Foreign aid, resource rents and institution-building in Mozambique and Angola

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Main author: Pérez Niño, Helena
Other authors: Le Billon, Philippe
Format: Monographs and Working Papers           
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id eprints-18823
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
topic HC Economic History and Conditions
JQ Political institutions (Asia, Africa, Australia)
description Sharing similar colonial and post-independence civil war experiences, Mozambique and Angola’s development paths are often contrasted, with foreign aid-dependent Mozambique hailed a success compared to oil rentier Angola. This paper questions the so-called Mozambican miracle and contrasts it with Angola’s trajectory over the past two decades. Paying attention to the political trajectory of the ruling parties as well as the different timing and conditions linked to the post-war political economy transition, we discuss differences and similarities in the post-conflict reconstruction trajectory, policy space, and relative institutional fragility. We suggest that large aid flows to Mozambique have contributed to a relaxation of its government’s urgency in creating the financial structure capable of capturing rents from natural resources in contrast to Angola, while the relative absence of official development aid has led Angolan elites to seek tenure prolongation partly through high rent capture and incipient socialization of massive oil rents. We conclude by discussing the likely consequences of these factors in terms of the relative ‘fragility’ and ‘robustness’ of both states, and discuss implications for foreign assistance.
format Monographs and Working Papers
author Pérez Niño, Helena
author_facet Pérez Niño, Helena
Le Billon, Philippe
authorStr Pérez Niño, Helena
author_letter Pérez Niño, Helena
author2 Le Billon, Philippe
author2Str Le Billon, Philippe
title Foreign aid, resource rents and institution-building in Mozambique and Angola
publisher WIDER Working Paper, No. 2013/102
publishDate 2013
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18823/

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