I have written before about the out-of-balance role of contractors in development and in US foreign policy in general – with the hope that the ongoing QDDR will take a hard look at how much is contracted out, to what sorts of entities and with what kind of alignment with development goals and foreign policy interests. Yesterday, Tom Friedman of the New York Times had an interesting op-ed on the same topic, highlighting the work of Allison Stanger of Middlebury College and her book “One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy.” Her conclusions are good ones: public-private partnerships can be beneficial in implementing foreign policy and development but must be properly monitored to ensure that they are being run efficiently and effectively – and that for-profit motives of contractors are not driving foreign policy decisions. I would also add that in order to regain a balance in the public-private relationship that the public institutions must continue to rebuild capacity with new and well-trained personnel, especially at State and USAID. In the meantime, Allsion Stanger’s book should be required reading for everyone involved in the QDDR and anyone who seeks to reform foreign assistance.
