Letter: Aid community must manage the shift from soft to hard power
In a letter to the Financial Times, Edmund Malesky and Brook Horowitz argue the end of the advanced economies’ generosity is not the end of development.
"Donors, recipients, and aid practitioners need to manage this tectonic transfer of soft to hard power while continuing to maintain a minimum of development assistance."
In a letter to the Financial Times, published March 2, 2025, Edmund Malesky, professor of political economy and director of the Duke Center for International Development, and Brook Horowitz, CEO of IBLF Global, address the recent dismemberment of USAID and the UK's slashing of its aid budget to boost its military spending. "The end of the advanced economies’ generosity is not the end of development," they wrote. "Now begins a new era of bringing the world’s poorest countries into a more equitable, balanced, and effective partnership with the world’s richest."
In "Aid community must manage the shift from soft to hard power," the authors outline four main points:
- Emerging markets have increasingly important aid programs and they need to coordinate efforts with traditional donors.
- Beneficiary countries should contribute more to their own development.
- A thorough overhaul of the financial architecture of development assistance is needed.
- The private sector should become a leading force in development. Technology, driven by business, can have an unprecedented impact in critical development sectors.
The letter is based on "Imagining the Future of Development," written by Malesky and Horowitz.