Development Cooperation Programmes Research Articles

Official Development Assistance of Austria after 2021

Assistance to developing countries, or the so-called “Third World” countries, is one of the areas of foreign policy activity in modern developed countries. It is provided to recipient countries in the form of loans, grants and other transfers to solve, first of all, social and economic problems. The Republic of Austria has a small territory and population, but at the same time it also has an efficient economy that encourages a high standard of living and a status of permanent neutrality allow it to play the role of a donor country for this type of assistance. In Austria, such policy is divided into two directions: “global” and “domestic”. Despite the commitment of many countries to "global" Official Development Assistance (ODA), the Republic of Austria ranks recipient countries of financial assistance in terms of its own national interests. In particular, the largest volumes of financial assistance are provided by Austria to the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. In this regard, the author considers the activities of the Austrian state in this area as the implementation of the most important element of Vienna’s “soft power” policy. This article is devoted to the policy that Austria pursues towards countries in need of economic, financial and humanitarian assistance. The key element of this policy is the “domestic” Austrian Development Cooperation Program (ADP), aimed at establishing economic ties and providing financial assistance to countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America (primarily the Caribbean), as well as to the other poorest countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Using methods of description and analysis, the article examines the historiography, foundations and essence of this policy in Austria, and also analyzes the new edition of one of the fundamental documents – the Three-Year Program of Austrian Development Policy from 2022 to 2024.

Donor motivation in the era of the COVID-19 crisis: Focusing on South Korean health diplomacy and response aid to COVID-19

COVID-19 has brought an unprecedented global economic burden. The widely held view is that, during times of economic crisis, there are reduced flows of foreign aid due to budgetary constraints. Although some countries’ actions seem aligned with this perspective, others, including South Korea, have acted counter-intuitively. South Korea has implemented health-related diplomacy, initiating the Agenda for Building Resilience against COVID-19 through the Development Cooperation (ABC) program. This program provides countries with COVID-19 diagnosis kits, personal protective equipment, such as masks, and health-related capacity for building and development projects. We attempt to understand the behavior of donors in the crisis context and, thus, examine South Korea as a representative case. Using South Korean health-related diplomacy as our case study, we show that South Korea has considered both its interests and recipients’ needs. Furthermore, a quantitative study with newly constructed data from the ABC program reveals that South Korea provides higher amounts of Official Development Assistance (ODA) via its ABC program to recipients with whom it enjoys close economic ties and with whom it has given higher amounts of ODA. The latter finding suggests a path-dependent act in foreign aid allocation.

The Impact of a donor’s domestic political economy on its policy and practice of development cooperation comparing to the impact of international norms and principles

International norms and principles are considered as the main basement for the international development cooperation programs. Developed countries are thought that they are the leader of humanitarian aids and they do this just for the sake of developing and underdeveloped countries. However, the policy and practice of development cooperation are affected mainly by domestic political economy of donor nations. The international principles, non-government organizations (NGO) and other international organizations have less impact on the donors’ action in international arena. Meanwhile, it is the domestic political economy and national interests of donor countries that influence their endeavor in the international development cooperation projects. The author of this paper will discuss how national political aims are stronger than international norms and principles when it comes to international cooperation.

Exploring Technology Innovation Factors, Government Support and Performance of Development-Related Social Enterprises: Evidence from South Korea

Growing demand for social services and products based on technological innovation has fueled expectations for technological innovation as a source of sustainable competitiveness for small- and medium-sized enterprises and, increasingly, social enterprises. This is especially the case for development cooperation programs that leverage social enterprises, which has resulted in increased funding from the public and private sectors for social enterprises promoting innovative development solutions. However, despite this enthusiasm, there is little clarity on whether this approach has actually been making substantial inroads in achieving intended development impacts. To fill this critical research gap, this study explores technology innovation factors as internal resources of a firm, based on the resource-based view (RBV), and investigates: (1) the relationship between technology innovation factors and performance of social enterprises; and (2) the moderating effect of government support between technology innovation and performance of social enterprises. Using an online survey method, this research collected sample data from 36 development-focused social enterprises headquartered in South Korea, from the 76 firms eligible to participate in the research. Based on a unique dataset of 36, first, this study performed multiple linear regression analysis to examine the effect of technology innovation factors, focusing on entrepreneurship, R&D capabilities and external cooperation of firms, on the social and economic performance of firms. Second, this study further employed a hierarchical regression to test whether government support moderates the causal effects of technology innovation factors on the social and economic performance of social enterprises. The results of this study present a positive relationship between innovative entrepreneurship and economic performance. In addition, this study identified a negative moderating effect of government support on the relationship between technology innovation, particularly R&D capabilities, and economic performance. Specifically, while R&D capabilities alone do not significantly influence a social enterprise’s economic performance, as companies receive more government support, the effect of R&D capabilities on economic performance becomes weak. As such, we contend that government support may, under certain circumstances (e.g., such as the level of technology), conflict with an enterprise’s pursuit of economic performance.

변화이론의 개념과 개발협력 적용에 대한 비판적 소고

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to critically examine the Theory of Change (ToC)’s strengths and weaknesses of the concept and its application, which has recently been actively applied by multilateral and bilateral organizations, civil society, and various foundations in Korea. The article is to provide epistemological, conceptual, and methodological implications for the development of cooperation policies and practices.
 Originality: This study has significance in comprehensively examining the concept and problems of this approach, going beyond the growing interest in change theory, which has recently received a lot of attention from domestic development cooperation agencies and evaluation practitioners in Korea. In particular, it is intended to provide a thorough academic and methodological review at the initial stage of institutionalization so that the tools of development cooperation strategy and program establishment and evaluation developed in the West are not applied uncritically to domestic and international projects of Korea.
 Methodology: This paper first examines the social constructivist position of change theory compared to positivist and interpretative/transformative evaluation methods in various evaluation paradigms and flows. Recent confusions and challenges to the theory of change expressed in the literature and seminars collected over 12 months and the five related methodological workshops were identified based on (i) Program Theory, (ii) Research Methods, (i) Vision of Development Cooperation Activities The analysis was divided into epistemology and value.
 Result: The theory of change, which has been actively applied in the UK and the United States has not only been applied to development cooperation evaluation, but has been widely used in education, health, social protection, water and sanitation, community development and environment. This study found that first, in regards to program theory, ToC clearly is a bridge that can most effectively materialize when clarifiers context, and assumption in discussing how to induce intended change in a program theory. Second, in the methodological aspect, ToC was the most instrumental in program-level interventions, thematic and cluster strategy development, and evaluation, rather than a small-scale project type evaluation. There were a series of challenges found such as a lack of clear and technically poor logic that occurs when expert verification is absent, the qualitative difference in the composition of the theory of change according to the beliefs and capabilities of the facilitator, and the limitations of persuading donors compared to evaluation based on rigors empirical analysis. Third, in terms of epistemological perspectives on the evaluation, the theory of change is not simply expanded in order to replace PDM in Korea but is used to comprehensively visualized to promote social change and social change in regards to results, context, and pathways of social change. Based on the value and belief that it can be used as a tool and approach for innovation in development cooperation, ToC in Korea has numerous potentials for serving its purpose in both public and non-profit fields.
 Conclusions and Implication: ToC as the 'Big T' and 'Small T' approach suggested in this paper offers various conceptual and practical strengths to be applied to the policies, strategies, guidelines, and methodologies as new development cooperation for Korea’s international development. In order for the ToC approach to be applied in Korea's development cooperation as a new approach and method, active conceptual and methodological discussion in a critical manner is needed at the beginning of such adaptation. It is hoped that this approach will not be institutionalized in a hurry by limiting it to new tools.

Perspectivas brasileiras sobre transferência de políticas e cooperação Sul-Sul

Abstract This paper introduces the dossier entitled ‘Policy Transfer and South-South Cooperation’. Very often development cooperation programmes, particularly those labelled as part of South-South cooperation (SSC), use policy transfer as one of their key implementation tools. However, irrespective of cross-cutting dimensions and shared commonalities, both fields of practices have generated research traditions that have followed specific disciplinary (and sometimes interdisciplinary) trajectories which have seldom met. Policy transfer promoted by national and international, state and non-state agents of the Global South via development cooperation raises several questions that remain unexplored and overlooked by the scholarly literature. This dossier intends to promote a dialogue between these two fields, thus analysing how policy transfer through SSC may create new power relations, identities, world visions and practices. This introductory article presents a theoretical cartography and offers in the first section a brief literature review of both fields of research; in the second section it presents the historical background of SSC and Brazil’s changing roles in it; the third section outlines possible conversations between policy transfer and SSC; finally, in the concluding remarks we bring a few reflections about future research agendas.

Global development cooperation in a COVID-19 world

COVID-19 and the economic response have amplified and changed the nature of development challenges in fundamental ways. Global development cooperation should adapt accordingly. This paper lays out the urgency for new methods of development cooperation that can deliver resource transfers at scale, oriented to addressing climate change and with transparency and better governance. It looks at what is actually happening to major donor countries’ development cooperation programs and where the principal gaps lie, and offers some thoughts on how to move forward, notwithstanding the clear geopolitical rivalries that are evident.The most immediate challenge is to provide a level of liquidity support to countries ravaged by the global economic downturn. Many developing countries will see double-digit declines in GDP, with some recording downturns not seen in peacetime. Alongside the short-term challenge of recovery, COVID-19 has laid bare longer-term trends that have pointed for some time to the lack of sustainability—environmental, social, and governance—in the way economic development was occurring in many places, including in advanced economies. This new landscape has significant implications for development cooperation in terms of scale, development/climate co-benefits, and transparency and accountability.

Analisis Kerjasama Australia-ASEAN dalam Bidang Ekonomi

Research conducted to find out what was done by Australia-ASEAN in the economic field. The method used by researchers is deductive, in which the paragraphs are collected in general or the main idea of the paragraphs and then conclusions are drawn specifically. The type of research conducted is qualitative research in which collects data used by researchers, namely Library Studies (Library Research). Based on the results and discussion of ASEAN is an important part of economic prosperity in Australia. As a regional organization in the Southeast Asian region, ASEAN is currently the largest trading partner with Australia. Cooperation between Australia and ASEAN includes the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). Australia has welcomed the cooperation agreement. This cooperation agreement is important for trade in our region which will drive export opportunities for Australian businesses and facilitate more local employment.

Preliminary Study on Mini-Modus Device Designed to Oxygenate Bottom Anoxic Waters without Perturbing Polluted Sediments

The Tangential Guanabara Bay Aeration and Recovery (TAGUBAR) project derives its origins from a Brazilian government decision to tackle the planning and management challenges related to the restoration of some degraded aquatic ecosystems such as Guanabara Bay (state of Rio de Janeiro), Vitória Bay, and Espírito Santo Bay (state of Espírito Santo). This was performed by using the successful outcomes of a previous Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Directorate General for Cooperation and Development (i.e., Direttore Generale alla Cooperazione allo Sviluppo, MFA–DGCS) cooperation program. The general objective of the program was to contribute to the economic and social development of the population living around Guanabara, Vitória, and Espírito Santo Bays, while promoting the conservation of their natural resources. This objective was supposed to be achieved by investing money to consolidate the local authorities’ ability to plan and implement a reconditioning program within a systemic management framework in severely polluted ecosystems such as Guanabara Bay, where sediments are highly contaminated. Sediments normally represent the final fate for most contaminants. Therefore, it would be highly undesirable to perturb them, if one wishes to avoid contaminant recycling. In this context, we explored a bench-scale novel technology, called the module for the decontamination of units of sediment (MODUS), which produces an oxygenated water flow directed parallel to the sediment floor that is aimed to create “tangential aeration” of the bottom water column. The purpose of this is to avoid perturbing the top sediment layer, as a flow directed toward the bottom sediment would most probably resuspend this layer. Three kinds of tests were performed to characterize a bench-scale version of MODUS (referred to as “mini-MODUS”) behavior: turbulence–sediment resuspension tests, hydrodynamic tests, and oxygenation–aeration tests. In order to understand the functioning of the mini-MODUS, we needed to eliminate as many variables as possible. Therefore, we chose a static version of the module (i.e., no speed for the mini-MODUS as well as no water current with respect to the bottom sediment and no flume setting), leaving dynamic studies for a future paper. The turbulence tests showed that the water enters and exits the mini-MODUS mouths without resuspending the sediment surface at all, even if the sediment is very soft. Water flow was only localized very close to both mouth openings. Hydrodynamic tests showed an interesting behavior. An increase of low air flows produced a sharp linear increase of the water flow. However, a plateau was quickly reached and then no further increase of water flow was observed, implying that for a certain specific geometry of the equipment and for the given experimental conditions, an increase in the air flow does not produce any reduction of the residence time within the aeration reactor. Oxygenation–aeration tests explored three parameters that were deemed to be most important for our study: the oxygen global transfer coefficient, KLa; the oxygenation capacity, OC; and the oxygenation efficiency, OE%. An air flow increase causes an increase of both KLa and OC, while OE% decreases (no plateau was observed for KLa and OC). The better air flow would be a compromise between high KLa and OC, with no disadvantageous OE%, a compromise that will be the topic of the next paper.

Migration and Development Organizations: The Diversification of Civil Society in Spain

The conjunction between the last few decades’ public policy changes and the impact of the growth of immigration in Spain has had a transformative effect on the third sector. The government trend toward outsourcing the management of international development cooperation programs and social services has shifted much of the state’s responsibility onto the shoulders of civil society organizations. The context has subjected them to tensions and changes in the way they take action and the way they are organized. This article, based on two research projects, explores the adaptations and new forms of relationships among the main actors involved in the field of migration and development.

Non-governmental Development Organizations in Spain: Their Contributions and Relationships in the Realm of Immigration

The design of the welfare state in Spain and the practice of outsourcing the management of social protection services for immigrants and development cooperation programs have had a structuring effect on the Spanish third sector over the last two decades. As non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs) have taken on a new role and new actors like immigrants’ associations have appeared on stage, a spotlight has been thrown on NGDOs’ operational capacity both inside and outside our borders. The objective of this article, which is based on the findings of quantitative research conducted in Spain, is to present and analyze the main factors affecting NGDOs’ internal, external, and relational governance, to assess the extent of their connection to the realm of immigration and its actors, their role in migration matters, and the opportunities for maximizing the scope of third-sector organizations’ actions.

분절화의 관점에서 본 지방정부 개발협력 사업의 중복성 분석: 2006년-2017년

분절화의 관점에서 본 지방정부 개발협력 사업의 중복성 분석: 2006년-2017년

Has the Theory of Change established itself as the better alternative to the Logical Framework Approach in development cooperation programmes?

This article critically reflects on two development programme planning methodologies: the dominant Logical Framework Approach (LFA) and the Theory of Change (ToC). It reviews their conceptual origins and outlines their commonalities, differences and challenges in day-to-day development practice. The article claims that while both approaches originate from the same family of programme theory, the LFA has over the years somehow lost its analytic lens to capture social change and become more of a donor-driven performance management tool. The ToC has restored some of these analytical and engagement aspects that the LFA approach was originally designed to elicit, but some of the practical challenges remain. The authors argue for a combined use of both methodologies, if held lightly and approached from a learning and not a compliance perspective.

Tertiary scholarship schemes as institutionalised migration of highly skilled labou

Providing scholarships has become an integral part of the global highereducation and so has research on its impacts. This article examines thetertiary scholarship scheme of the Czech government for providingscholarships to students from the global South as a part of its developmentcooperation programme with a double goal. Firstly, it examines theprogramme’s development effectiveness from the perspective of migrationstudies, and secondly, it investigates the underlying motivation factorswhich influence the students’ decisions on where they will stay after theirstudies. A survey among students and graduates of the scheme wastriangulated with quantitative data obtained from official sources. Theresults show a mean values of 45 percent for brain gain, meaning thatalmost half of the graduates do return back home after their studies, yetthis situation is aggravated by a significant share of brain waste. The majorfactors that influence students’ migration decisions were established to beeconomic factors, the utility of the studies and the ease or difficulty withwhich they can find jobs in their home countries.

Transdisciplinary Research and Development Cooperation: Insights from the First Phase of the Palestinian-Dutch Academic Cooperation Programme on Water

Transdisciplinary research offers a promising approach to development cooperation programs by integrating knowledge from academic and non-academic stakeholders, and from natural and social sciences. In the context of development research on water, there is little evidence on how stakeholder involvement takes place in the three stages of transdisciplinary research (problem definition, knowledge production, and knowledge application). This paper aims to create empirical evidence and insights on this question based on the Palestinian-Dutch Academic Cooperation Programme on Water (PADUCO). Six research projects, which have been implemented within the first phase of PADUCO, were examined using the data collected through a survey and document reviews. The results show that research problems were defined according to societal needs and contextual factors. Research teams were multidisciplinary and included non-academic members, whereas the institutional involvement of non-academic stakeholders was limited and unbalanced between the governmental and non-governmental actors. Although the application of the knowledge produced was mainly focused on academia, opportunities for broad dissemination were utilized, albeit to a limited extent. Finally, there was a lack of monitoring and evaluation of impacts, which is explained by the budget and time limitations of such small-scale projects and can be mitigated by programme-level measures.

Stakeholders’ relations and power dynamics in development cooperation: lessons learnt from Egypt

ABSTRACTOne of the key factors why international development cooperation programmes do not achieve sustainable results is their failure to respond to the dynamics of local stakeholders’ relations. This article highlights the case of a fruit and vegetable market in an informal area of Greater Cairo that was redeveloped by a programme supported by German International Cooperation. Although the market was developed using participatory methods, the vendors deserted it. Analysis reveals the conflicting interests of vendors and the district administration were reflected in divergent models of market operation. The paper recommends that development cooperation recognise the legitimacy of existing power structures and stakeholders’ relations.

Development Cooperation in Africa: Creating New Momentum for China-U.S. Relations

As China projects itself as an emerging donor of development aid, its development cooperation with Africa has garnered unprecedented attention from the world. While China is faced with many challenges in aid practices in Africa despite its remarkable achievements over the past decades, both developed countries and African countries set high expectations for China’s potential contribution. Against this backdrop, it is crucial for China to enhance trilateral cooperation with developed donors and share experience with them on how to manage aid programs. Based on successful cooperation in the past, China-U.S.-Africa trilateral cooperation will not only strengthen China-U.S. bilateral ties, but also improve China’s overall aid effectiveness to Africa. In the future, China should initiate more development cooperation programs and work to create a coordinating mechanism with the United States in areas of their common understanding and interests; it should also go beyond traditional means of assistance and try to get involved in the U.S.-led public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

Between domestic interests and regional obligations: class compromise and the evolution of South Africa’s development cooperation programme

This paper examines the evolving debate about South Africa’s role in international development cooperation since the emergence of the African Renaissance Fund (ARF) in 2001. It identifies three key discursive findings. First, various domestic stakeholders are supportive of South Africa playing a leadership role in international affairs, with the proviso that these international engagements feed back into economic growth and jobs at home. Second, much of the debate concerns the lack of sufficient accountability measures with the ARF. However, the politically problematic disjuncture between xenophobic attitudes and actions at the societal level and Pretoria’s claim to advance the ‘African Agenda’ as a pillar of its foreign policy complicates South Africa’s development cooperation agenda. With the creation of a fully fledged development agency, three countervailing discourses have emerged in order to ‘sell’ South Africa’s role as a player in development cooperation. First, the South African Development Partnership Agency proponents argue that the new agency seeks to align development assistance programmes more strategically with the country’s own economic interests. Second, the Foreign Ministry has promised more rigorous assessment procedures. Third, to counter anti-African immigrant attitudes, a counter discourse of interdependence by government officials prevails. This discourse emphasises moral values and the benefits that economic development in the region brings to South African businesses and reduces the flow of immigrants.

Economic sustainability, water security and multi-level governance of local water schemes in Nepal

This article explores the role of multi-level governance and power structures in local water security through a case study of the Nawalparasi district in Nepal. It focuses on economic sustainability as a measure to address water security, placing this thematic in the context of a complicated power structure consisting of local, district and national administration as well as external development cooperation actors. The study aims to find out whether efforts to improve the economic sustainability of water schemes have contributed to water security at the local level. In addition, it will consider the interactions between water security, power structures and local equality and justice. The research builds upon survey data from the Nepalese districts of Nawalparasi and Palpa, and a case study based on interviews and observation in Nawalparasi. The survey was performed in water schemes built within a Finnish development cooperation programme spanning from 1990 to 2004, allowing a consideration of the long-term sustainability of water management projects. This adds a crucial external influence into the intra-state power structures shaping water management in Nepal. The article thus provides an alternative perspective to cross-regional water security through a discussion combining transnational involvement with national and local points of view.

Negotiating the technological capacity in Chinese engagements: Is the Tanzanian government in the driving seat?

ABSTRACTIs the Tanzanian government in charge of development cooperation programmes with China? The literature has portrayed the Tanzanian and other state actors in Africa as passive and weakly coordinated players over the five decades of intensified cooperation with China. This paper will attempt to challenge this narrative by drawing on lessons from the negotiation efforts of individual and institutional actors in Tanzania, as they sought to improve the country's industrial and technological capacity, among other interests. Our findings revealed a gap between the capacity to attract Chinese investments and development assistance, and extraction of knowledge and technology from such engagements. President John Pombe Magufuli's anti-corruption measures signal a paradigm shift against the rent-seeking tendencies, elitism and limited utilisation of local content under the Chinese partnership projects. Nevertheless, the combination of a declining share of official Chinese engagements with the increased involvement of private actors necessitates further policy innovations in order to boost inter-firm technological spillovers.