Economic Cooperation Administration

Last updated
One of a number of posters created by the Economic Cooperation Administration to promote the Marshall Plan in Europe. The flags, as depicted clockwise from the top, are those of Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, West Germany, the Free Territory of Trieste (erroneously with a blue background instead of red), Italy, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, Greece, France, and the United Kingdom. Marshall Plan poster.JPG
One of a number of posters created by the Economic Cooperation Administration to promote the Marshall Plan in Europe. The flags, as depicted clockwise from the top, are those of Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, West Germany, the Free Territory of Trieste (erroneously with a blue background instead of red), Italy, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, Greece, France, and the United Kingdom.

The Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) was a U.S. government agency set up in 1948 to administer the Marshall Plan. It reported to both the State Department and the Department of Commerce. The agency's first head was Paul G. Hoffman, a former leader of car manufacturer Studebaker; he was succeeded by William Chapman Foster in 1950. [1] The rest of the organization was also headed by major business figures such as Arthur A. Kimball (who was a key contributor to the ECA's founding) as well as David K.E. Bruce (who worked at the Office of Strategic Services in Europe during World War II).

The ECA had an office in the capital of each of the 16 countries participating in the Marshall Plan. In theory the ECA served as joint administrator of the Marshall Plan development projects in each European country. In practice, local officials knew far more about what was needed than ECA representatives, who developed a management strategy of listening to local officials and allowed them to set priorities for reconstruction assistance. [2]

It was succeeded by the Mutual Security Agency in 1951, one of the predecessor to the United States Agency for International Development.

Related Research Articles

Mutual Security Act

The Mutual Security Act of 1951 launched a major American foreign aid program, 1951–61, of grants to numerous countries. It largely replaced the Marshall Plan. The main goal was to help poor countries develop and to contain the spread of communism. It was signed on October 10, 1951 by President Harry S. Truman. Annual authorizations were about $7.5 billion, out of a GDP of $340bn in 1951, for military, economic, and technical foreign aid to American allies. The aid was aimed primarily at shoring up Western Europe, as the Cold War developed. In 1961 it was replaced by new foreign aid program. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, created the Agency for International Development (AID), which focused more on Latin America.

United Nations Development Programme Global development network of United Nations

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations and advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. The UNDP provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. UNDP works with nations on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and its wide range of partners. However UNDP offers to help only if the different nations request it to do so.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world, and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance—the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms.

Andrew Natsios

Andrew S. Natsios is an American public servant who has served in a number of Massachusetts and high level federal government positions. Most notably, he has served as Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, and Vice President of World Vision U.S. Currently, Natsios teaches as Executive Professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service and serves as Director for the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs.

Development aid Financial aid given support the development of developing countries

Development aid is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing countries. Closely-related concepts include: foreign aid,international aid, overseas aid, developmental aid, developmentassistance, official development assistance (ODA), development cooperation and technical assistance. It is distinguished from humanitarian aid by aiming at a sustained improvement in the conditions in a developing country, rather than short-term relief. Development aid is thus widely seen as a major way to meet Sustainable Development Goal 1 for the developing nations.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) overseas programs — market development, international trade agreements and negotiations, and the collection of statistics and market information. It also administers the USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally led economic growth. The FAS mission statement reads, "Linking U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security," and its motto is "Linking U.S. Agriculture to the World."

Point Four Program Foreign aid program established by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1949

The Point Four Program was a technical assistance program for "developing countries" announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address on January 20, 1949. It took its name from the fact that it was the fourth foreign policy objective mentioned in the speech.

An export credit agency or investment insurance agency is a private or quasi-governmental institution that acts as an intermediary between national governments and exporters to issue export insurance solutions, guarantees for financing. The financing can take the form of credits or credit insurance and guarantees or both, depending on the mandate the ECA has been given by its government. ECAs can also offer credit or cover on their own account. This does not differ from normal banking activities. Some agencies are government-sponsored, others private, and others a combination of the two.

A counterpart fund is a fund established as part of an arrangement for converting foreign aid into an account in the domestic currency of an aid-recipient country. Counterpart funds were used by the UNRRA, and the Marshall Plan in the rebuilding of Western Europe after the Second World War, and today remain a common technique for delivering development assistance.

Henry Richardson Labouisse Jr.

Henry Richardson Labouisse Jr. was an American diplomat and statesman. He was the third Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from 1954 to 1958. He was the director of the United Nations Children's Fund for years (1965–1979). He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A lawyer, he was United States Ambassador to France 1952–1954, as well as United States Ambassador to Greece 1962–1965. Labouisse had been the principal United States Department of State official dealing with the implementation of the Marshall Plan.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of Swiss international development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as humanitarian aid.

Foreign Assistance Act

The Foreign Assistance Act is a United States Act of Congress. The Act reorganized the structure of existing U.S. foreign assistance programs, distinguishing between military from non-military aid, and created a new agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to administer non-military, economic assistance programs. President John F. Kennedy signed the Act on November 3, 1961, and issued Executive Order 10973, detailing the reorganization.

In different administrative and organizational forms, the Food for Peace program of the United States has provided food assistance around the world for more than 50 years. Approximately 3 billion people in 150 countries have benefited directly from U.S. food assistance. The Office of Food for Peace within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. Government's largest provider of overseas food assistance. The food assistance programming is funded primarily through the Food for Peace Act. The Office of Food for Peace also receives International Disaster Assistance Funds through the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) that can be used in emergency settings.

North Macedonia–United States relations Diplomatic relations between North Macedonia and the United States of America

North Macedonia–United States relations refers to international relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America. The United States and North Macedonia enjoy excellent bilateral relations.

Dennis Alfred FitzGerald was a government official and professional agricultural economist whose knowledge of food distribution gave him the opportunity to serve the U.S. government in many capacities.

Paul G. Hoffman

Paul Gray Hoffman was an American automobile company executive, statesman, and global development aid administrator. He was the first administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration, where he led the implementation of the Marshall Plan from 1948–1950.

United States foreign aid is "aid given by the United States to other countries to support global peace, security, and development efforts, and provide humanitarian relief during times of crisis." According to the Congressional Research Service, for fiscal year 2016, 42% was spent on long-term development, 33% was spent on military and security aid, 14% was spent on humanitarian aid, and 11% was spent on political aid. Although the number of agencies and departments managing and implementing foreign assistance funds and programs can change over time, in recent years, "there are over 20 U.S. government agencies that manage foreign assistance programs." The government channels about half of its economic assistance through a specialized agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review

The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) is a study by the United States Department of State, first started in 2009 and intended to be done every four years, that analyzes the short-, medium-, and long-term blueprint for the United States' diplomatic and development efforts abroad. It seeks to plan on a longer-term basis than the usual year-to-year, appropriations-based practice, and to integrate diplomacy and development missions under one planning process. It similarly seeks to correlate the department’s missions with its capacities and identify shortfalls in resourcing. Finally, it is also a precursor to core institutional reforms and corrective changes. The first such review was completed as year 2010 drew to a close. A second such review began being conducted during 2014 and was released in April 2015. No further such review has taken place since then.

United States aid to Sudan

United States aid to Sudan has three key objectives: a definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses, and genocide in Darfur; implementation of the north-south Comprehensive Peace Agreement that results in a peaceful post-2011 Sudan, or an orderly path toward two separate and viable states at peace with each other; and ensuring that Sudan does not provide a safe haven for international terrorist. Sudan has experienced two civil wars since 1955, the second of which lasted 22 years. During this time, the U.S. was the largest provider of foreign aid to Sudan, largely focused on humanitarian aid through the U.S. Agency for International Development. Sudan is listed as the U.S. government's highest priority in Africa due to "its importance for counter-terrorism and regional stability, as well as the magnitude of human rights and humanitarian abuses" U.S. foreign aid to Sudan has begun to see some positive indicators of performance although critical reaction has said that aid to Sudan is neither strategic nor focused.

The International Cooperation Administration (ICA) was a United States government agency operating from June 30, 1955 until September 4, 1961, responsible for foreign assistance and 'nonmilitary security' programs. It was the predecessor of the present-day U.S. Agency for International Development.

References

  1. "Administrators of the Economic Cooperation Administration". U.S. State Department, Office of the Historian. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. Kaplan, Jacob J. 1999. "Interviewed by: W. Haven North. 22 March". Arlington, VA: Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Foreign Affairs Oral History Project, Foreign Assistance Series, p. 5.