Due to the widely-held belief that poverty and unemployment are major sources of conflict, U.S. strategy in post-2001 Afghanistan cited the need for economic growth and job creation that would lead to stability and support for the Afghan government. Reflecting the principles of the “Washington consensus”, the U.S. and its allies encouraged Afghanistan to shift from its pre-war mixed but largely state-led economic system to a market-driven economy with an outward looking trade regime. Key areas of assistance were in economic governance to help the Afghan state create the necessary enabling environment for business, and technical and financial support to small and medium enterprises.
Paul Fishstein will discuss the role of support to private sector development in the Afghanistan intervention, how it contributed to stability, and what lessons can be learned for application to other interventions or, in fact, development projects in general.