Development Cooperation Activities Research Articles

Ivan Illich의 교육개발협력 사상에 근거한 UN 글로벌 교육의제의 비판적 고찰

Objectives The purpose of this study was to critically analyze issues related to educational development cooperation in the UN global education agenda based on Illich's educational development cooperation ideas to explore the direction and implications of the UN global education agenda. Methods In order to examine critical issues related to the UN Global Education Agenda, 29 relevant prior studies selected by the RISS were analyzed and to organize philosophies and ideas related to Illich's educational development cooperation, seven books at a time when Illich's educational development cooperation activities were active were examined. Based on this analysis, the UN global education agenda was re-analyzed to derive alternative implications. Results The issues pointed out in the relevant prior studies are summarized as follows (1) Issues related to the background of the educational agenda, 2) Issues related to the establishment process of the educational agenda, 3) Issues related to the logic of the educational agenda itself, 4) Issues related to the application of the educational agenda. Illich's Ideas on educational development cooperation through analysis of his 7 books are briefly summarized into three areas about society and international development: (1) criticism(industrial society criticism, misuse of ‘improvement’ and ‘development’ concept, school education criticism) 2) goals(the directions related society, life, and education) 3) alternative(Conviviality). Conclusions The conclusion from this study is as follows : 1) The UN Global Education Agenda requires macro paradigm shift of development cooperation or the ODA system itself, rather than internal modification and micro supplementation. 2) It is necessary to change the overall form of education away from standardized school education, universal education, and compulsory education to education that respects the autonomous and voluntary learning of individuals and reflects the alternative paradigm of modern education. 3) It is necessary to change direction to ‘regional customized’ support to realize a vibrant autonomous symbiotic ‘Conviviality’ in indigenous life considering the social and cultural environment of each country, not the needs and growth from the perspective of capitalism and industrial society.

The cooperation‐infrastructure nexus: Translating the ‘China Model’ into Laos

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is frequently described as a ‘hard’ infrastructure programme of roads, railways, and ports. But a variety of ‘soft’ development cooperation activities—including trainings, dialogues, research, and development projects—have also been established under the banner of the BRI. We examine how this ‘soft’ cooperation works hand‐in‐hand with ‘hard’ infrastructure in what we call the cooperation‐infrastructure nexus. This nexus works in two parallel ways: cooperation activities establish discursive frames of Chinese development as a model to follow, while also creating channels of exchange and support that validate and facilitate infrastructure investments. These investments, in turn, legitimize and often provide direct channels for further cooperation. To make this argument, we present empirical research conducted in China and Laos in two sectors: hydropower and rubber. Both expanded rapidly in China over the past three decades and are held up as models to follow; both are also the basis for cooperation and infrastructure interventions across Southeast Asia. We show that Chinese rubber and hydropower cooperation activities serve both to frame existing projects positively and facilitate future investments in those sectors in Laos. The infrastructure established on the ground, however, rarely resembles the ‘China model’ upon which it is discursively based. Instead, we find that important obstacles and contradictions arise in translating China's domestic achievements into other country contexts. Our findings show the need to consider cooperation as intertwined with infrastructure, while acknowledging the disconnect between discourses of a China model and experiences on the ground.

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.

한국 대북NGO의 북한 인도적 지원 및 개발협력 활동의 책무성 인식에 대한 탐색적 연구

Purpose: This study aims to confirm the recognition of the accountability of humanitarian aid and development cooperation activities of South Korean NGOs on North Korea.
 Originality: It is significant in that it attempted a study to confirm the awareness of the accountability of South Korean NGOs even when academic discussions about it were not active and humanitarian activities to North Korea were significantly reduced.
 Methodology: It applied the results of Shin (2021)'s research on the accountability components of Korean development NGOs operating in a similar environment of South Korean NGOs on North Korea. It conducted in-depth interviews with the directors of ‘Korean Sharing Movement’, ‘Okedongmu children in Korea’, ‘Korea Ngo Council for Cooperation with North Korea’, ‘Good neighbors’.
 Result: As a result, it was found that it is desirable to partially modify and apply the components of the accountability framework of the Korean Development NGO.
 Conclusions and Implication: It is necessary to include peace as the ultimate purpose of accountability, and to include the public as the subject of accountability. In addition, it recommends not to utilize the accountability framework functionally only. Accountability is a changing concept according to times, subject of obligation, performance, and short/long-term time perspective, so it is necessary to clarify its meaning when applying the accountability framework presented as a result of this study. In addition, it is necessary to consider the differences in capacity of organization, influence on not only individual organizations but also South Korean NGO groups, and the dilemma of accountability for various subjects.

Interplay of governance elements and their effects on deforestation in tropical landscapes: Quantitative insights from Ecuador

After state-centered and market-centered approaches have driven international development cooperation activities in previous decades, improved governance has now come into the focus as a means to help reversing global trends of tropical deforestation. Yet, “good governance” remains a normative, broad and often underspecified concept consisting of a wide range of elements and implicit value judgements. Specific knowledge is missing on the relative importance of single elements, on their interdependencies and their specific effects. Following an analytical approach, we aimed to investigate if single governance elements affect each other and whether they relate to decreasing deforestation. We conducted a quantitative field study in twelve selected landscapes across 160,000 ha of tropical lowland forest in Ecuador. We mapped governance arrangements and land use in participatory exercises. The performance of single governance elements including tenure, forest management practices, law enforcement, institutions, and participation was quantified based on the governance assessment framework of the World Resource Institute. We assessed context information and used satellite based deforestation data. Principal component analysis showed that all governance elements loaded positively on the first axis. This shows that specific governance elements acted conjointly. They are in general not antagonistic, but interact positively and might reinforce each other. Policy and development work may therefore focus on a smaller number of well-selected governance elements. High performance of specific governance elements, in particular tenure and participation was linked to reduced deforestation. This supports the notion of a number of governance elements as being indeed “good” for low deforestation. This functional understanding draws a more differentiated picture for single governance elements and supports outcome oriented decisions instead of value-oriented principles that underlie “good governance”. Direct deforestation drivers such as agriculture and infrastructure explained larger shares of deforestation as compared to governance. A number of conclusions and recommendations for the specific governance situation in tropical lowland forests of Ecuador are given.

Role of Digital Technology in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Focus on the Efforts of the International Community

In the international community, digital technology is considered as the means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and effectively implementing development cooperation projects. Development cooperation activities are conducted in the field of digital technology in various forms by the major donors, namely the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Japan, who have been emphasizing on the importance of digital technology in development cooperation. These activities include the development of SDG mapping tool by the International Telecommunication Union, the establishment of World Bank’s Digital Development Cooperation System, and the announcement of the Digital Agenda 2030 by the Asian Development Bank. To improve the effectiveness of the development cooperation projects, cooperation in high-performing sectors should be further strengthened, considering the correlation between digital technology and SDGs. It is also necessary to support data-driven digital solutions and improve the understanding of the digital value chain.

Новые вызовы для российской внешней помощи в контексте достижения целей устойчивого развития

The article discusses current trends in the Russian practice of international development assistance (IDA). Despite international isolation, the Russian government continued to increase its allocations for official development assistance (ODA), which, from 2015, amount to about USD1 billion annually. The author identifies key problems in the field of IDA related to monitoring and evaluation, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and interaction with the business sector. The author describes the actions of the government in its quest to solve these problems. Special emphasis is placed on a comparative analysis of the SDG indicators with indicators of national development goals until 2024. This makes it possible to link Russian goals with international priorities. The theoretical basis of this study is the ‘systemic change’ and ‘scaling up approach’, which are often used in research on development economics. A “large-scale approach” allows us to measure the scale of Russia's participation in construction and installation work in terms of the number of allocated resources, the number of stakeholders involved, geographical coverage, etc. The “systemic change” approach explains how Russia's development cooperation activities are aligned with national goals and the SDGs, as well as the transformation in the structure and dynamics of the system, which leads to an impact on the material conditions or behavior of stakeholders. In conclusion, the author reflects on the prospects for the creation of a national monitoring and evaluation system in the area of ​​IDA, as well as on the possibilities of contributing to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. One of the directions could be increased participation in the formation of new international development institutions, including the creation of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) along with the expansion of bilateral programs in the field of international development assistance.

Proposal of a principle cum scale analytical framework for analyzing agroecological development projects

ABSTRACT Because agroecology has different meanings, it may be used in an arbitrary and potentially abusive way when deployed by development cooperation actors conceiving “agroecology-based” development projects. To make the appropriation of agroecology more transparent, we first review the recent attempts in academia to clarify the concept and identify two main trends: a principle-based agroecology and a series of different agroecologies. Based on a critical assessment of these attempts, we then propose a new framework to program, implement and analyze agroecological development projects: it distinguishes different agroecologies with their corresponding categories of principles and their scales of intervention. Further, we argue in favor of a specific category of methodological principles.

Changes in Poverty-fighting Tools: From “Traditional” to “New Tendencies”

The issue of poverty and the fight against poverty has been one of the most important agenda items in the world for many years. Although the phenomena of wealth and poverty have existed in every period of history, they have never been separated by such deep disparities as they are today. Increasing income injustice has widened the gap between the rich and the poor and it continues to open further. Also, the concept of poverty has expanded so much in terms of content that it is not enough to express it with one definition. Absolute poverty, relative poverty, and human poverty are some of the terms used to detail the range and context of impoverishment. Besides, poverty is now subject to analysis from sociological, psychological or other perspectives. Considering this state of poverty, it is necessary to review the means of alleviating poverty. It is observed that the effectiveness of traditional tools has diminished in the fight against poverty, such as the World Bank when it first emerged. Therefore, there is a need for new tools to keep up with global developments. In this context, NGOs and development cooperation activities carry out important actions. This study aims to analyze the tendency to move away from traditional tools to new tools in fighting poverty. In this context, both tools will be examined within the framework of examples and theoretical discussions.

EIA-driven biodiversity mainstreaming in development cooperation: Confronting expectations and practice in the DR Congo

Mainstreaming biodiversity in development cooperation activities is called for by scientists and policy-makers alike, as the current biodiversity crisis can only be mitigated if the linkages between biodiversity and human wellbeing are acknowledged. Reconciling biodiversity conservation and human development is a particularly topical challenge in highly biodiverse developing countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the population is highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihood. This study combines expert interviews with an evaluation of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports, in order to determine the current motivations, obstacles and effectiveness of biodiversity mainstreaming in the DRC and to assess the framing, the representation and use of biodiversity in recently conducted EIAs in the DRC. Our findings indicate that biodiversity mainstreaming in the DRC is considered challenging due to enduring contextual (e.g. governance) factors; and that there is a strong support base for EIA among the interviewed experts. Turning to actual EIAs that were recently performed in the DRC, the diversity of framings motivating the uptake of biodiversity is remarkable. Instrumental reasons do not thwart intrinsic motivations –which is indicative of a support base for the non-instrumental value of biodiversity. The use of biodiversity baseline data in mitigation measures is low, and the taxonomic resolution of the biodiversity data in EIAs is uneven. Despite these challenges, the potential of EIA in the DRC is considered high, and linkages between project-driven EIA practice and biodiversity data collection and dissemination should be strengthened.

Rethinking Volunteering and Cosmopolitanism: Beyond Individual Mobilities and Personal Transformations

ABSTRACT In this paper we use assemblage thinking to offer a new interrogation of the relationalities of volunteering and development and to revisit volunteering’s relationship to cosmopolitanism. Recent debates about the rise of new actors in development cooperation have seen a growing interest in the geopolitical significance of volunteers and their contribution to development. Research has addressed the ways international volunteering can shape cosmopolitan subjectivities, whilst claims for volunteering’s universality are a key feature of global development policy. However, we argue that existing approaches to volunteering, cosmopolitanism and development remain contained by established development imaginaries and their ascription of agency, authority and expertise to actors from the global North. We use the idea of the assemblage, and data from two research projects, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent’s (IFRC) Global Review on Volunteering, and a doctoral research project on diaspora volunteering, to explore the constitution of what volunteering is within and between places. Through this, we identify alternative sites for interrogating the capacity of volunteering to challenge established ideas of agency, care and responsibility in development.

남북한 관광 협력을 위한 관광 ODA 효과에 대한 인식 연구 : 관광강좌 수강생을 대상으로

This study focused on ODA(Official Development Assistant) for inter-Korean tourism collaboration and set the research questions as how people perceive the effect of tourism ODA on North Korea and whether their perceptions on the effect are different by their demographic characteristics. The results of the study are following: First, most of respondents were not much interested on ODA, for example, 81.6% have no experience to travel to the developing country and 36% have never participated in international development cooperation and volunteer activities in related area. 30.7% responded that they are indifferent in that topic. Second, the perception on the influence of tourism ODA on the North Korea was identified with five factors from factor analysis: Properness, Effectiveness, Cooperation effect, Environmental effect, and Political effect of tourism ODA. Last, this study figured out that respondents perceived the influence of tourism ODA on North Korea differently by their demographic characteristics: the significant difference was revealed by the grade on perception on the environmental effect of ODA, by their experience on travel to developing country on perception on the properness of ODA. Also, the results of study reveled that the perception on the effectiveness, cooperation effect, and political effect were significantly different by whether they have participated in education and volunteer activity.

Satisfaction with Class Analysis of Multimedia Content Development Cooperation Activities using SNS

Satisfaction with Class Analysis of Multimedia Content Development Cooperation Activities using SNS

International Development Policy Structures for Cooperation in Science, Technology and Education in Hungary

In the context of Hungarian development policy, scientific and educational cooperation has a key role. The primary aim of this paper is to give an overview of the significant elements of the current international development cooperation and international humanitarian activities in Hungary. Secondly, it analyses, in a dimensional approach, the opportunities of policy and organisational structures and funding mechanisms for science, technology and innovation in developing countries. This article recommends more subtle ways of reforming political decisions that could support innovation with a deeper insight into some aspects of Hungarian “best practices”. Finally, it touches upon issues of tertiary education including the identification of funding instruments and interactions between the private sector and government actors.

Strengths and weaknesses in a human rights-based approach to international development – an analysis of a rights-based approach to development assistance based on practical experiences

ABSTRACTThe human rights-based approach to development cooperation has found recent support from both development cooperation actors and non-governmental organisations active in developing countries. We set out to define this approach, how it is applied, and to identify its central agents and principal components. Through examples we show how the approach works in practice, and we identify and discuss three human rights principles that play particularly important roles in its implementation: (i) participation and inclusion, (ii) non-discrimination and equality, and (iii) accountability. We show that in terms of implementation, the approach is related to the processes of empowerment, forms of advocacy, and the use of legal instruments in defence of groups of people who are poor, discriminated against or marginalised. We conclude that a human rights-based approach provides new avenues for providing help to vulnerable groups, but at the same time a poverty-oriented approach must continue to play an important role.

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.

Development cooperation in water and sanitation: is it based on the human rights framework?

The water and sanitation sector is verifiably receiving increased attention and funding through international development cooperation. Not least because of the way that it affects incentives and institutions in partner countries, development cooperation can have either positive or negative effects on human rights though. The consolidated frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation is becoming linked to the international community's coordinated development efforts, as evidenced notably in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, a review of major funders' official policies for development cooperation in the sector suggests that many only partially endorse the frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation. An observation of development cooperation flows to the sector allows the hypothesis to be advanced that worldwide inequalities in access to these services may be reduced through a full and clear application of the human rights framework in development cooperation activities. The article presents findings of this research and explores key stakes for development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector that are relevant for their ability to either negatively or positively contribute to the realization of human rights.

Utilitarian framings of biodiversity shape environmental impact assessment in development cooperation

Biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic pressures, in particular in biodiversity-rich developing countries. Development cooperation actors, who traditionally focus on the improvement of socio-economic conditions in the South, are increasingly acknowledging the linkages between poverty and biodiversity, e.g. by referring to the ecosystem services framework. However, there are many different framings which stress the need for biodiversity integration and which influence how biodiversity and development are and/or should be linked. Moreover, there is a gap between the lip service paid to biodiversity integration and the reality of development cooperation interventions. This study analyses how biodiversity framings are reflected in environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice, and how these framings influence EIA and decision-making. The findings, based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of World Bank EIAs undertaken in West Africa, indicate the incoherent quality but also the dominance of the ‘utilitarian’ and ‘corrective’ framings, which respectively stress human use of nature and mitigation of negative unintended development impacts. Identifying and highlighting these discursive trends leads to increased awareness of the importance of biodiversity among all development actors in North and South. However, some framings may lead to an overly narrow human-centred approach which downplays the intrinsic value of biodiversity. This study proposes recommendations for an improved integration of biodiversity in development cooperation, including the need for more systematic baseline studies in EIAs.

Assessing the credibility of how climate adaptation aid projects are categorised

ABSTRACTThis article presents the findings of a re-evaluation of all 5,200 aid projects that OECD donors reported for 2012 as “climate change adaptation”-related, based on the “Rio marker” classification system. The findings confirm those from the academic and grey literature that the absence of independent quality control makes the adaptation Rio marker data almost entirely unreliable. This lack of credibility impedes meaningful assessments of progress toward the mainstreaming of adaptation in development cooperation activities. It also erodes trust in international climate negotiations, given that these data are frequently used in the financial reporting of developed countries to the UNFCCC.

Realising the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development: Towards Capacity Development 4.0

The ongoing data revolution, a significantly changed global context through the 2030 agenda and the necessity to use evidence more effectively in development co-operation have led to a clear momentum in international support of data and statistics. The UN World Data Forum in Cape Town represents an important milestone for the global debate, yet in view of the challenges at hand can only be a meaningful starting point. These dynamics need to be addressed at the national level worldwide and require more vigorous and concerted international support. The analysis presented in this paper demonstrates the need to speed up efforts in several regards. Recent years were to some extent supportive in bringing issues on data and statistics to a broader audience and closer to the management level of main stakeholders (including development agencies, partner countries’ government institutions’, etc.). Not least the dynamics of the 2030 Agenda and related initiatives were important elements for a stronger interest in related topics. At the same time the crucial role of data and statistics for the political-economy of countries and of development co-operation actors are often not addressed in discussions beyond rather narrow circles of experts and thus largely fail to translate into more effective co-operation.