Swedish Development Cooperation Research Articles

Institutional hybridisation in Swedish public sector development cooperation

AbstractWhile the concept of hybridisation (blending of different organisational forms, logics, or identities) in public administration has gained traction, its interplay with principal‐agent dynamics, especially within development cooperation, remains underexplored. Recent shifts towards the “whole‐of‐society” paradigm in Swedish development cooperation introduce complexities in the inter‐organisational dynamics between actors involved. However, our understanding of how these dynamics influence the manifestation of hybridisation in everyday practices is limited. Drawing on the development cooperation experience of Swedish national authorities and data collected from interviews, focus group discussions, and archival documents, this study identifies the interplaying dynamics of three coexisting logics (managerialist, collaborative, and developmental), and two types of hybridisation (specialisation‐centric and integration‐centric). These findings shed light on the challenges and opportunities the inter‐organisational dynamics induce for translating the “whole‐of‐society” policy paradigm into development practice and outcomes. The study's theoretical and practical implications for hybridisation in public administration and development studies are discussed.

Climate distress, climate-sensitive risk factors, and mental health among Tanzanian youth: a cross-sectional study

Climate change threatens youth mental health through multiple mechanisms, yet empirical studies typically focus on single pathways. We explored feelings of distress over climate change among Tanzanian youth, considering associations with climate change awareness and climate-sensitive risk factors, and assessed how these factors relate to mental health. Tanzanian youth (aged 18-23 years) from a cluster randomised controlled trial in Mbeya and Iringa regions of Tanzania were interviewed between Jan 25, and March 3, 2021, and included in this cross-sectional study. A threshold of at least 10 on the ten-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to classify symptom severity indicative of depression. Regardless of climate change awareness, respondents were asked about their feelings of distress on climate change using inclusive language (changing weather patterns or changing seasons). We estimated rate differences in climate change distress (slight or moderate or extreme vs none) by youth characteristics, extent of climate awareness, and climate-sensitive livelihoods (eg, agriculture, tending livestock) and climate-sensitive living conditions (eg, food or water insecurity), using generalised linear models. We compared depression prevalence by extent of climate change distress and climate-sensitive living conditions. Among 2053 youth (1123 [55%] were male and 930 [45%] were female) included in this analysis, 946 (46%) had reported any distress about climate change. Distress was higher among female, more educated, more religious, older youth, and those working in extreme temperatures. Adjusting for climate awareness-a factor strongly associated with climate distress-helped to explain some of these associations. Depression was 23 percentage points (95% CI 17-28) higher among youth who had severe water insecurity than those who did not. Similarly, youth who had severe food insecurity had 23 percentage points higher depression (95% CI 17-28) compared with those who did not. Those reporting climate change distress also had worse mental health-extremely distressed youth had 18 percentage points (95% CI 6-30) higher depression than those reporting none. Living in conditions worsened by climate change and feeling distressed over climate change have mental health implications among young people from low-resource settings, indicating that climate change can impact youth mental health through multiple pathways. Erasmus Trustfonds, Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research, UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, Oak Foundation, UNICEF, UK's Department of International Development, the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency, Irish Aid.

Sweden’s Development Policy Since 1990: A Policy Paradigm Shift Waiting to Happen?

Since the birth of the formal Swedish development policy in 1962, the overarching goal of Swedish aid has been poverty reduction. While the goal has been up for revision four times (under two social democratic and two conservative governments) it has only been rephrased rather than reformed. In addition, Sweden’s ambition to devote one per cent of its gross national income to development aid each year has been largely upheld since it was first achieved in 1975, save a period of 13 years (1993–2005, under the social democratic rule) where it was abandoned with reference to budgetary pressures. Aid was, however, never less than 0.7 per cent of GNI. Goals and volumes not being altered over time, even under government changes, suggest Swedish development cooperation policy has been formed under consensus. This apparent continuity, however, masks some important differences between political parties’ policy preferences, and the stability may be better explained by large majorities being in favour of current policies than by consensus. I argue that the preconditions for those differing ideational positions to be translated into policy change are today quite favourable, suggesting that a policy paradigm shift, a ‘radical policy change’, may be in the making.

Swedish Development Cooperation and Ownership of African Regional Organizations

This article deals with the ownership of African regional organizations (ROs) in the context of an overreliance on foreign funding. It focuses specifically on whether and how Swedish development cooperation contributes to the ownership of ROs on the continent. Sweden constitutes a particularly pertinent case study for several reasons: it is one of the world’s largest and most important donors to African ROs, it places great emphasis on the ownership principle and it is often considered to be a role model for effective development cooperation. The empirical material consists of an in-depth study of Swedish regional development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa (2010–2015), policy reports and reviews, aid evaluations and a range of semi-structured interviews with Swedish and African aid officials. This study reveals a series of challenges regarding what is to be owned and by whom, and Sweden’s stress on building the capacity of the secretariats of ROs as the main way of strengthening ownership.

Untapped Research Capacities? Mobility and Collaboration at the Intersection of International Development Aid and Global Science Regimes

<p class="p1">This article aims to offer some thoughts that go beyond mere bibliometric and scientometric evidence, by empirically and comparatively exploring the conditions for, and the experiences of research and international research collaboration of African PhD holders who graduated with support from development cooperation/aid. The article explores the constraints on research, international research mobility and collaboration, at the intersection of development cooperation and global science regimes. Taking Swedish development cooperation as an example, the article focuses on preconditions and constraints that scholars from Mozambique and Tanzania, in their current positions, experience in their research, with special attention on international mobility and cooperation.</p>

Conceptualizations of “results” in Swedish policy for development cooperation from the 1960s to the 2000s

Abstract Over the last few decades there has been an increased focus on results within development cooperation, and there has been an intense debate regarding the possible success or failures of development efforts. However, there is no general agreement on what a development result is, or why and whose development results should be reported. The understanding of what a development result entails has also shifted over time. This article aims to contribute to the current debate on development results by exploring how one donor, Sweden, historically has conceptualized development results in its policies and strategies on development cooperation. A review of all policies and general strategies on Swedish development cooperation published between 1962 and 2013, reveals that there has been a shift in how results are conceptualized: from being a mere instrument for supporting partner countries in pursuing more effective development policies and interventions, reporting of development results has become one of the main strategic tools for pursuing a Swedish development cooperation.

Evaluation from a gender perspective: learning from british and Swedish development cooperation systems

Gender equality was introduced into international development evaluation two decades ago. Over these years, there have been different experiences in incorporating gender issues into the evaluative exercises. In this paper, we analyze the evaluative experience of British and Swedish development cooperation systems –two of the most outstanding in relation to gender and evaluation- during the period 2000-2010 and we study how they have included gender equality in evaluation. We especially explore the incorporation of gender issues in their political commitment, evaluation procedures, methodologies and practices. And, according to this analysis, we present some learning in order to enlighten next evaluation exercises and to contribute to the improvement and accountability of the development cooperation policies.

Resilience, rights and results in Swedish development cooperation

Resilience is an amorphous concept for a development agency. This article, reflecting on the findings of a review of how resilience to natural hazards is addressed within Swedish development cooperation, looks at how resilience has been conceptualised and the implications of the emergence of attention to ‘resilience’ as both a new catchword and perhaps a new perspective on development. A key factor is the interplay of human rights and resilience goals in the relations between vulnerable people and duty bearers. In addition, the implications are considered of resilience in relation to the incentives and monitoring and evaluation frameworks that steer today's results-based management systems for development cooperation. A conclusion is that resilience is a problematic concept in development cooperation, but may provide added value if it is tied to greater understanding of vulnerability, struggles over resources and recognition of the complexity and uncertainty of the development enterprise.

Aiding Rights? –– Dilemmas in Norwegian and Swedish Development Cooperation with Ethiopia

Aiding Rights? –– Dilemmas in Norwegian and Swedish Development Cooperation with Ethiopia

Changing Ideals in a Donor Organisation: ‘Participation’ in Sida

SummaryDevelopment buzzwords shelter diverse and often divergent strands of meaning and practice, lending an air of credibility and currency to the policies of the agencies that espouse them. Tracing the trajectory of one of these buzzwords, ‘participation’, in Swedish development cooperation, this paper seeks to unpack some of those diverse meanings and lend form to some of those divergent practices. It weaves together institutional ethnography with oral history and textual analysis, fortified by insights from a unique action research initiative on participation. This innovative process brought together desk officers from across the institution in a participatory learning group that met for the best part of a year to explore the challenge of institutionalising participation in Sida.The paper tells the tale of efforts to promote and negotiate participation in a changing external and institutional environment. It begins in a time when the term had not yet gained currency but in which the practice of Swedish development cooperation resonated with many of the ideals that were associated with popular participation. It goes on to chart the rise of ‘popular participation’ (folkligt deltagende) and other variants, community participation, beneficiary participation, stakeholder participation and civil society participation, as Swedish development cooperation came to be influenced by the discourses and practices of bilateral and multilateral development institutions. Pursuing the trajectory of participation into an era in which other buzzwords – harmonisation, ownership and account‐ability – have taken precedence, it reflects on the paradoxes of efforts to institutionalise ideals within development bureaucracies as they grapple with the opportunities, challenges and contradictions of the Paris Agenda and the reconfiguration of the business of aid.

Pest and pesticide management in Swedish development co-operation

Pest and pesticide management in Swedish development co-operation