When an aid system stops: what the USAID disruption reveals about power, partnership, and the real work of development
Public debate about foreign assistance often treats “aid” as a single line item. Practitioners know it is not. It is a dense delivery ecosystem—built from government policy, appropriations, contracts and grants, supply chains, local institutions, and the everyday labour of people on the ground (often described as “implementers”). When that ecosystem is abruptly paused or […]