Overview Overseas: Dilemma for Aid Missions

Abstract

ALTHOUGH problems of foreign aid receive ~ extensive coverage in the press and in LIscholarly journals, the administration of aid programs by Americans living in recipient countries is an aspect of the subject that deserves more attention. At the rare times when field administration of foreign aid comes to the attention of the mass media it tends to be discussed in the context of scandal, a phenomenon that contributes little to general enlightenment though it does typify one valuable function of the press. A brief paper such as this cannot hope to do justice to the complexities involved in translating edicts to spend the taxpayer's money into a host of specific programs to aid countries around the globe. Nor does the author's limited overseas experience in technical assistance qualify him to attempt the task.' Yet, given the importance of the subject, reflections based on an acquaintance with one small corner of the vast foreign-aid apparatus may make a contribution to the total picture. The aim of this paper is to suggest that because of the special conditions under which field administration of foreign aid is conducted there is an even greater obligation than in other areas of public administration to develop means to give the participants a consistently broad perspective on their work. The implicit thesis is that field administration of