BEYOND THE LIFELINE: INSTITUTIONAL FRAGILITY, INSECURITY, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EFFECTIVENESS OF AID IN SOUTH SUDAN
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined the institutional and security constraints limiting the effectiveness of foreign aid in South Sudan.
Methodology: The study employed a systematic literature review and thematic analysis of academic literature, donor and government reports, and humanitarian situation data published between 2010 and 2025. The analysis was guided by Political Settlements Theory and Rent-Seeking Theory to examine how governance structures, elite political settlements, and rent-seeking practices influence aid effectiveness.
Findings: The review found that pervasive corruption, weak governance institutions, and persistent insecurity significantly undermine foreign aid effectiveness. Systemic misappropriation of aid resources, duplication of donor-funded programmes, and disruptions caused by armed conflict limit humanitarian and development outcomes. Conversely, locally led and context-sensitive interventions demonstrated greater sustainability by strengthening community ownership.
Conclusion: The study concludes that foreign aid effectiveness in South Sudan is constrained by the interaction of institutional fragility, political rent-seeking, and protracted insecurity.
Recommendations: The study recommends strengthening donor coordination to reduce programme duplication, investing in domestic institutional capacity, embedding transparent accountability mechanisms across aid interventions.
Keywords: Foreign aid, Aid effectiveness, Sustainable development goals, Institutional development, Corruption, Governance, Accountability, & Aid localization
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