Building Neoliberal Markets and Other Agendas: The Politics of Risk Management at AusAID

Abstract

In recent years, risk management has become an integral part of the way in which international donors operate in the Asia-Pacific and elsewhere.1 According to these donors, aid delivery is inherently risky and may be becoming even more so (see AusAID 2005a: 1). Not only does aid delivery require the ability to operate in “high risk environments” (DFID 2007), it also involves “multiple relationships, complex contractual arrangements and difficult development problems” (AusAID 2005a: 1), all of which heighten risk. Accordingly, many donors have adopted formal policies or guidelines that define risk, identify the types of risk associated with their work, outline detailed approaches to assessing..