The Price of Aid" explores the nature of foreign development aid during the Cold War by examining American, Soviet and Indian perspectives to develop the Indian economy.  India, the largest of the ex-colonies, stood at the center of American and Soviet aid competition. Officials of both superpowers saw development aid as an instrument for pursuing geopolitics through economic means. But Indian officials had different ideas, seeking superpower aid to advance their own economic visions, thus bringing external resources into domestic debates about India’s economic future. Drawing on an expansive set of documents, many recently declassified, from seven countries, "The Price of Aid" reconstructs a story of Indian leaders using Cold War competition to win battles at home, but in the process eroding the Indian state.