With global funding at its lowest in decades and the Sustainable Development Goals significantly off-track, what does the future look like for the global aid landscape? This concluding episode synthesises insights from across the series, reflecting on profound systemic shifts, the implications of recent deep aid cuts in the UK and US, and the immense challenges of rebuilding the moral and political case for international assistance.

To bridge these complex themes and conclude the first series, 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) engage in a comprehensive final discussion.

Joining Ivica and Melita for this concluding conversation is Dr Jack Taggart, a researcher in critical approaches to international political economy, the politics of international development, and the dynamics of global governance, based at Queen's University Belfast. Together, they explore the historical precedents for aid retrenchment and revival, the rise of national self-interest and financialisation in aid agendas, and the potential for a more fragmented, unilateral future for aid provision. The discussion also addresses the barriers to implementing more effective, recipient-owned development approaches and the crucial need for improved public communication regarding aid's impact and purpose.

• 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: Jack Taggart

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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