It is widely recognised that the foreign aid system - which today involves every country in the world - is in need of drastic change. But there are conflicting opinions as to what is needed. Some call for dramatic increases in resources, to meet long-overdue commitments, and to scale up what is already being done around the world. Others point to the flaws in aid, and bang the drum for cutting it altogether - and argue that the fate of poor and vulnerable people be best placed in the hands of markets and the private sector.
Meanwhile, growing numbers are suggesting that what is most needed is the creative, innovative transformation of how aid works. „Aid on the Edge of Chaos“ is firmly in the third of these camps. Ramalingam shows that the linear, mechanistic models and assumptions on which foreign aid is built would be more at home in early twentieth century factory floors than in the dynamic, complex world we face today. All around us, we can see the costs and limitations of dealing economies and societies as if they are analogous to machines. The reality is that such social systems have far more in common with ecosystems: they are complex, dynamic, diverse and unpredictable.

Discussant:
Heiner Janus, Researcher, Bi- and Multilateral Development Cooperation, German Developement
Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

Moderation:
Markus Jachtenfuchs, Professor of European and Global Governance, PhD Director, Hertie School

Ben Ramalingam is an independent researcher, consultant and writer specialising in international development and humanitarian issues. He leads research and provides advice to international organisations on a wide range of issues, from wealth creation, disaster resilience, state fragility to strategic thinking, policy processes and innovations. He is a co-founder and Chair of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund. Ben currently holds honorary positions at the Overseas Development Institute and the Institute of Development Studies.