As international assistance is increasingly deployed to achieve foreign policy objectives, where does the line fall between humanitarian intent and strategic influence? This episode leads a crucial discussion on the complex concept of aid as soft power, exploring how global aid is used to persuade rather than coerce, and what these shifting motivations mean for recipient nations and the broader global development landscape.

To unpack these intricate dynamics at a time when global aid funding faces historic lows and the Sustainable Development Goals face significant setbacks, hosts Ivica Petrikova (Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London) and Melita Lazell (Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development at the University of Portsmouth) continue the Global Aid Rethink series.

They are joined by Stephen Brown, Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa (additionally affiliated with the School of International Development and Global Studies), and Rose Worden, a Senior Analyst and Public Affairs and Policy Advisor. Together, they explore the critical distinctions between soft power and hard power, examining the underlying political motivations behind international assistance and the long-term implications for global governance.

• Read the transcript here

This is a Research Podcasts production.

Episode credits:

Presenters: Ivica Petrikova, Royal Holloway, University of London and Melita Lazell, Portsmouth University

Guests: Professor Stephen Brown and Rose Worden

Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts

Music: MFCC via Pixabay

This podcast was generously funded by the ESRC-funded Royal Holloway Social Science Impact Accelerator

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