Working Paper
What does the evidence tell us about ‘thinking and working politically’ in development assistance?
This paper critically reviews evidence on ‘thinking and working politically’ in development. Scholars and practitioners have increasingly recognised that development is fundamentally political, and efforts are underway to develop more politically...
Blog
Taking localisation beyond labels and lip service
by
Swetha Ramachandran, Rachel M. Gisselquist
January 2024
Donors increasingly speak of locally led aid response, but often do not walk the walk. Case in point is the United States Agency for International...
Policy Brief
Aid effectiveness
The questions of whether aid has impact and is effective have been the subject of considerable attention. This thematic issue brings together nine studies that speak to the diverse ways in which aid affects development outcomes including, but not...
Working Paper
Donor relations and sovereignty
As a sovereign country, Mozambique initially relied on international solidarity and managed its donor relations well. Donor dependency entailed some loss of agency for the government as it allowed donors to challenge its capacity but never its...
Working Paper
From empire to aid
For decades now, Western development agencies and donors have been castigated for their colonial biases in providing aid to Africa. It is well established that donors provide considerably more foreign aid to their former colonies relative to other...