that the stated objective of aid programmes masks a deeper cause; individual aid managers’ views of what development entails and how it should be pursued. The evidence suggests that the ‘almost revolution’ in which development has purportedly confronted politics is far more partial, contested, and uneven than many admit.