Official Development Assistance Policy Research Articles

ПОМОЩЬ РАЗВИТИЮ ВО ВНЕШНЕЙ СТРАТЕГИИ КИТАЯ, РЕСПУБЛИКИ КОРЕЯ И ЯПОНИИ

The article focuses on new trends in development assistance strategies of three Northeast Asian countries: China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. It provides the analysis of key features of China’s contemporary foreign aid strategy which is currently based mainly on economic priorities rather than on ideology. Building on post-reform successes in economic development, Beijing is expanding its assistance to African and Asian countries, thus demonstrating the efficiency of China’s development model. Moreover, China implements foreign aid programs taking into account the individual recipient countries’ priorities and specific features of their economic and social development. The authors gave attention to Beijing’s willingness to use soft power tools for promoting aid programs. However, the active government involvement in formulation and implementation of foreign aid programs, as well as the predominance of commercial interests of Chinese businesses, are among the main characteristics which are negatively perceived by developing states. The article also explores Japan’s contemporary official development assistance (ODA) policies, which have been changing following the transformation of Japanese security and foreign strategy. Although Tokyo’s aid programs in industrial and social spheres are welcomed by developing countries, Japan’s pursuit towards the "normalization" of security and foreign policy is still viewed in some of recipient countries with caution. Although the scale of the Republic of Korea’s ODA is smaller compared to Japan’s and China’s foreign aid programs, its implementation has been relatively successful due to interaction between government, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Whereas in the case of China, rigid control of public activities by the government still hinders comprehensive and multifaceted development of Beijing’s assistance policies. Although the peculiarities of China’s legislature and political system make its foreign aid policies and practices different from Japan’s and Korea’s ODA policies, there are a number of common features. These include attention to developing countries’ priorities and peculiarities of their economic and political development, the acknowledgment of social responsibility of business, and the growing use of soft power tools. Given these circumstances, the collaboration on ODA projects is possible between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. However, in some regions where the interests of these countries meet and contradict, for example, in Southeast Asia, there is a growing rivalry between Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul for presence and influence.

Japan's Official Development Assistance Policy and Security Interests

Japan's Official Development Assistance Policy and Security Interests

Opini Publik dan Politik Luar Negeri: Sikap Masyarakat Indonesia terhadap ODA Jepang dalam Proyek PLTA Koto Panjang dan Hubungan Bilateral Indonesia-Jepang

Japan has been playing an important role in the international society, especially in the field of the development of developing countries, through its ODA (Official Development Assistance). Indonesia, which has the biggest economic potential in Southeast Asia, is the largest recipient of Japanese ODA. Economic cooperation through ODA now functions as the core of the amicable bilateral relations between the two countries. However, ODA alternatively has had some negative aspects on its recipients. Some of the ODA projects (called Mondai-ankens) have actually triggered various problems at project sites and have consequently afflicted the local people. The most well-known mondai-anken that aroused national discussion on ODA policy is Koto Panjang Hydropower Plant Project implemented in Riau Province, in 1991-1997. The local community has been critical of Japanese ODA since the implementation of the project, which was done in a coercive manner under the Soeharto administration, caused costly damage to the local people such as poverty, scarcity of food, environmental destructuion, and so on. Although the mondai-anken issue caused considerable damage to the recipient country’s people, and the local commnity filed a complaint to the donor country, this issue had no political impact to the bilateral relations between the two countries.Keywords: ODA (Official Depelopment Assistance), Mondai-anken, Economic cooperation, Japan, Indonesia

Sustainable Development Goals and Japan's Official Development Assistance Policy: Human Security, National Interest, and a More Proactive Contribution to Peace

Substantial progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was made, but unsolved issues remain. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) succeeded the MDGs in 2015. In Japan the concept of “Human Security” has been incorporated into its foreign policy since the 1990s and is explicitly stated as the basic concept of Japan's Development Cooperation Charter issued in 2015. Also included in the Charter is Japan's “Proactive Contribution to Peace” policy and national interest, both of which are closely related to the concept of Human Security.Although not specifically identified in the SDGs, Human Security was described by the UN General Assembly as “the right of people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair” in a 2012 resolution. Japan's long-term commitment to Human Security and experience in health and education are two areas in which the country has contributed internationally and which can be put to good use in formulating policies and programs to achieve the SDG targets.

Motivation for Aid Allocation and Political Ideology: A Case Study of South Korea

According to traditional wisdom in the foreign aid community, a donor country's official development assistance policy tends to be influenced by the political regimes' ideology. A progressive government is more likely to be humanitarian in implementing foreign aid, whereas a conservative one is apt to be more strategic and economic‐interest oriented. Given South Korea's regime change between conservatives and progressives from the Roh Tae‐woo (1988) to the Lee Myung‐bak () administrations, this article attempts to identify shifts in South Korea's aid allocation in terms of economic, security strategic, social and humanitarian aspects. The empirical analysis of the South Korean case demonstrates that aid policies did not follow the ideological differences between governments. One of the key results is that aid allocation is more attributed to the distinct characteristics of the official development assistance management system and policies than to the party politics of South Korea.

The Origin and Formation of the Korean Official Development Assistance Policy and State Identity (1986-2009)

The Origin and Formation of the Korean Official Development Assistance Policy and State Identity (1986-2009)

Key Development Needs of South Asia and Priority Sectors of Korean ODA

South Asia is a region with the largest demand for development cooperation in the world, and its importance as a development cooperation partner for Korea and other aid donors is increasing. Accordingly, South Asia’s proportion in the worldwide ODA (Official Development Assistance) is on the rise, from 10.9% in 2006 to 15.8% in 2010. Korea is also increasing the proportion of its ODA for South Asia and is seeking effective development assistance policies. In response to this state of affairs, this study quantifies the development demand, by country, in South Asia and Korea’s aid capacity in order to determine the focal areas for cooperation. This study also presents suggestions for effective ODA policies in South Asia.

일본의 해양 정책 - 태평양 도서국과의 관계를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to explore the history of the relationships between Japan and the Pacific Island Nations in the context of its ocean policy, and to survey the current situation. Particularly, this paper inquires into how Japans maritime policy, nuclear policy, and official development assistance policy have affected relationships with countries in this region. Firstly, this paper gives a brief overview of the socio-political situations of Pacific Island Nations. Secondly, the history of the ‘Southward Advance Theory’ adopted as national policy by Japan in the Meiji era is summarized. Thirdly, how Japan successfully re-entered this region despite conflicts surrounding the nuclear issue after the Second World War is explored. Lastly, this paper investigates how official development assistance and PALM (Pacific Island Leaders Meeting) helped to develop relations between Japan and the Pacific Island Nations.

Beyond Aid Effectiveness?: Private and Public Partnerships in South Korea’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Strategy as Soft Power Strength and Weakness

In 2009 Hubbard and Duggan published their book ‘The Aid Trap’ which argued that a thriving private business sector in the recipient country must be encouraged. Otherwise foreign aid simply reinforces debt, poverty and dependency. This debate between neoliberal and neo-Keynesian approaches influenced the formation of effective foreign aid `strategies from new ODA donors such as South Korea. South Korea’s role in the ODA debate represents a more general geopolitical shift by emerging nations. The paper provides a critical assessment of South Korea’s state-led and soft power ODA policies by focusing on initiatives on aid effectiveness and fostering private/public partnerships (PPP’s). The paper goes on to critically consider and judge these eliteled ODA initiatives by addressing a grassroots NGO perspective.

Bridging between Myanmar and international society – Japan's self-identity and kakehashi policy

Numerous academic works have critiqued Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme for being mercantilist and failing to promote democratization and human rights (Orr 1990; Rix 1993; Arase 1995, 2005). Such accounts assess Japan's ODA policy from Western theoretical perspectives that advocate Western approaches, such as military and economic interventions to contain repressive states. While receptive to these criticisms, Japanese policy-makers have perceived their country's international role in ‘bridging’ (kakehashi) terms and structured their ODA accordingly, as this paper details in the case of Japan's ODA policy towards Myanmar.1 The rationale behind Japan's kakehashi approach lies in the construction of Japan's self-identity as a state able to reenter international society after World War II through focusing on economic development rather than military and coercive action. Proponents of the kakehashi approach construct Japan both as a model of successful democratization through development which other states can learn from, as well as the means through ODA to ‘bridge’ the divide between repressive regimes and liberal democratic capitalism. This critical approach examines Japan's kakehashi or bridging strategy in terms of Japan's response to the anti-government protests in September 2007, Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, and in the build up to parliamentary elections in November 2010 in Myanmar to demonstrate the permanence of this approach in spite of a change of government in Japan. In so doing, the kakehashi approach reveals opportunities to engage with, rather than contain, repressive regimes, thereby raising the possibility of enticing such states back into international society though economic incentives.

Beyond the Aid Trap for Emerging Donors: Private and Public Partnerships in South Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) Strategy

In 2009 Hubbard and Duggan published The Aid Trap and argued that to bring countries out of poverty through economic development a thriving business sector in the recipient country must be encouraged, otherwise foreign aid simply creates and reinforces a cycle of debt, poverty and dependency. This debate can be placed within disagreements between neoliberal and statist Keynesian development theories. The debate is particularly significant in influencing the formation of effective foreign aid strategies by the new Official Development Assistance (ODA) donors such as South Korea. The paper provides a critical assessment of South Korea's ODA policies by focusing on recent initiatives on aid effectiveness and fostering private/public partnerships which call into question the terms of the “aid trap” debate. The paper goes on to critically consider and judge these elite-led ODA initiatives by addressing these issues from a grassroots NGO perspective. These themes include considering private and public partnersh...

Human Security and Japan International Cooperation Agency and Non-governmental Organizations Collaboration (A Case Study of Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami)

Abstract Human security norm has emerged as a key focus for Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) Charter in 2003. Since then, Japan has been playing a more active role in promoting human security as a leading country. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is an organization under Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), plays important roles in the implementation of Japanese ODA in order to improve the lives of the local people in developing countries. JICA has been strengthening its collaboration with various parties; such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), universities, local governments, and so on to cope with complicated non-traditional security threats. Moreover, a number of Japanese non-governmental organizations activities are undertaken by JICA in order to protect the lives, livelihood and dignity of human beings, which is based on the perspective of human security. In response to Japanese ODA policy on human security, JICA's practice of human security is based on these four kinds of cooperation as follows; 1) cooperation that comprehensively targets freedom from fear (conflicts and disasters) and want (poverty); 2) cooperation that involves through consideration for the social vulnerability; 3) cooperation that establishes mechanisms to protect and empower people; and 4) cooperation that addresses global risks. Based on the implementation, JICA seek closer cooperation not merely from the governmental agencies, but also from international organizations and NGOs. In order to empower communities and individuals, JICA expands its cooperation at local level. This reflects the way of JICA's operation which is based on the bottom-up approach. However, environmental degradation and climate change are directly related to many natural disasters, like flood and drought, which can be understood as a human security issue. In fact, human security conceives natural disasters as a threat to people's survival as well as a trigger of vulnerabilities related to issues of want, which is about people's basic needs and livelihoods (Carvalho, 2011:3). In case of Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami hitting in the Northeast of Japan on March 11 th , 2011, it destroyed not only people's lives nd livelihoods but also people ability to access basic goods and public services. Thus, this natural disaster affects human security directly so the links between the natural disaster and human security are clearly seen. The aim of this paper are to deepen the understanding of JICA's operation in response to natural disasters that has become a major threat to human security as well as the cooperation between JICA and Japanese NGOs on the perspective of human security. It also aims to investigate how JICA collaborates with Japanese NGOs in assisting emergency response, providing reliefs and performing rehabilitation activities of NGOs in the domestic context. The paper argues that JICA-NGOs collaboration on human security in the domestic context should be developed since their close collaboration will pave the way for strengthen linkages and cooperation with state actor and non-state actor's activities, in which can be lessons learned for other countries. In this study, qualitative methodology based on documentary research and field research was applied. The latter was carried out through a case study using observations at Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture. The result of this study will shed light on the direct damages and indirect damages of the Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami in relation to human security. Furthermore, the roles of JICA and NGOs in collaborative activities for rehabilitation after the disaster will be investigated. Lastly, policy implications of JICA-NGOs collaboration will be proposed in order to address more precious activities that bring about the enhancement of human security to cope with natural disasters.

A Critical Review of Gender in South Korea's Official Development Assistance

This paper critically examines the gender aspects of South Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) with a focus on its legal and policy framework, financial and human resource input, using data on ODA activities from 1991 and 2006 to the present based on KOICA and OECD's gender marked data, respectively. Gender equality is an important cross-cutting issue for poverty reduction through women's empowerment in developing countries. It is also recognized by the OECD and other international organizations as being key to enhancing aid effectiveness. The OECD pointed out in its Special Review on South Korea's ODA, conducted in 2008, that South Korea has not paid much attention on cross-cutting issues, particularly gender equality. This paper concludes that although the South Korean government has made some progress toward enhancing gender issues in its ODA policy framework and guidelines, major challenges remain in emphasizing the significance of gender among its various ODA-related ministries and implementation agencies. There is no consistently holistic approach to gender in government and its actual implementation, as reflected in aid projects, different sectors, types of aid, and the organizational structure of ODA.

Determinants of Foreign Aid: The Case of South Korea

South Korea, the newest member to join the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, has signaled that it will become a major donor of official development assistance (ODA). Having had its own history of being a large recipient of ODA, South Korea claimed that it will provide aid from the recipient's perspective. Using panel data covering twenty-three years (1987–2009) and 154 recipient countries, we examine whether South Korea's ODA reflects the recipient nation's humanitarian needs more than the donor's interests. We ask three questions: (1) What are the major determinants of South Korea's ODA allocation? (2) Has South Korea's ODA policies changed over different time horizons—that is, years, political regimes? (3) Does South Korea exhibit different standards of allocating ODA for different groups of recipient countries? We find that South Korea provides more aid to higher-income developing countries with higher growth rates, which shows the tendency to serve the donor's economic interests. When we examine the data by time periods, we do not find significant differences over decades or political regimes. However, when we reexamine the data based on recipients' income levels, we find that the relationship between per capita income of the recipient country and ODA allocation is negative only for the middle-income or lower-middle-income group recipients and positive for the rest. This finding suggests the possibility that South Korea's ODA policy may have a dual-track structure.

South Korea as an emerging donor: Challenges and changes on its entering OECD/DAC

AbstractSouth Korea's official development assistance (ODA) has been increasing rapidly and will continue to do so. Korea is one of the few countries which have successfully transitioned from a recipient to a donor. It became a member of DAC (development assistance committee), OECD in November 2009. Korea's ODA policy, along with its growth in quantity, is at a crossroads for the enhancement of its quality. Discussions and debates are going on regarding the reforms in Korea's ODA activities, and this paper examines key issues raised. It first reviews the past and present of Korea's ODA, and identifies major characteristics including a low ODA/GNI ratio, a high percentage of concessional loans compared to grants, a high portion of tied aid, regional bias and a relatively large number of recipients. The paper argues that those characteristics arise from a lack of consensus on some fundamental issues like the objective of ODA, positioning of Korea's ODA as an emerging donor and the nature of aid to North Korea. We also argue that a shift of ODA policy is required to promote reform, based on a thorough reflection on the role of ODA in the alleviation of poverty and promoting sustainable development in developing countries, rather than serving as an economic tool. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ODA 기본법 제정 관련 주요 쟁점과 입법 방향 제언

Joining OECD/DAC a year ahead, South Korea’s program of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is facing new challenges of reshaping a solid policy framework that would make Korea’s ODA more efficient and accountable. In this juncture, an ODA law is likely to be enacted in a near future as shown by the Public Hearings held by the National Assembly in April 2009. Korea, as a rare case, has succeeded to transform itself from a recipient to an emerging donor and enlarges the amount of its ODA recently. However it has to not only set force the rationale, objectives, strategies but, among many other tasks, make aid system coherent and evaluation process transparent. Thus it is now a right time for reshaping Korea’s overall ODA policy. Within these contexts, this paper discusses major points at issues of presented bills right after presenting the necessity of enactment of an ODA law. Then it suggests some recommendations to be included in the new ODA law.

Biafra to Lomé: the Evolution of Irish Government Policy on Official Development Assistance, 1969–75

The Nigerian civil war (1967-70) represented a significant benchmark in Irish involvement with the developing world. The huge humanitarian effort to mitigate the famine caused by the war changed the environment in which Irish official development assistance (ODA) policy was made. By 1975 Ireland had a structured programme in place and significantly increased its ODA contributions. During its first presidency of the EEC in the same year, the Irish government presided over the Lom? negotiations between the Community and the developing world. This article examines the evolution of Irish ODA policy from the end of the war in Nigeria to the conclusion of the Lom? agreement. It looks at the different the approaches of successive Irish governments to ODA, analysing the domestic and international pressures that influenced the creation of ODA policy. In that context, the article focuses on the significance of Garret FitzGerald's appointment as minister for foreign affairs in 1973, and the impact he had on Irish ODA policy.

Whither Japanese Foreign Aid?

Japan’s Foreign Aid: Old Continuities and New Directions, edited by David Arase. New York: Routledge, 2005, 336 pp., $132.00 (hardcover ISBN 0415359996) Japan’s Foreign Aid: Old Continuities and New Directions provides a detailed account and comprehensive analysis of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the comparative perspective of other donor countries (the UK, Sweden, Australia, the US, Canada, and Korea and the World Bank) as well as recipient countries (Pakistan, China, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific region, and Thailand). Throughout, chapters within this book question whether Japan’s ODA can fit the ‘contemporary global trend toward poverty-oriented international development assistance’ with satisfactory quality and effectiveness. The book’s historical and political analyses of Japan’s ODA are useful for understanding what has formed Japan’s aid philosophy, actual policymaking, and implementation of ODA. The editor, David Arase, carefully deals with these issues in his introductory and concluding chapters by suggesting many signs of improvement in Japan’s ODA policy. This book, however, seems to have been concluded before the recent development of cooperation in the social sector and at grassroots levels and a series of radical changes that occurred in aid administration. Regrettably, its emphasis on structural inertia and inadequate resources perhaps obscure the broader discussion of whether the social sector and governance focus, which is the standardized norm of ODA for alleviating poverty, are truly sufficient for achieving development objectives.

Whose Sustainable Development? An Analysis of Japanese Foreign Aid Policy and Funding for Energy Sector Projects

This article evaluates Japanese foreign aid policy in light of the World Commission on Environment and Development's concept of sustainable development by focusing on Japanese official development assistance (ODA) to energy sectors in the global South. The analysis reported here finds two fundamental weaknesses in Japanese ODA policy on the energy sector: first, its premise of the compatibility of economic growth with environmental sustainability and, second, its heavy reliance on modern science. As an alternative, this article suggests a policy of promoting small and decentralized renewable energy technology.

Road maintenance policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: unsolved problems and acting strategies

This paper examines road maintenance policies supported by the official development assistance (ODA) during the 1980s and 1990s in Sub-Saharan Africa. It looks at the sectoral analysis of the problems, which was carried out by the two largest multilateral donors in these countries: the European Commission and the World Bank. The diagnosis reveals the contradictions and inadequacies of these policies. Finally, a contribution is made, suggesting the main conditions to be fulfilled to improve future ODA policies for road maintenance.