Political conditions attached to development aid for Africa

A new catch-phrase in development policy, “political conditionality”, has rapidly established itself in recent times. Increasing numbers of Western politicians now seek to attach strings to development aid by requiring recipient countries to comply with certain political conditions. These intentions are predominantly voiced with respect to African countries. This article asks what justification there is for this expanded version of conditionality, and whether it represents a new form of interference or the legitimate support of budding democratic tendencies.